Momference: A Meeting of the Moms

Coaching Parents of Children Picky Eaters

Whether for a season or for the long haul all parents, at one time or another, navigate the waters of parenting a child with a selective palette. And as a child’s first cook and coach, you may be surprised just how much your attitude and food presentation influence your child’s early food preferences.
         
Throughout the early years, most every child enters a phase where they become extremely selective about the foods that they will eat. In fact, some children will limit their intake to only a few choices, opting for the same selections over and over again. Some preschoolers’ selections of children I’ve known have included a brown rice eater, a lover of peanut butter sandwiches and a glasses of milk, and a vegetable lover who hated the texture of meats. Fortunately for most children, this phase quickly passes, but for parents of kids whom it doesn’t, mealtimes often become opportunity for creativity and planning.

Before I share my best tips on coaching your child through expanding his palette, let me tell you why some children turn their nose at some of the best tasting foods. And surprisingly enough, flavor often doesn’t matter.

Children may refuse to try a new food because of these top three turnoffs:

• The way foods look. From the color to the portion, kids might turn down a new food because of its appearance alone.
• The way foods feel. The texture of foods will could  determine if a child believes he will or will not like a food.
• The way foods smell. The unfamiliarity of a new smell could cause a child to be hesitant in trying a new food. 
           

But when introducing new foods to your child, these coaching tips will foster a more successful experience and help you to coach your child through these top three turnoffs, enabling him to truly taste the flavor of a newly introduced food.

• Serve small portions, in small pieces, in small spaces. Children are often intimated by the sizes of foods. Offering an assortment of bite sized selections is all it takes for your child to try something new. An ice cube tray filled with colorful cut ups in each compartment is a great way to present a combination of new foods and old favorites in a non-intimidating way.
• Dip into Dips. Toddlers love to dip finger foods. Cottage cheese, yogurt, cream cheese and peanut butter make for great fruit and veggie dips. When it comes to meat, ketchup covers a multitude of unforgiving smells, textures and appearances.
• Let them feed themselves. Kids are more likely to try foods that they can easily manage on their own. Presenting any new selection in a finger friendly way will increase the chances that he’ll try it.
• Different preparation. Try experimenting with preparation and cooking methods when introducing new foods. A child who doesn’t like the texture of crispy raw carrots may love their soft, steamed counterpart.
• Slow and steady.  Slowly increase the amount of spices or strong flavorings added to foods. Less is more when introducing new, exotic or ethnic spices.
• Color your food. Food coloring can dynamically impact the presentation of a food. Add a touch of your child’s favorite color to new foods and you may be surprised how eager he is to try them. What kid can turn down pink pancakes, purple mashed potatoes, or green eggs and ham?  Be aware that some children are allergic to red food coloring.
• Share a bite. As role model and first coach, kids are more eager to try something that is on your plate. If they see mom and dad enjoying something new, they’re going to want to give it a try too.
• Encourage your kid to take turns. Serve an old favorite when introducing a new food. Insist that he try the new food before he eats his favorite. Encourage him to take turns, taking a bite of the old favorite, followed by the new.
• Be patient. Introduce a new food in a low key way. Avoid making a big deal about the new offering and instead, include it amongst favorites. Offer it as a snack to test your child’s taste preferences.  Instead of force feeding or arguing with your child, gently coach and encourage him to take a small bite and to follow it down with a sip of milk or water.
• Offer positive, purposeful, praise. Offering an “I’m really proud that you tried a bite!” goes along way in promoting an attitude of effort when it comes to trying new foods. When it comes down to it, introducing new foods is really about trying, not necessarily liking them.
• Don’t give up. It can take on average eight times of being exposed to a new food before a child may even try it, never mind acquire a taste for it. Offer the same new food often, even if it was previously rejected.      

Coaching your child through the picky eating stage can be extremely rewarding.
As you coach him in expanding his palette you are also instilling in him a great life principle. That variety can be the spice of life.

About the Author:

Coaches Corner is a product of the Academy for Coaching Parents.