Cuisinart & Family
May 15, 2007 |
Some kids will eat anything. Others require a covert cloak
and dagger operation to get them to put new foods near their mouths. As babies all-too-quickly become toddlers, and
toddlers become preschoolers, we have to ask ourselves an important question
about the part we play in our child's eating habits: Are picky eaters just born
picky, or are they unwittingly created by their parents?
"I think it's a little bit of both," says Erin Patterson, owner
of Small Bites, a coaching
organization that teaches parents how to make safe and healthy food choices for
their children. "Toddlers are naturally suspicious of new foods. They like
routine and predictability, and that makes it harder to introduce new foods.
But how a parent handles this phase usually determines if the child will stay a
picky eater or expand their tastes."
Patterson advises to
take a monkey-see, monkey-do approach to expanding your toddler's palate. "The
best advice is to lead by example," she says. "Sit down with your children at
meals and eat the same things you'd like them to try yourself. Put out small
portions of new foods along with some of their tried and true favorites. Let them
reach their own decisions. If they see you enjoying the food, they'll be more
curious and inclined to try it."
On the flipside, Patterson
warns against forcing new foods on a toddler - even saying you made it just for
them is too much pressure. "It's important never to push foods," she says. "Don't
insist on their eating new food in anyway. It can really backfire."
So what about the
all too common practice of sneaking foods (hiding peas in mashed potatoes, for
example) in order to get at least some varied
nutrients into your kids' diet? "The goal is to get your child to love all food
- from veggies to ice cream," explains Patterson. "As long as you continue to
present your child with the food option and giving them a chance to discover it
on their own, there's nothing wrong with sneaking foods." After all, who hasn't
tried at least once?
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