Photo by: Disney Mike

A Note About Picky Eaters...

Photo by: Disney Mike

The other day my son came up to me and said, “You know what would be the perfect day, Mom?”

“What?” I asked.

“A day where I could have orange chicken for breakfast, orange chicken for lunch, and orange chicken for dinner.”

This from my picky eater.

Actually, he’s not picky anymore, and his most recent favorite food—you guessed it—is orange chicken.

If you would’ve asked me a year and a half ago if I thought my son would like orange chicken or any kind of Chinese food, I would’ve told you a resounding no.

In fact, there was a time when all he wanted to eat was plain burritos. Seriously.

I know there are different schools of thought about picky eaters…

Teach them young, make them eat what everyone else is eating, and don’t give in.

or

If they want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner instead of the chicken and vegetables and salad you spent two hours cooking, so be it. What’s the big deal?

Honestly, I’ve gone both ways over the years.

It’s been a balancing act between trying to encourage my kids to eat a variety of foods, not wanting to make food an issue, and picking my battles wisely.

And while I think there’s tremendous value in introducing different foods to your kids at a young age and encouraging them to eat what the rest of the family is eating, I also know from personal experience that doesn’t always work.

More and more, I’ve come to recognize that kids have their differences, and that includes taste. Some kids—my son being one of them—even have an extra-sensitive gag reflex. Certain textures (broccoli for example), are hard to eat, if not impossible. (Believe me, we’ve tried.)

But here my son is at age nine now, and he’s eating almost everything we put in front of him and liking it. (Minus the broccoli.)

So if you have a picky eater, hang in there. I know it can be hard. Meal times can be a challenge (never mind going out to dinner if there isn’t grilled cheese on the menu), and it can be stressful making sure your kids are getting all the nutrients they need (a daily vitamin is key).

But it does get easier.

Some people—usually moms who were a little older and a lot wiser than me—used to tell me not to worry about my son being so picky and that he would outgrow it.

I remember clinging to that hope as I envied other moms who had successfully gotten their kids to eat sushi by the age of four, or to prefer raw celery sticks for snacks.

(I, on the other hand, would spend extra time making creative smoothies for my son, just so I could stick some vegetables or protein in there. And when I fed him yams, you could barely see the yam because it was buried under a pile of brown sugar.)

But you know what?

Those moms were right.

My son did outgrow it.

And now, looking back, I wish I wouldn’t have worried so much about his picky eating.

Because in the scheme of parenting and life,

whether he eats everything on his plate for dinner,

or asks for a grilled cheese sandwich for the third time in one day,

it’s just not that important. :)

What do you think? Do you/did you have picky eaters? I’d love to hear your stories and experiences!

Genny Heikka is a mom, author, parenting blogger, book reviewer, and coffee lover. Stop by her blog www.mycup2yours.com and share a cup!

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72 Comments

My comment is only for kids who aren't sick or having developmental issues.

If the child is hungry enough they WILL eat what you put in front of them. My son wouldn't eat dinner (he is my 3rd) and so I cut out his snacks. He ate dinner. My daughter (number 2) wouldn't eat what I put in front of her for dinner so I put her to bed and she never refused to eat dinner ever again. My other son (1st born) same thing. You miss a meal or two and know that mama is serious...

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"Picky eating" can become a problem, especially if your child has a sensory processing disorder, or is Autistic. If that is possibly your case, than seek the advice of a Feeding Specialist. Talk to your Pediatrician about Early Intervention services, a Registered Nurse/Nutritionist with training in Feeding Therapy can be a great help.

This can be a hot button issue between my husband and I because I have always been a picky eater, and my husband likes everything. So, when our daughter won't eat something because she doesn't like it, he gets mad and wants to try to make her eat it. I, on the other hand, know what it's like to eat something you really don't like. So I don't push the issue too much. Though, if she suddenly declares that she hates something she previously like or loved, I won't let her eat something else...

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My son was not a picky eater. He ate everything we put in front of him. Then somehow, nearing his second birthday he started dropping food off his "menu." We learned several months later that he has high functioning autism. His autism seems so mild except when he eats! This food battle, because it is MY battle, to just let go of my preconceived notions of what i think he should be doing or how he should behave is a tough one. Other people will tell you what you should feed your kids...

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I have one of each kind; a kid who eats everything and a kid who eats nothing. They both grow about the same.

The one who eats everything popped cherry tomatoes like candy as a 1-yr-old, loved mussels as a 2-yr-old, and chose quesadillas and sushi as his favorites at 6.

The picky eater eats yogurt and limes. Sure, he's twice gone through phases where he would eat chicken nuggets with ketchup, and he used to eat PB&J. He's generally good about fruit and of course he'll eat sugar...

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I can count on one hand what my child will eat, and that includes nothing in its original form (she'll eat vegetable broth but not vegetables, fruit leathers but not fruit). This was not always the way, she ate everything I gave her, loved broccoli in any form, ate blueberries by the bushel, up until she was 2 1/2, then it all changed. But I do not stress it, because she eats what she likes, I cook healthy, she has a good appetite, and I was just. like. her...

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And P.S. Not only did I grow out of it, but my favorite foods are vegetables!

Thank you for this article as a mother of a picky eater. I'm the mother of 4 and so I considered myself a seasoned veteran of the motherhood thing (2 older kids and 2 younger kids). But my 4 year old really ate nothing but powdered sugar donuts and chocolate milk. My grandmother always said "they'll eat when they are hungry" and I always followed this rule but then my mother and mother-in-law as well as their pediatrician acted extremely worried...

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My son is picky, but likes a lot of healthey foods-peanut butter, eggs,milk, yougurt, some meats, corn and salads,fruit and cheese. What really has helped is if I'm making something for dinner hat i know he wont touch, I manage to throw together a finger foods plate with a salad or 'letter soup' with a salad-at least then he's not hungry at bedtime...

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Thank you for presenting BOTH schools of thought about how to handle a picky eater. I know some people think you can "starve" a picky eater into eating whatever you set in front of them, but in some cases that is just not true. Each child is different and as long as you give them healthy choices and reintroduce foods from time to time, there is nothing wrong with cooking to their palette.

I was always picky when I was a kid too, but have found that almost every year I find something new that I now like. As you get older your taste buds desensitize or something. My daughter is extremely picky- she wants fried chicken, corn, and fake mashed potatos three meals a day if I'd let her. UGH, they can't be real mashed potatoes, just fake...

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I was a picky eater, so i get it. There were certain random things i would eat like spinach, lettuce(with nothing but salt), and celery. So you better believe there was usually a cup of one of those next to my plate. A tomato was out of the question. I didn't want anything that looked like it was in the larval stage.
I eventually outgrew it, thanks to a roommate who loved to eat most anything. I love tomatos and my daughter does, too...

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Thank you. Exactly what I needed to hear. :)

My kids (5 and 6)eat just about everything- sushi, bbq, mild curry, steamed veggies, food from just about any country. burrata and heirloom tomatoes with sea salt and olive oil drizzled on top is their favorite after-school snack...it's crazy. I've never forced them to eat anything, but have done lots of encouraging. Luckily we live in an area with a diverse array of food available, and DH and I love to cook...

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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! My oldest is almost three and he will peanut butter, some fruits (no veggies), chicken fingers and cereal. That is it. He doesn't even try new foods, and it's so frustrating because how is he ever going to find out he likes other foods if he won't try them. Your article gives me hope. I don't make meal times a battle, I let him eat what he likes (well I don't give him cookies for dinner) but it's usually alternates between chicken, peanut butter or cereal...

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