Parents can respect their child's appetite and decisions by deciding what, when, and where food is offered, and let their children decide whether and how much to eat. The key is to make food neutral and reduce pressure. Helpful things to ask might be "How do we make this food yummier?" and give them some structured choices such as "do you want carrots or broccoli?" It often takes many many exposure without pressure often leads to acceptance. Here are are three key tips parents can use when dealing with picky eaters. 1. Relax - stress and anxiety kill appetite! Picky eating can make mealtimes very stressful and the more pressure and stress kids feel around eating, the less likely they will enjoy mealtime and try new foods. Pleasant family meals are very helpful in fostering a positive relationship with food. 2.Routine - a consistent routine and schedule for eating times can help the body develop strong reliable internal cues. Hunger is especially important when it comes to feeding kids and having them actually wanting to eat. Kids also have a smaller appetite so it is important to offer a meal or snack every 2-3 hours with nothing but water in between. 3. Involve the kids - kids as young as 18 months can help out in the kitchen with age appropriate tasks rather it be washing and tearing up the lettuce leaves or throwing ingredients into the bowl. The more positive experiences kids can have with food, the more likely they will be willing to try something new. Touching and smelling a food are different and lower pressure ways of exposure that can help your child get more comfortable around a food and to eventually try new foods.
Running a private driver service in one of the busiest cities in the world has shown me that patience and flexibility can win more battles than force ever could - a lesson I now use on my 6-year-old daughter, who at one point, took three straight weeks rejecting everything green. Instead of taking every meal time as a chance for some negotiation (or worse, a standoff), I started letting her be part of the decision. At the end of each ride I would complete, I would let her choose one ingredient from the market we passed on the way home. She hadn't touched tomatoes for months - until one afternoon, she picked a yellow heirloom because "it looked like the sun." Together, we roasted it and tossed it in pasta, and boom, tomatoes were not her nemesis anymore. I think the key in the instance I just provided you is providing them with a little autonomy. I apply the same to our customers at Mexico-City-Private-Driver.com: respect people's preferences, offer options to people so they feel comfortable trying new things. For my daughter, it was presenting it as curiosity instead of a challenge. I will describe the textures, tell absurd stories about how food grows, or let her plate it like a chef. If she wants nothing to do with it after she tries- no pressure. But there will not be an alternate special meal either. It's part of the experience. At the end of the day, whether it is a VIP guest or a selective 6-year-old, it all comes down to trust, autonomy, and the opportunity of a surprise tomato resembling the sun.