Kids Wellness: How to Cope With Your Picky Eater
15 Oct 2026
Kids Wellness: How to Cope With Your Picky Eater
To a picky eater or a parent of such a child, dinner seems like a battleground where food is the weapon. At around 6 pm, you can find a parent exhausted and baffled that their child does not want to try the green beans. It is easy to feel defeated and think that there is something wrong with you as a parent.
Being picky is normal for many kids
Most children grow out of it by the age of six, though it can last until the age of twelve. The good news is that these picky eaters do not need special diets because they usually outgrow this phase. However, during these few years, parents should do everything they can to ensure that the picky eater gets a healthy diet.
New foods need multiple exposures
Kids may need to see a new food or have it near them up to ten times before they try it. Therefore, parents should not give up after the first, second, or even the fifth time a child refuses a certain food. The best thing to do is to keep putting that food on the table, next to the child’s most preferred meals, and avoid drawing their attention to it. After that, if they ignore it, you can try again after some time.
Exposures can also be achieved without trying the food
Smelling and getting close to the food counts as exposure. Allowing them to play with their food also helps them get used to its texture and appearance. Parents can also encourage their children to prepare the food. Many picky eaters love to help in the kitchen. Assigning them simple kitchen chores like washing or cutting vegetables, tearing lettuce leaves, or tossing salad dressings can have an incredible effect. When kids refuse to eat what a parent prepared, they may be more receptive to trying something they helped prepare.
Avoiding family tensions during mealtimes is essential
Switch off the television and put away cell phones and other devices during mealtimes. Family dinners should be a time for everyone to share their day’s events. Avoid arguments during mealtimes, and if they arise, put them on hold until after the meal.
The rule of thumb here is to make sure that you decide what and when to serve. However, what and how much your child eats is their choice.
Let your kids eat what they want in reasonable portions
They are likely to imitate your behavior, so it is always advisable to be keen on what you say and do. Parents can also refrain from making meals that the picky eater will not like. Having a balanced and healthy diet is essential, but parents should also consider what their children like. Ensure you include at least one food your child will eat on your plate so that they are at least eating something healthy.
Use gentle strategies when introducing new foods
Offer small portions of new foods and ask your child to help themselves.
Place new foods beside more familiar ones.
Serve one new food with one or two familiar ones.
Rename the food or ask the child to rename it.
Prepare familiar foods in various ways so the picky eater can have more options.
Say, “You don’t have to eat it, but it is here if you change your mind.”
Let them smell, touch, and lick the food.
Do not comment on what they did or did not eat, and move on to the next topic when the meal ends.
It is also advisable not to become frustrated if nothing seems to work.
A picky eater should eat what you ask them to in reasonable portions. However, some children will always want snacks and a few pieces of fruit.
It is essential to remain calm and carry on
Being picky is normal for many kids, and most children grow out of it by the age of six, though it can last until the age of twelve. Therefore, you can be rest assured that there is nothing wrong with either your child or you as a parent. This phase is temporary, but it should not stop you from trying to ensure the picky eater has a healthy and balanced diet.