All kids can be finicky at times. No child is ever going to like every food. They’ll form preferences for certain foods while turning up their nose at others. So how can you tell the difference between normal fussiness and something more serious?
Signs that your child is a picky eater
Here are some indications that your child’s eating habits fall within the range of normal. A normal child …
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May dislike a particular fruit or vegetable but still willingly eats and enjoys many others.
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Accepts the majority of foods offered without fuss and enjoys a variety of tastes and textures.
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Will still sample a food without too much drama even if they don’t like it.
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Eats a varied diet consisting of all different types of foods.
And here are some signs and symptoms of a picky eater with a seriously disordered eating habit:
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They reject whole categories of foods or claim to dislike a majority of what is served.
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They maintain a diet that consists mainly of a few basic food staples (pizza, macaroni & cheese, hot dogs, etc.).
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They refuse to even try something new and will throw a severe fit if pressed on the issue.
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They are open to new foods that are high in fat and sugar but refuse all others.
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Often pitches fits or meltdowns when their preferred food item isn’t served.
Food jags: When kids want a particular food item over and over again
It’s also normal for children to go through phases where they crave a particular type of food. “Food jags—where kids want the same thing at every meal for weeks—are common in the preschool years,” says Dr. Alan Greene (2009, p. 248). Especially as they discover a new flavor or a new food, they’ll want to eat it again and again, just as they insist on watching Frozen over and over again. That’s just the way kids are. When they enjoy something, they like to experience it over and over again.
If the food item in question is healthy, go ahead and serve it to them as often as they’d like, within reason. If it isn’t healthy, it’s just as important to restrict this item and make sure it is spaced apart so that they can’t go on a food jag.
Many of those kids who live off 1 or 2 unhealthy foods got that way because their parents allowed a food jag with an unhealthy food, and this habit turned into a new normal.
Tackle your chid’s picky eating habits with our book Picky No More. Help them learn to love a variety of healthy foods!
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Picky No More ($4.99 Kindle eBook; all author proceeds from your purchase go to help kids in need) coming soon