Tip Tuesday: Panicking About My Picky Eater (2/4)

Posted on October 13th, 2015

Welcome back! We hope our first tip gave you some ideas on where to start. This tip targets a bit of desensitization to new foods:

 

 

Let kids get familiar with a food before asking them to eat it.  In the clinic, we might start by just asking a child to touch the unfamiliar food.  When they are comfortable with that, we ask them to put it on their face or lips, then touch it to their tongue, then hold it in their mouth, and finally chew it up and swallow it.  Depending on how aversive the new food is, this may happen over several different days.  This is something parents can try at home.  Another way to let kids get familiar with food is by involving them in choosing the new food and preparing the meal.  Older children can help to chop up new foods and cook them, while younger kids can stir or measure.  Giving kids time to get comfortable working with the new food makes them more likely to try it, and cooking it themselves can lead to kids feeling excited and proud of what they made and more likely to eat it!