Food Refusal in Children

Tips from the Pediatric Gastroenterologist to the parent of a Picky Eater:

• Take notice of satiety signals (like closing mouth, turning away from food)
• Give small frequent meals
• Taken uneaten food away without comment
• Give positive attention/encouragement when the child is eating
• Don’t force feed
• Don’t use one food as a present for eating another, the first food will be understood as less nice
• Don’t give attention for not eating
• Don’t put liked and disliked food on the same plate

Modification of eating behavior for young children:

• Move from mashed food to {bite and dissolve food} from 7 months
• Encourage self-feeding as soon as possible by the end of first year of life
• Allow the child to be messy at mealtime and to enjoy eating
• Putting a disliked food on a plate next to a liked food may lead to rejection of the liked food (Contamination)
• Repeated exposure to a food is the best way of it becoming accepted
• Sit with your child at mealtime, imitation of adult and other children lead usually to acceptance of new food