Mealtime... Present a variety!

I’m sure you’ve been there. Your kid is screaming at you and you just don’t know what they want, but you are trying so incredibly hard to figure it out. Parents truly become mind-reading superheroes when it comes to their children. We learn that a grunt can mean hunger or the need for a hug. As our children grow, we get to watch them learn how to communicate their wants and needs, however, we have to battle through the times of knowing what they need when they can’t communicate.

Often times, meals become a time when we “know what he will eat” or “know that she doesn’t like this” and we let our children help dictate the meal because we just need them to eat. Survival is important. Yes, we do need our children to eat. Yes, you very well may know that you child is going to throw this food on the ground. However, we never truly “know” what they will eat until we give them the chance to eat it.

Make sure that you are presenting your child a variety of food. Give them the chance to try a food. Try to take a break from being a superhero and let your child surprise you. You might just find out that they do have a bigger variety of food in their diet then you realized because they just didn’t have the opportunity to try other foods.

Remember, there are picky eaters and there are problem eaters. If you are continuing to see a very limited diet, aversion to trying food, or a child willing to try any food once because never a second time, there may be more going on. Contact us and we can help you navigate the situation.