One of the first things we learn’t about our baby when she started solids was that she seemed to have many sensory issues with food. Sometimes it was the texture of the food and sometimes the flavor. Though she generally showed interested in eating, she didn’t really end up consuming food once it touched her tongue.
With her weight starting to fall off the growth charts, I realized it was time for some intervention. I couldn’t just wait for her to pass through the “picky eating” phase. And I had to do more than just create exposures.
In today’s post I will take you through some of the feeding strategies I used and how I actually ended my child’s picky eating phase without stress and fuss.
HOW I ENDED MY CHILD’S PICKY EATING BEHAVIOR
Let’s get started :
- Used Hook Foods
First thing I did,
I used “hook foods”
Foods she is hooked onto to create meals I know she will enjoy. This doesn’t disrupt our family meal plan either.
Hook foods actually help create exposure to a variety and new flavors.
She likes milk so we make all kinds of smoothies. 9 out of 10 times she has a variety of flavors and combinations simply because I call every smoothie “milk!”
Sometimes its chocolate milk, sometimes blueberry milk, sometimes chikoo milk. You get it?
Related reading : Weight-gain friendly smoothies for toddlers.
She likes potato, so we do home style potato fries, sweet potato fries, baked sweet potato, aloo paratha, cheesy potato mash, and more.
She loves curd, so I use curd or yogurt in snacks too. Simple yogurt and fruit bowl, or yogurt in her smoothie, or dahi alongside her food, or paratha/cheela with dahi, yogurt topped with granola, this way she is willing to explore other foods alongside her favorite foods.
Her current favorite vegetable is carrots, so we do grated raw carrot as a salad, carrot in pancakes, carrot in cakes, carrot fries and more.
These hook foods can be used to get the child interested in the meal, to try more or to transition to other healthier options in time.
Make a list of foods you know for sure your fussy eater loves and then try and incorporate this in different food preparations. This way you are expanding their palette and increasing exposure to a variety slowly while also building confidence in eating.
2. Stopped relying on milk for nutrition
Even though she loves milk I made sure to not offer milk all the time or use smoothies everyday for snack time. Milk is great for nutrition but not the only food that provides nutrition. Liquid calories take up space in the stomach that could have been other nutrient dense solid food.
We do smoothies 2-3 times a week and otherwise on any given day we offer milk in the mornings or at night before bed. But I try to keep it at one time a day at about 200-250 ml a day.
For calcium sources I then rely on fish, lentils, legumes, ragi, cheese, nuts and seeds.
3. Stopped offering kids meals
Every time I fell into the habit of catering to my daughter’s picky eating and started offering her “kids meals” I realized her tantrums around food increased, there was more negotiating and a child that was left the dinner table unhappy.
I learnt that my child didn’t need special foods made just for them. They just needed simple, nourishing foods served with some age-appropriate adjustments as needed.
I offer her a deconstructed salad meal based off of my salad. Some paneer cubes, a tablespoon of beans and a few cucumbers and bell peppers and her plate is ready.
If we are having a spicy curry I simply wash the chicken pieces and then mix it in with rice, drizzle some olive oil to make it less spicy for her.
I did all of this while keeping the home environment at the table, low-pressure with lots of positive encouragement when she tried and liked things.
Over 3 months of consistently using these strategies I saw a remarkable shift in my daughter’s relationship with food. Meals became less of a struggle, with her trying and even managing to eat alongside the family. I also saw big improvements in her growth and sleep too.
What this journey taught me is that ending picky eating isn’t about getting your child to eat more at each meal, it’s about helping them feel safe, comfortable and confident around food.
This takes time, but a gentle, reassuring environment can bring about a massive shift in your child’s feeding behavior.
So, if you are navigating picky eating right now, remember that progress may not always be smooth or linear. Be consistent, keep it simple, and give your child time. Because you are ultimately building their relationship with food for years to come.
For more food ideas for picky toddlers, try these recipe posts:
Healthy Breakfast Ideas For Toddlers (Picky Eater approved)
50 Toddler Dinner Ideas (Picky Eater Approved)
Quick And Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas (Picky Eater Approved)
Let me know in the comments, if you try some of these ideas!
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