• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Contact Us
  • Pay My Bill
  • Patient Portal
  • Show Search
KV Healthcare

KV Healthcare

Your Home for Health

MENUMENU
  • Find a Provider
  • Clinics & Specialties
        • Primary Clinics

        • KVH Family Medicine – Cle Elum
        • KVH Family Medicine – Ellensburg
        • KVH Home-Based Primary Care
        • KVH Internal & Adult Medicine
        • KVH Pediatrics
        • KVH Women’s Health
        • KVH Rapid Access
        • Specialty Services

        • Anticoagulation Clinic
        • Addiction Medicine
        • Specialty Clinics

        • ENT & Allergy
        • Cardiology
        • Dermatology
        • General Surgery
        • Home Health
        • Hospice
        • Neurology
        • Orthopedics
        • Urgent Care
        • Vascular Surgery
        • Workplace Health
        • Wound Care
        • Therapy Services

        • Physical Therapy
        • Speech Therapy
        • Occupational Therapy
  • Hospital Services
        • Services

        • Cardiopulmonary
        • Emergency Department
        • Imaging
        • Laboratory
        • Nutrition
        • Pharmacy
        • Surgical
        • Family Birthing Place

        • About Family Birthing Place
        • What to Expect
        • Birth & Family Education
        • Lactation Services
        • 4th Trimester Resource Center
        • Pregnancy & Infant Loss
  • Patients & Visitors
        • Patient Tools

        • Request Medical Records
        • Checking In
        • Visiting
        • Quality of Care
        • Patient Portal
        • Patient Policies
        • Insurance & Billing

        • Accepted Insurance
        • Price Transparency
        • Financial Assistance
        • Pay My Bill
        • No Surprise Act - Balanced Billing
  • About KVH
        • About KVH

        • About KVH
        • Mission & Vision
        • Board of Commissioners
        • Administration
        • Quality of Care
        • DAISY Award Program
        •  

        • News & Blog
        • Contact Us
        • Locations
        • Work With Us / Careers
        • Foundation

        • About the Foundation
        • Board of Directors
        • Ways to Give
        • Donate Now
        • Foundation Events
  • Donate Now
Hide Search

eating healthy

Avoiding Picky Eating in Kids

Elise Herman , MD · October 16, 2023 ·

Contributor Dr. Elise Herman

Most parents are familiar with the ‘picky eater’- the child who is suspicious of new foods, has strong favorites, and may refuse to eat what the rest of the family is eating. Picky eating is very common in young children, but usually improves by age 5 years. This behavior occurs in part to exert some control over mealtime (and parents) in a way that is often attention-getting.

Regarding feeding your child, it is a parent’s job to offer healthy foods and decide the time and place for eating; it is the child’s job to decide what to eat and how much. Remember that children will eat when they are hungry, and with enough opportunities (it may take 15 ‘exposures’ to something new), will accept and eat most foods. Pressuring a child to eat creates conflict and can make mealtime stressful actually resulting in the child eating less. It is OK if your child occasionally misses a meal because they refuse to eat what is served.

There are things parents can do to minimize “picky eating” and encourage good eating habits that last a lifetime:

  • Offer a variety of foods including vegetables as soon as your child starts solids in infancy.
  • Have set mealtimes and decide how long meals will last; most kids can sit at the table for about 15 minutes for breakfast and lunch, and 20-30 minutes for dinner.
  • Sit down for meals and do not allow kids to come and go from the table; if they are ‘done’, the plate and any uneaten food is removed.
  • The kitchen is ‘open’ for planned meal or snack time and otherwise is ‘closed’; no other eating or drinking (except for water) as it may decrease the appetite for the next meal. Kids need 3 healthy balanced meals and 1-2 small snacks daily.
  • Get your child involved–gardening, preparing food/ helping with cooking (keep this age appropriate), planning the meal, or setting the table.
  • No separate meals; you are not running a restaurant! You can have a ‘boring’ option available (for example, plain bread) occasionally, but ignore whining or tantrums about food.
  • Give new foods in very small amounts so it is not intimidating.
  • Do not offer crackers, cookies, chips, etc. to get your child to eat ‘something’; if they are truly hungry, they will eat some of what is served.
  • Do not use dessert as a bribe to eat a meal.
  • Model healthy eating habits and keep discussion of eating neutral; no elaborate praise if they eat ‘well’ and no criticism if they refuse to try a new food. Keep conversation light and upbeat so mealtimes are positive.

If you have concerns about your child’s ability to eat or swallow normally, or if you worry they may not be getting enough nutrition, talk to your child’s health care provider.

Resources

  • Kids Eat in Color Website https://kidseatincolor.com
  • Tips for Feeding Picky Eaters – healthychildren.org / American Academy of Pediatrics

more about The contributor

Dr. Elise Herman

Blog Posts
Profile

Dr. Herman is passionate about community health outreach, school programs, and child/family health and wellness. She has more than 31 years of experience as a pediatrician in Ellensburg, Washington, the last 3 with KVH Pediatrics. In 2022 Dr. Herman mostly retired from practice and continues to contribute blog posts and remain a visible advocate for kids in the community.

Primary Sidebar

    Footer Top 1

    HRSA National Health Service Corps Site

    Footer Top 2

    603 S. Chestnut Street - Ellensburg, WA 98926
    509.962.9841

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer Top 3

    Footer Bottom 1

    Download the MyPatient Portal App
    Apple Store Google Play Store

    Footer Bottom 2

    • About KVH
    • KVH Legal Information
    • Price Transparency
    • Careers
    • Board of Commissioners
    • Contact Us
    • Foundation

    Footer Bottom 3

    • Our Locations
    • Hospital Services
    • Clinics & Specialty Services
    • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient Policies
    • Events & Education
    • Press Releases

    Footer Bottom 4

    Google Translate