Being the parent of a fussy eater is extremely difficult, but being the fussy eater even more so. Imagine you are asked to eat a raw snail, or someone says you should chew on a spoonful of ants… This might be over exaggerated a bit, but this will give you a good idea how your fussy eater is feeling. No child wants to kick up a fuss to eat. Let’s face it… we all like food in general. The texture and sometimes taste can sometimes just be too overpowering for your little one. So how can we go about helping them?
Here are some helpful tips:
· Establish what the tone around the mouth looks like.
This is something very interesting to consider. If your child struggles with low tone in and around his/her mouth it will influence oral-motor control negatively. In other words, it will make moving the food around inside of their mouth harder and more exhausting. This sometimes leads to the “pocketing” of food in the cheek and your little one not swallowing. Because it takes longer for this child to chew and move food around, they get tired of eating. If this is the case with your child, a protocol from an OT might help to prepare the mouth better for eating.
· Keeping a food diary.
It often helps to establish what exactly it is that your child enjoys eating. Keeping a food diary of what your child eats will help the therapist establish what the possible problem might be. If your child will eat vegetables but only raw and never cooked, this can indicate a difficulty with texture. If no matter the texture you present the vegetable in, your child struggles to eat it, it might rather be the smell, taste or temperature.
· Introducing food without utensils.
This tip can go one of two ways… either it will work wonders or not at all. Often when a child feels the food before they place it in their mouths it prepares them for what to expect. This helps them to then regulate their reaction to the food slightly better. If, on the other hand, you have a tactile sensitive child, who cannot stand getting their hands dirty, this will not work for you. The tactile sensitivities will need to be addressed in therapy.
· Behavioral charts/ Star charts for 4 year olds and up.
Some therapists might disagree on this technique because they might feel that it does not solve the problem, but in my experience I would like to disagree. Children who get older often start identifying with their fussiness and it becomes part of their identity. It is well researched that the verbal feedback you give a child, shapes their self-esteem and view. When we pay attention to how poorly our child eats and we discuss this with people, it becomes a dialogue which your child is familiar with and starts to associate with. When they get much older, it becomes part of who they are and the fussiness is something they feel proud off. We need to nip that in the butt while they are still young. There are numerous types of star charts available, but I like the idea of working towards a goal. A nice treat, outing or even toy for every 10 stars. A star can be earned for trying a new food, eating all the new food presented in the plate or finishing a plate of food in an expected amount of time (be realistic here in terms of your childs’ needs).
· How to introduce new foods
As soon as you have a food diary, you can have a look at the variety of foods your child is eating and managing well. Compare this to what you make for mealtimes and decide on items you would like your child to be able to eat easily. Present these items to your child to choose from. One new food item 3-4 days is enough to start out with. This item has to be presented at every mealtime in moderation to your child. They have to try it for the first 2 days and then the expectation is for them to finish it by the 5 day. If your child is still really struggling with the item, put it at the bottom of the list to get back to.
· Help your child to make a food collage.
This is a wonderful tool for you to use to help visually represent to your child what they eat. If you make a collage of the foods you eat, your child can compare and build up. When your child is tolerating new foods, they can find a picture of that food and paste it on. This also serves as a motivator to try harder.
· Involve your child in the cooking process.
Get your child to help with mealtime preparations and cooking. I have noticed that when children help with the cooking and preparing of food, they take pride in the creation and is often more willing to try the food they help prepare. When going this route, please bear in mind to take it slow. If you know tomato is your childs’ least favorite food, do not start with that.
· Set expectations
When starting this journey, you have to be very clear of the expectations. “I expect you to try at least one new food per week”, “I expect you to work with me to help you become an adventurous eater.” Etc. It is really important that your child understands that you mean business and that there are rules around this new process. This will help them to feel safe and part of the process.
Why is it so important for your child to eat all sorts of different food? The simple answer is, that it is not… If your child is gaining weight and is healthy, there really is no reason to stress about the intake. There are so many nutritional shakes and supplements your child can take, to get all the nutrients they need. The only problem is that eating is a social activity. Visits at friends, parties and sleepovers become problematic as they get older. They get ostracized for their fussiness and it starts to negatively influence their self-esteem. It influences relationships at home and becomes a big issue. Mealtimes which should be bonding time becomes stressful. Therefore, it is important to help your child to enjoy mealtimes and the food that was prepared.