Procedure/Treatment/Home Care Si usted desea esta información en español, por favor pídasela a su enfermero o doctor. #1714 Name of Child: Date: Helping the Picky Eater Here are tips for eating better at meal times. Stick to a routine: Offer meals and healthy snacks at regular times each day. Do not let your child eat or drink anything other than water between meals and snacks so that your child can feel hunger and thirst. Provide nutritious foods and allow your child to decide how much to eat. Offer nutritious foods: Make sure you have healthy foods at home. Avoid having any junk food in your home, such as soda, candy, chips, and any other foods that are not healthy. Think of snacks as mini-meals. Here are some healthy snack ideas: Fruit Cheese Hard-boiled eggs Peanut butter on toast or crackers Yogurt Unsweetened cereal For children age 3 years and older, dried fruit, nuts and raw vegetables are also good choices. Offer more water and less juice. If you give your child juice, dilute it with water. Try not to use dessert as a reward. Give your child fruits and vegetables on the plate at most meals, even if your child will not eat them. It may take a child 10 offerings of a single food before the child tries it. 1 of 6
Keep it simple: Too many food choices can be confusing to your child. Offer 3 foods on a plate at a time. Introduce new foods one at a time. Always offer new foods with foods that you know your child likes. Serve child-size portions. Large portions can be frustrating for you and your child. Limit meal time to 30 minutes and snacks to 15 minutes. Set a good example: Eat a healthy diet with a variety of different foods. Do not expect your child to eat healthy foods that you are not eating. Talk to your child about how the food looks and tastes in a positive way. For example, say to your child, wow, that is a big taste or say, this food feels bumpy in my mouth. Involve your child with meals: Have your child help prepare meals. For example, your child can place a slice of meat on a sandwich, peel a banana, mix or stir ingredients, and place cups or plates on the table. Keep it fun: Eat with your child. Meal time can be a great time to talk with your child. Try to avoid asking too many questions during meal time since this may distract your child from eating. Praise your child for what your child does right at mealtime. Ignore what your child does not eat. Be careful not to make eating a punishment and do not force your child to eat. If you are concerned about the amount and types of foods your child is eating, talk to your child s doctor or dietitian. Call your child s doctor, nurse, or dietitian if you have any questions or concerns or if your child has special health care needs that are not covered by this handout. 2 of 6
Books that have helpful information on picky eating: Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter, MS, RD. Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating: A Step by Step Guide for Overcoming Selective Eating, Food Aversion, and Feeding Disorders by Katja Rowell, MD and Jenny McGlothlin, MS, SLP. Love Me, Feed Me: The Adoptive Parents Guide to Ending the Worry About Weight, Picky Eating, Power Struggles, and More by Katja Rowell, MD. Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family: How to Eat, How to Raise Good Eaters, How to Cook by Ellyn Satter, MS, RD. Your Child s Weight: Helping Without Harming by Ellyn Satter, MS, RD. If you are interested in any of these books, please call The Emily Center at 602-933-1400. Now that you ve read this: Tell your nurse or doctor some examples of good foods to offer your child. (Check when done.) Tell your nurse or doctor how you can include your child at mealtime. (Check when done.) If you have any questions or concerns, r call your child s doctor or r call 3 of 6
If you want to know more about child health and illness, visit our library at The Emily Center at Phoenix Children s Hospital 1919 East Thomas Road Phoenix, AZ 85016 602-933-1400 866-933-6459 www.phoenixchildrens.org www.theemilycenter.org Facebook: facebook.com/theemilycenter Twitter: @emilycenter Disclaimer The information provided at this site is intended to be general information, and is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to take the place of examination, treatment, or consultation with a physician. Phoenix Children s Hospital urges you to contact your physician with any questions you may have about a medical condition. April 7, 2017 In family review #1714 Written by Cindy Salm Bauer, MD 4 of 6
Helping the Picky Eater Name of Health Care Provider: Date returned: r db Family Review of Handout Si usted desea esta información en español, por favor pídasela a su enfermero o doctor. #1714 Health care providers: Please teach families with this handout. Families: Please let us know what you think of this handout. Would you say this handout is hard to read? r Yes r No easy to read? r Yes r No Please circle the parts of the handout that were hard to understand. Would you say this handout is interesting to read? r Yes r No Why or why not? Would you do anything differently after reading this handout? r Yes r No If yes, what? After reading this handout, do you have any questions about the subject? r Yes r No If yes, what? 5 of 6
Is there anything you don t like about the drawings? r Yes r No If yes, what? What changes would you make in this handout to make it better or easier to understand? Please return your review of this handout to your nurse or doctor or send it to the address below. The Emily Center 602-933-1395 Health Education Specialist Phoenix Children s Hospital 1919 East Thomas Road Phoenix, AZ 85016-7710 Thank you for helping us! 6 of 6