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Is Your Child a Problem Eater?

Everywhere you look these days it seems there are children refusing to eat what their parents are eating. We see them in restaurants, friends’ houses and family gatherings. It has become so commonplace that we rarely bat an eyelid when we hear the story of someone’s child being a picky eater. And we barely notice as a frustrated parent begins to prepare a separate meal of “kid’s food.” Picky eating has definitely become common, but how do you know when it has become a problem.

Levels of Severity

There are levels of severity when it comes to picky eating. The most common, and least severe, picky eaters are a product of our current times. They have been raised on kid’s food such as pizza, macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. Because of this their diets often exclude vegetables, and are very heavy on carbohydrates. While this type of picky eater is frustrating to parents, these kids do have some variety and flexibility when it comes to food. And they can easily be taught to eat a healthier diet. However, if left to their own devices, they will eat a very limited and unhealthy diet. While this type of picky eating is not a major problem in the short term, it can have serious health consequences in the long term.

On the other end of the spectrum there are picky eaters who are more appropriately called problem or resistant eaters. These children eat very few foods, sometimes as few as one or two. It is common for them, over time, to eliminate foods that were once considered their favorites. Some will even eliminate whole food groups with no explanation. Problem eaters have a great deal of anxiety related to eating any non-preferred food. This anxiety can be so severe toward a particular food item that they will refuse to sit at the table if they know that food item is present. They may not even enter the room. This has a significant negative impact on their lives.

If pushed to eat food outside of their comfort level, a problem eater may gag or even vomit. While it is never a good idea to fight with any kid over food, it is actually dangerous to fight over food with a problem eater. These children are willing to starve themselves if unable to have food that is acceptable to them. If this sounds like your child, then you should immediately seek help from a qualified feeding therapist. While it is possible for these kids to eat a more diverse and healthy diet, it is very complicated to get them to do so. The guidance of an expert is crucial to their success.

Tips for Picky Eaters

If you are a parent of an average picky eater the guidance of an expert can be extremely helpful but is not always necessary.

Sometimes a few helpful tips can get parents on their way to ending picky eating.

One great strategy for a parent to use with an average picky eater is to only buy and prepare food that you want your child to eat. This tip is surprisingly simple but can make all the difference.

Meals should include a couple of foods that your child enjoys alongside new foods. Once a meal is served you should not micromanage what your child eats. Instead, you allow your child to determine how much, if anything, is eaten. He may choose to only eat the things he likes, or to not eat at all. That is OK, you can allow him to leave the table hungry. A typical picky eater can make up for it during the next meal, or the next day. This is ultimately how the problem gets solved. It never gets solved by begging or fighting. In fact, those things make the problem worse. At the very least, battles contribute to lasting issues with food, and to the overall stress in the family.

While it may feel like there is nowhere to turn, there is help and support available. There are feeding therapists who can help both picky and problem eaters. Whether you need more strategies to guide your picky eater to healthier eating; or if your child needs direct therapy from a feeding therapist, change can and does happen.

Isa Marrs, MA CCC-SLP, is a Braircliff Manor-based, board certified speech-language pathologist who specializes in childhood feeding disorders.She is frequently sought after by institutions and therapists to provide training for working with these and other disorders. 914-488- 5282. SpeechLanguageFeeding.com.

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