Have a picky eater around your house? Yup, most of us do. Recently on Twitter I learned that the actress Jennifer Garner makes a game of it by adopting an exciting sportscaster voice as her child tries a new food:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bean is on the fork, the fork is going to his mouth! It is in! He is chewing \u2013 he\u2019s chewing! He is swallowing<\/a>! Annnnnd\u2026what is he thinking? The verdict isssss\u2026.. He likes it!\u201d<\/p>\n I think her approach is brilliant. Why? Because family mealtimes<\/a> should be full of connection and fun!<\/p>\n Picky eating is common in young kids. Why? Your child is:<\/p>\n Here are my top tips for feeding the otherwise healthy and normally developing child.<\/p>\n Parents choose the foods and children choose to eat.<\/strong> You\u2019re responsible for choosing healthy foods to offer and when to serve them. Your child is responsible for whether and how much of these foods they eat. This division of labor can be hard for a worried parent to follow \u2013 but it works well<\/a>!<\/p>\n Children will eat when they\u2019re hungry.<\/strong> Parents shouldn\u2019t force children to eat or \u201cclean their plates.\u201d Doing so overrides the child\u2019s natural signals of hunger and fullness, and we want to encourage children to eat as much as, and not more than, their body needs.<\/p>\n Picky eating is common and usually a phase.<\/strong> Have faith that this will improve over time. In the meantime, think about your kid\u2019s nutrition averaged over a week to get a picture of their nutritional intake. Maybe they just eat whole wheat bread today, peaches tomorrow, and carrots the next day. That\u2019s not so bad!<\/p>\n A child\u2019s eating habits are influenced by their individual temperament.<\/a><\/strong> Some children are naturally more resistant to new foods or less interested in eating in general. Others may pass through challenging periods at different stages of their development. Try not to blame yourself, and know that as children grow, their tastes and appetites will grow too.<\/p>\n Have set mealtimes and avoid constant snacking<\/strong>. All-day grazing can diminish hunger at mealtimes. Having set meals at regular times, plus one healthy snack<\/a> in between, helps ensure children are hungry enough at meals to eat all the healthy foods you offer.<\/p>\n\n