Appletree Day Care, Inc

Parenting

Picky Eaters and What to Do

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An older infant grimacing.

Your child might not like every food you give him or her on the first try. Give your child a chance to try foods again and again, even if he or she does not like them at first. Children may need to try some foods many times before they like them. Here are some tips that might make trying foods again and again easier.

  • Try freezing small bites of different foods. You can use these later and it avoids throwing a lot of food away.
  • Wait a week before you try the new food again.
  • Try mixing the new food with a food your baby likes, such as breast milk.

As your child gets older, he or she may start refusing foods he or she used to like or he or she may start showing signs of picky eating. Favoring just a couple of foods or not wanting foods to touch each other on the plate are normal behaviors. These behaviors often go away by the time your child is about 5 years old.

To learn more about picky eaters and what to do, watch Tips for Feeding Picky Eaters from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Tips to Help

  • Try again: Wait a couple of days before offering the food again. It can take more than 10 times before you toddler might like it.
  • Mix it up: Mix new foods with foods you know your child likes.
  • Be silly: Make funny faces with the foods on your child’s plate. It might help your child get excited to eat it.
  • Me too: Try eating the food first to show your child you like it. Then, let your child try it.
  • Choices: Give your child a choice of different foods to try. Let your child decide which one to try today.

Choking Hazards

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Your baby is learning how to chew and swallow foods. This means your child may choke. By 12 months old, your child is getting better at eating and may even be feeding themselves. Even though your child can now eat most foods, some are still choking hazards. The way food is prepared may increase the risk for choking. For example, some foods that are served uncooked, whole, or in certain shapes or sizes can be choking hazards. Cutting up food into smaller pieces and mashing foods can help prevent choking.

Here are ways to help prevent your child from choking.

Foods and preparation

  • Cook and prepare food to the right shape, size, and texture for your child’s development.
  • Avoid small, sticky, or hard foods that are hard to chew and swallow.

Meals and snacktime

  • Have your child sit up while eating (no lying down, crawling, or walking).
  • Have your child sit in a high chair or other safe place.
  • Avoid letting your child eat in the car or stroller.
  • Keep mealtimes calm. Avoid distractions, disruptions, and rushing when eating.

Always

  • Pay close attention to what your child puts in his or her mouth.
  • Watch your child at all times while he or she is eating.

Be ready

  • Talk to your child’s doctor or nurse to learn what to do if your child chokes.

Potential Choking Hazards for Young Children

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) put together a listexternal icon of foods to avoid because these foods could cause a child to choke. This list may not include all foods which could cause choking. For helpful tips to prevent choking, print this handout pdf icon[PDF-896KB]external icon from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Fruits/Vegetables

  • Cooked or raw whole corn kernels
  • Uncut cherry or grape tomatoes
  • Pieces of hard raw vegetables or fruit, such as raw carrots or apples
  • Whole pieces of canned fruit
  • Uncut grapes, berries, cherries, or melon balls
  • Uncooked dried vegetables or fruit, such as raisins

Proteins

    • Whole or chopped nuts and seeds
    • Chunks or spoonfuls of nut and seed butters, such as peanut butter
    • Tough or large chunks of meat
    • Hot dogs, meat sticks, or sausages
    • Large chunks of cheese, especially string cheese
    • Bones in meat or fish
    • Whole beans

Grain Products

    • Cookies or granola bars
    • Potato or corn chips, pretzels, popcorn, or similar snack foods
    • Crackers or breads with seeds, nut pieces, or whole grain kernels
    • Whole grain kernels of cooked barley, wheat, or other grains
    • Plain wheat germ

Sweetened Foods

    • Round or hard candy, jelly beans, caramels, gum drops, or gummy candies
    • Chewy fruit snacks
    • Chewing gum
    • Marshmallows

Foods and Drinks to Avoid or Limit

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Healthy eating is all about balance. There is no need to add salt or sugar to your child’s food. There are also some foods and drinks that are not safe for your child to eat and others that are not as healthy choices as other foods.

  • A generic can of soda being held in a pour position, with sugar flowing from it. Children younger than 24 months old should not be given foods or drinks with added sugar.

    Honey before 12 months may cause a serious type of food poisoning called botulism. Before your child is 12 months old, do not give him or her any foods containing honey, including yogurt with honey and cereals and crackers with honey, such as honey graham crackers.

  • Unpasteurized drinks or foods (such as juices, milks, yogurt, or cheeses) may put your child at risk for a harmful bacteria that can cause severe diarrhea. Do not give your child unpasteurized drinks or foods such as juice, milk, yogurt, or cheeses. Unpasteurized milk can also be called raw milk.
  • Foods with added sugars, low-calorie sweeteners, or no-calorie sweeteners are not recommended. Foods with added sugars can include muffins, flavored yogurts, or cookies. Children younger than 24 months old should avoid added sugars. Check the Nutrition Facts Labelexternal icon to find foods with no added sugars.
  • Sugar-sweetened drinks (such as soda, pop, soft drinks, flavored milks, sports drinks, flavored water with sugar, and juice drinks) contain added sugars. These drinks are different than 100% juice. Children younger than 24 months old should avoid added sugars.
  • Foods high in salt (sodium), such as some canned foods, processed meats (e.g., lunch meats, sausages, hot dogs, ham), and frozen dinners should be avoided. Some snack foods and store-bought packaged toddler foods are high in salt. Check the Nutrition Facts Labelexternal icon to find foods with less salt.
  • Fish high in mercury, such as king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, tilefish (from the Gulf of Mexico), and bigeye tuna should be avoided. Before serving fish caught by family and friends, check for fish and shellfish advisories.external icon Mercury can be harmful to the brain and nervous system if a person is exposed to too much of it over time. While it is important to limit mercury in the diets of children, many types of fishexternal icon are lower in mercury, have important nutrients that support brain development and the immune system, and support a healthy diet. Learn moreexternal icon about which types of fish to avoid and which types of fish to choose to best support your child’s brain and nervous system development.
  • Did You Know?
    A small bowl of honey. Do not give children younger than 12 old honey because it may cause a type of food poisoning called botulism.

    There are certain foods and drinks you should avoid giving your child.

    To learn more, watch these videos from 1,000 Days.

    Cow’s milk before 12 months old may put your baby at risk for intestinal bleeding. It also has too many proteins and minerals for your baby’s kidneys to handle easily and does not have the right amount of nutrients your baby needs.

  • Juice before 12 months old is not recommended. Children should not drink any fruit or vegetable juice before they are 12 months old. Juice after 12 months old is not necessary, but 4 ounces or less of 100% juice a day can be provided. Check Nutrition Facts Labels to make sure it is 100% juice. Juice drinks, fruit drinks, and fruit-flavored drinks have added sugars and should be avoided. Whole fruits are healthier options for your child than fruit juices.
  • Caffeinated drinks, such as soft drinks, tea, coffee, and sports drinks, should be avoided for children younger than age 2. There is no established safe limit for caffeine for young children.

These are just examples of foods and drinks and do not include all possible foods and drinks to avoid or limit. Talk with your child’s doctor or nurse if you have more questions about which foods to avoid or limit.