The Finicky Child

Solving feeding problems Solving Feeding problems What if I need more help? How Should I Handle Dessert? The Finicky Child The Overweight Child The Poor Eater What if my child won't eat vegetables?

There's no way you can get your child to eat if he doesn't want to. What you can do, however, is stop pressuring him to eat, and teach him to behave at the table. Then his eating will take care of itself. Is the finicky eater born or made? Some children are naturally very sensitive to taste, texture, and smell. That can be good or bad. They can enjoy food a lot, or they can be so upset by something they eat that they gag or throw up. The finicky eater can also be made. Parents who are fussy about their own food will often pass their fussiness along to their children. Parents who pressure their children to eat, or offer too little support with eating, can turn their children into finicky eaters. The main task with a finicky eater is not to get him to accept more food, but to keep his eating from being an issue. The finicky eater needs to learn to cope with his sensitivities. Your child needs to learn to be polite but firm about refusing food. He shouldn't say ''YUK!'' at mealtime; a simple ''No, thank you'' will do. He can also learn to use his napkin to get food back out of his mouth when he can't swallow. If he can say ''no'' to food, it frees him to say ''yes'' more often. To help your child enjoy a variety of foods; Maintain a Division of Responsibility in eating Offer a variety of foods Have structured meals and snacks Don't short-order cook Limit between-times caloric beverages like juice and soda Make meals worth while Offer moral support Respect eating quirks Get help with your own eating if you need it. For a comprehensive set of educational materials that teach stage-related feeding and solve feeding problems, see ELLYN SATTER'S FEEDING IN PRIMARY CARE PREGNANCY THROUGH PRESCHOOL: Easy-to-Read Reproducible Masters (4th grade reading level, English and Spanish) and ELLYN SATTER'S NUTRITION AND FEEDING FOR INFANTS AND CHILDREN: Handout Masters (7th grade reading level, English only). Copyright © 2005 by Ellyn Satter. For more about feeding your child, see Ellyn Satter’s How To Get Your Kid To Eat... But Not Too Much. For permission to reproduce this handout, call (800)808-7976 or e-mail info@ellynsatter.com

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