The other day my sister was venting on what a picky eater her eight year old daughter (my niece) Ayva is.
For years she liked cheese and now all of a sudden she HATES it on anything but pizza and tacos.
We’re talking hates it. Now if she sees even the lightest dusting on spaghetti or her ceasar salad, she will flip out Hulk Hogan style.
Who doesn’t like CHEESE?!
Ask any family and there’s usually that one child who is hands down the pickiest eater known to man kind with a mom ready to pull her hair out.
One woman who called into 107.7 Pulse FM this morning admitted she herself was a horrible picky princess growing up (didn’t even like ketchup!) that her mom simply had no other choice but to make her a completely separate meal for dinner. Ain’t no way I’m doing that for my kid, that’s insane!
So….the golden question….where do picky eaters come from? A new study shows it could be from a number of things such as personality traits, what a Mom ate herself while pregnant, to right down to kids being kids!
Luckily most of us grow out of the picky phase (thank gosh or we’d be single forever ha) so hang in there Moms! I hated carrots until I was ten (who wouldn’t those things were boiled to DEATH!) and now can’t get enough, so there is hope!
Until then, here’s some tips on dealing with Picky Timmy!
- Let your kids be “produce pickers.” Let them pick out fruits and veggies at the store.
- Have your child help you prepare meals. Children learn about food and get excited about tasting food when they help make meals. Let them add ingredients, scrub veggies, or help stir.
- Offer choices. Rather than ask, “Do you want broccoli for dinner?” ask “Which would you like for dinner, broccoli or cauliflower?”
- Enjoy each other while eating family meals together. Talk about fun and happy things. If meals are times for family arguments, your child may learn unhealthy attitudes toward food.
- Offer the same foods for the whole family. Serve the same meal to adults and kids. Let them see you enjoy healthy foods. Talk about the colors, shapes, and textures on the plate.’
- Vanessa xox
@VanessaLYbarra (Insta)