Dealing with a picky eater

Do you have a child in your care that refuses to try something new? Many providers comment that they have children that just won’t eat anything but chicken nuggets and french fries. Or,  they say they would like to try new foods but don’t think their children will eat them. Don’t let the fear of new foods stop you from introducing them. Children need multiple exposures to new foods to develop a taste for them.

Make trying new foods a learning experience. Let the children touch it, smell it, and taste it. Talk about how it looks. Is it smooth? Does it have bumps? What color is it? Does it smell sweet? Try just a small tasting to start with. You might find that cooking it different ways will help a picky eater find a way they like it. Take apples for example: a child may not like a raw apple slice but if you take the apple slices, add a little cinnamon and microwave it till its soft they may like it. You could create a food tasting chart for each child. Give them a sticker to add to the chart when they try a new food.

You, as the provider, have the ability to help the children in your care create healthy eating habits for the rest of their life. 

Cover image by Flickr user Aikawa Ke, Creative Commons license.