Picky Eating
If your child isn't eating well,
it's time to think about
MEALTIME STRUCTURE
and
LIMITS
STRUCTURE
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Offer a small meal or snack every 3-4 hours
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Parent puts 2-4 foods on the table and child chooses from what the parent puts out
LIMIT
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Child cannot have a snack between the set meal/snack times (don’t allow grazing)
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Child doesn’t get to choose what is served, but can choose from the options the parent serves
TRUST
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Parent encourages child to eat, but does not put pressure on child to eat in any way
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If the child chooses not to eat, it’s okay! Another meal will be offered in 3-4 hours
Structure and Limits for mealtime
Kids do best with structure and limits. When they know what to expect, they do a better job of eating.
What Does this Look Like?
Example 1:
8 - BREAKFAST: oatmeal with milk and peanut butter
11 - LUNCH: mac and cheese + canned green beans + orange slices
2 - SNACK: applesauce + toast + milk
5 - DINNER: chicken + potatoes + peaches + roll
8 - BEDTIME SNACK toast + jam
Example 2:
10am - breakfast: cereal + milk + canned fruit
1pm - lunch: quesadilla + canned black beans + chopped mango
4pm - snack: toast + cheese slices
7pm - dinner: meat and veggie soup + roll + strawberries
9pm - bedtime snack: crackers + milk
Example 3:
6am - breakfast: eggs + toast
9am - snack: apples + peanut butter
12pm - lunch: leftovers from dinner, curry + rice + mango
3pm - snack: cottage cheese + pineapple
6pm - dinner: hummus + pita + cucumbers + bell pepper
Tips for success:
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It doesn’t matter what time your meals are, as long as you routinely offer a meal every 3 to 4 hours.
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Don’t ask your child if they are hungry. Just offer a sit down meal every 3 to 4 hours and eat with them!
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Do not allow grazing. Make your child wait until the next meal/snack time to eat.
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Don’t let your child have snacks, milk or juice between the meals you prepare every 3-4 hours.
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Don’t ask your child what they want, you can let them choose between options, but don’t open up the battle of asking them what they want.
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Always sit down and eat with your child, avoid eating on the run.
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Avoid packaged snack foods, they are expensive and encourage a child’s preference for overly sweet and salty foods. Instead serve simple foods like fresh fruit, cheese, bread and nut butters as shown in the examples.