New foods may be overwhelming for your child. You can help ease your children's acceptance of food.
Your intuition is telling you that your child is a picky eater but you are unsure. However when your child only choose to eat the same favorite food for a few months and suddenly decide not to have it any more, your intuition is most probably not far from the truth.
Picky Eating
Picky eating refers to a situation when a child is usually very selective and decides what, when and how to eat his meals.
You know your child is a picky eater when he:
- Plays with his foods, for example, throwing his food around in the hopes of making his meals smaller
- Takes a long time to finish up his meals
- Only likes certain types of food , food preparation, presentation and maybe even specific food brand
- Is a poor eater but does not present with any clinical condition
Research has shown that nearly half of children in paediatric clinics were shown to be picky eater and the majority of parents claim that their children have some difficulties during meal times.
Therefore, it is not surprise that you are concerned for your child since picky eating could lead to a series of health problems.
Possible effects of picky eating
- Weight loss and poor mineral and vitamin status
- Difficulty in concentrating at school
- Falling sick frequently due to immunity against infections
- Poor growth and development
- Increased risk of developing eating disorders in the future
Sometimes a child may refuse to eat because he is not accustomed to new foods. At times, they might reject the foods served to them due to food neophobia (unacceptance of new and unfamiliar food).
The good news is your role in his acceptance of food is more influential than you think.
Tips on getting your child to accept new foods.
- Try giving him a variety of food at an early age (after weaning). Introducing him to new foods slowly heightens the chances of him accepting the food more easily in future.
- Don't be surprised if he rejects new food. Persevere and keep trying to feed it to him. Sometimes its takes more than eight to nine times to get children accept a new food.
- Talk to him through this whole process to encourage him to continue trying new dish served
- Set limits for your child (for example, how long they should take to finish up their food). However, do set practical limits so your child would most likely follow your lead.
If your child is showing signs of poor appetite, nutrition counseling and a nutrition supplement for children ages one to 10 years old may help him strong and health.
This approach may help you and your pediatrician try to find the real problem behind poor eating behavior. Do consult a pediatrician for advise on this.
