Picky Eaters and What to Do

Your child might not like every food you give him or her on the first try. Give your child a chance to try foods again and again, even if he or she does not like them at first. Children may need to try some foods many times before they like them. Here are some tips that might make trying foods again and again easier.

• Try freezing small bites of different foods. You can use these later and it avoids throwing a lot of food away.
• Wait a week before you try the new food again.
• Try mixing the new food with a food your baby likes, such as breast milk.

As your child gets older, he or she may start refusing foods he or she used to like or he or she may start showing signs of picky eating. Favoring just a couple of foods or not wanting foods to touch each other on the plate are normal behaviors. These behaviors often go away by the time your child is about 5 years old.

To learn more about picky eaters and what to do, watch Tips for Feeding Picky Eaters from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Tips to Help

• Try again: Wait a couple of days before offering the food again. It can take more than 10 times before you toddler might like it.
• Mix it up: Mix new foods with foods you know your child likes.
• Be silly: Make funny faces with the foods on your child’s plate. It might help your child get excited to eat it.
• Me too: Try eating the food first to show your child you like it. Then, let your child try it.
• Choices: Give your child a choice of different foods to try. Let your child decide which one to try today.