This
week’s Tuesday Tip for Picky Eaters: No separate menus.
A lot of
parents can get themselves into a bad habit of becoming a short-order cook when
a child refuses to eat what is on the family menu. We worry that our child is
not eating enough, so we make separate
meals to try to encourage him to eat more. Parents may start offering
substitutions of “kids’
foods” like pasta, cereal, crackers or even junk food. But in doing so, we
may actually be encouraging picky eating.
Henry gets to eat from the same menu as the rest of our family. |
First, it
is okay for your child to not eat a meal if
they are not hungry. Trying to fill them up with simple
carbohydrates sets a poor trend and discourages the child from listening to his
body’s signals of being hungry or full. Relax and let your child take
the lead on how
much to eat. Try not to focus on how much your child eats at one meal,
instead consider whether your child eats a balanced
diet over the course of the week.
Sometimes Henry is more interested in watching the pigeons than eating his lunch. |
Second, it
is okay to let your child feel hungry. I know some people may be
uncomfortable with that statement, but I have our pediatrician’s support on this one. If your child
does not eat for one or two days, try not to stress out about it. Just keep
offering a variety
of delicious and nutritious foods at each meal. After missing one, two or even
three meals in a row, your child is likely to try the food in front of them at
the next meal. And we all know that food tastes really good when we are truly
hungry.
Third,
children may not have an appetite when they are teething or ill. I know Henry’s
appetite dropped when he was sick recently. Children do need to drink fluids
regularly (breastmilk, formula, milk and/or water), but they do not have to eat
solid food at every meal. Our pediatrician suggested that it is time to meet
with your doctor to discuss potential medical issues if a toddler refuses to eat for
three consecutive days, is lethargic, or loses weight.
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