How to Prevent a Picky Eater – 9 Rules to Follow

This article explains my steps to help prevent your child from being a picky eater. If you follow my story on Instagram, you know that (knock on wood) my son is an awesome eater.  He hasn’t been too picky since he started solids, and I’m always trying to introduce new foods and flavors to him weekly. He enjoys eating just like his mama and dada, and I always want him to be adventurous when it comes to food.

Of course, there are times when he doesn’t like the taste of something and refuses certain foods, but that doesn’t mean we stop right there. We continue giving him the foods he dismisses in hopes that he will slowly start liking and accepting them.

As a kid, my parents were very adamant about always trying new food.   They always said try it once and if we don’t like it then we don’t have to eat it. I loved vegetables as a kid and my parents found different and fun ways to incorporate veggies into our meals.

Introducing a variety of foods is key on how to prevent a picky eater

It’s so important to introduce all types of food for our children so that they get used to different textures and flavors. My husband and I love to travel and I can’t imagine how hard it would be going to different countries and having a kid who isn’t interested in eating ethnic food.

If you’re finding that your child is becoming a picky eater then you’ve come to the right place. Or if you have an infant and need some advice on how to start your baby off on the right start, keep on reading. I’m going to share all of my tips and tricks on how I’ve gotten my son to be the best eater!

INTRODUCE PUREED VEGGIES FIRST

This was honestly a game-changer I believe, which started Milan’s love for veggies. My mom actually gave me this tip when I first started introducing solids to Milan. Instead of mixing fruits and veggies together, for the first month I only gave him veggie puree. I started introducing him to purees at 5 months and would feed it to him once every other day.  At first, he was like “what the heck is this?!?” BUT I kept giving it to him and he eventually gave in.

As first-time parents, we need to understand that food is foreign to our babies, so anything we put in their mouths, they’re going to be unsure of.  Don’t be discouraged and keep on giving it to them until they’re familiar with the taste. Once you know they’re comfortable with the taste and texture, then slowly add in fruit purees as well!

DON’T BE AFRAID TO USE HERBS AND SPICES FROM THE START

 

Another step to help prevent your child from being a picky eater is to not be afraid to use herbs and spices when you cook their meals. Do this early on so that your babe gets used to all of the wonderful herbs and spices out there.  They really do enhance the flavor of food, especially fresh herbs.  I always love to add spices to Milan’s meal as well because I want him to get used to a little spice in his food.

Were Indian and that means our food is mostly always spicy. I love spicy food and so does my husband, so we want to make sure that our children are exposed to spices early on. My goal as a mother is to make sure that one meal is made for the whole family, and that everyone enjoys the same dish (who knows if this will even happen, but I hope so).

 

IF BABY REFUSES SOMETHING KEEP ON TRYING

My son refused blueberries, steamed broccoli, steamed yams, and a whole bunch of other foods on the first few tries. I think a lot of time parents see this and give up because they think their baby doesn’t like it. That may be the case, but keep on giving it to them. I did this with a lot of different food and low and behold he started eating them.

Don’t give up because your babe refuses certain foods at first. They’re going to do this because like I mentioned earlier, they need to get used to different textures and flavors.

We start off with purees and then introduce them to the real deal thing, and they’re like what the heck is this stuff?!

So be patient..be VERY patient. It’ll take time but I promise you it’s worth it.

KEEP ON INTRODUCING NEW FOOD

It can be easy to give our babes the same things over and over again because we know what they like. But we need to make sure we’re giving them variety and switching up their meals.  By doing this, you’re opening up a whole new world of food to your little ones, which will allow them to try new and different food all the time.

This is really helpful to help prevent your child from being a picky eater. I like to plan my meals out the day of. Sometimes we do make Milan his own separate meals, but we also try to incorporate the food we’re eating into his meals too, especially for dinner.

When we go to restaurants, we always give Milan bites of our food so he can experience the tastes as well. So far so good, he’s tried many different foods from many different restaurants already.

This will make your life easier because you know if you’re ever in a situation where you’re not at home during mealtime, your little one will be able to eat whatever you can give them at that time.

DON’T INTRODUCE YOUR CHILD TO SUGAR BEFORE 1.5 YEARS OLD

Another step to help prevent your child from being a picky eater is to not introduce them to sugar early on. My husband and I were very careful not to give Milan sweet, sugary food like cookies, ice cream, cake, or anything with added sugar until he was around 15-16 months old.

Even now we are very selective when it comes to when he can have sweet food, and to be honest he doesn’t really care for cookies, cakes, and sweet treats right now.

I think it’s because he wasn’t given that and rarely gets it now, so he chooses healthier snacks over the sweet ones. I obviously don’t want to deprive him of sweet food, cuz lets face it, who doesn’t love cakes and cookies? BUT I want him to know that cake, cookies, and ice-cream are TREATS and he won’t be getting those things every day.

Try not to give added sugar dessert to toddlers and kids every day and stick to naturally sweet food such as apple sauce, baked apples, baked pears, or even muffins that are sweetened with only honey and fruit.

EAT DINNER THE SAME TIME AS YOUR CHILD

Why? Because when they see mommy, daddy, and their siblings eating, they want to eat too.  Try to make dinner time family time so that your little one knows when it’s time to eat. We’ve tried to establish this early on, and I think it’s made a big difference in his eating habits. This is a really great step to help prevent your child from being a picky eater.

Even if there are times that your little one eats before or after you, try to keep mealtime at the same spot, like at the dining table. That’ll become the norm for them, and once they’re in their highchair or at the dinner table, they will know that it’s time to eat.

TRY NOT TO EAT IN FRONT OF THE TV AND TURN OFF ALL ELECTRONICS WHEN EATING MEALS

Another step to help prevent your child from being a picky eater is to turn off all electronics during mealtime.   Mealtime is family time, and we love to eat at the dinner table with no TV and no electronics. It’s also a nice way to catch up on how our day went and enjoy each other’s company.

I think it’s so important for meal time to be intimate without the distraction of phones, iPad’s, or TV. We do however sometimes play music, which always creates a fun eating experience for Milan. Do this when your child is young so that they become accustomed to it. Your child won’t be able to eat without electronics, and you don’t want that.

So try your best to create a quite, electronic free vibe during meal times.

CHECK YOUR LABELS

This is a big one. I check the labels for my own food, so of course, I’m going to check the labels for Milan’s food as well. There is so much added sugar in children’s snacks these days.   I want to make sure that any snacks or pre-packaged foods that I do buy for Milan, don’t have added sugar in them. This is a very important step to help prevent your child from being a picky eater.

It’s surprising how many products made for toddlers and kids have added sugar in them. It’s honestly unnecessary in my opinion, and I really try to stay clear from these products.

A lot of yogurts, snacks, and baby food have added sugar in them. Sugar is highly addictive and you don’t want that for your babe. You want to give them snacks and treats that are naturally sweetened. Of course, it’s okay to let them have sugary snacks here and there.  However,  for the most part, try to keep all snacks and treats naturally sweetened.

DONT ALWAYS SEPERATE FOOD ON THE PLATE

It’s okay to do this sometime.  However, try mixing foods together such as veggies and rice.

I’ve noticed that some kids get super picky when their food is mixed up.   Whenever I make rice or pasta for Milan I always sautee veggies and add it in. Mix it up a bit. It’s okay to have things divided on the plate.  However, try to mix foods together so that your child has a variety of ways their food is being presented.

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Starting these habits early will create an adventurous and non-picky eater.   It’s so important to prevent your child from being a picky eater, because it will make your life easier.   My entire family are foodies and we have so many amazing cooks in the family.  I always want my children to experience all types of foods and not be too picky.

Of course, there will be times when Milan doesn’t want to eat something and that’s okay. Having Milan exposed to all different types of foods, flavours, and textures is so important.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram, as I often create come cook with me segments on my stories.  I also give you a step by step on how to create the recipes I make for Milan.

If you want some healthy and tasty recipes for kids click on the links below.

Salmon Fritters with Lemon & Herb Yoghurt Dip For Toddlers

Veggie Egg Muffins for Toddlers and Kids

Cheesy Cauliflower Tots for Toddlers & Kids 

Veggie Loaded Mac & Cheese For Toddlers

I hope this article was helpful, and I hope you’re able to create healthy habits for your little one! For more information on how to create healthy eating habits for your children, click here.

What are some other ways in which you can raise a non-picky eater? Comment Below.

 

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