To help navigate picky eating, experts recommend modeling good habits, keep trying new foods and talk to a child's pediatrician about any concerns.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Many families with young children experience bouts of picky eating, from toddlers who want to eat only chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, to kids who love sweet fruit but will not touch leafy green vegetables. Getting picky eaters to try new, healthier foods can be a challenge for parents and caregivers to navigate.
“All three of my kids are different, and I’ve realized food kind of fits in categories for each of them,” said Rachel Vernon, whose family has navigated picky eating for years. “My oldest daughter loves all kinds of vegetables now, but when she was younger, she only wanted yogurt and shredded cheese. On the other hand, my son loves meat but doesn’t want to touch vegetables, except for broccoli.”
Vernon did have concerns that her children were missing out on important nutrients. Their pediatrician reassured the family this likely was not the case. In fact, families are encouraged to focus on overall eating habits, not what kids are eating on a given day.
“Parents and caregivers may not know that over the course of a typical month, children will naturally get all the calories they need, picky eating or not,” said Stephen Cook, MD, director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Those calories should ideally come from unprocessed foods as much as possible. Packaged and jarred food can have a place, but many of them contain added flavorings and sweeteners, which a young child’s palette isn’t accustomed to and can make whole, unprocessed foods seem less appealing.”
After reassurance from her kids’ pediatrician, Vernon was able to navigate picky eating much more smoothly. The family stocked a drawer with healthy snack options between meals, and group grocery trips are part of the family’s regular routine.
“I learned over time that the picky eating our family experiences is normal,” Vernon said. “Instead of being stressed over whether or not our kids are eating everything at dinner, we are accepting the season we’re in, knowing it will change.”
Experts recommend the following practices for families to help build healthy eating habits for children:
- Keep trying foods. Patience and repetition are important. Younger children may need to try a new food between 12-15 times before embracing it. A “try” could be as small as a sniff, a lick, or a touch.
- Model good behavior. Avoid “short order cook” practices at mealtimes; encourage children to have what everyone else is having. Families can try new foods together or let a child help with grocery shopping and food preparation before a meal.
- Talk to your child’s pediatrician. If parents have concerns about their child’s picky eating, consult with a pediatrician. Pediatricians see a child up to 20 times during the first five years of life and some of the most critical developmental stages.
“The most important thing families should remember is not to panic,” said Dr. Cook. “A parent or caregiver is never doing a bad job if they have a picky eater at home. Most of the time, children experiencing picky eating will outgrow it in time, and families just need to be patient in working through it.”
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About Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-25 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 16,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.8 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.