Taste, Touch, Explore: Make Nutritious Food Fun for Young Eaters

​By: Amy Christison, MD, FAAP, DABOM

"That’s icky! I don’t want it!" Feeding toddlers and preschoolers can be challenging at times, especially when they reject foods they once liked or seem picky. Sometimes they take one bite, walk away from the table and then don’t eat at all.

Alhough you want to make sure your child is eating enough nutritious food, it can sometimes feel like a daily battle. All these behaviors are normal.

Why toddlers and preschoolers are often picky eaters

Toddlers are still learning to handle new tastes, textures and smells. They are still practicing how to eat new foods that can be crunchy, soft, mushy, liquid and can taste salty, bitter, sour and sweet at the same time.

Preschoolers naturally judge what is in front of them as "good" or "bad" based on how it looks, feels or smells as part of their development. This protects them from potentially dangerous behaviors like eating an insect in the garden, but it can also lead to being "finicky" about food choices as well. Read on to learn strategies that can help.

Learning the Eatable Alphabet

Resources like Eatable Alphabet cards (see below, and download a sample deck here) invite young children to explore foods through letters, colors, shapes, textures, movement and simple kitchen tasks. For parents, this can be a low-pressure way to build familiarity with foods without the pressure to eat them. Bonus: Looking at, touching, smelling and helping prepare foods all count as learning.

As parents and caregivers, our role is to provide nutritious food at regular times without distractions and pressure. We can model eating behaviors while exposing them to a variety of food.

The child is responsible for choosing what and how much to eat when food is offered. It helps to keep in mind that they eat what they need throughout weeks and not just one day.

Be patient. This takes time.

It can take 13 or more exposures to a new food before they will accept it. Let them know they don’t have to "eat it," they can just "try it.. This can mean having it on the plate, touching it, smelling it, licking it, chewing and spitting out politely, or eating it. You can even set up a "no thank you bowl" where foods are placed when they are very unsure about it.

Let your child choose and explore new foods.

Have your child pick new fruits or vegetables to try at the grocery store or to serve at a meal. Explore food together by peeling, touching, preparing food in different ways with different seasonings. Encourage them to share their favorite preparations with others at meal and snack times.

Have fun and avoid frustration.

Mealtimes are great opportunities to explore new foods, support good nutrition, and connect with your child through creativity and exploration. Low-pressure activities and repeated exposure to new foods can help build healthy habits, one meal at a time.

• Use play: Pretend to be a rabbit eating carrots.
  

• Be creative: Prepare foods in their favorite shapes (circle or square) or their favorite color (red or green or blue).
  

• Cook together: Use a kid’s chef knife to cut a tomato, or a fork to mash an avocado.
  

• Avoid resistance: Limit the choice to 2 options. For example, you can ask, "Do you want oatmeal or Cheerios today?"
  

• Reduce waste: use what you need for new tastes from frozen veggies or fruits.
  

Key takeaway for parents

Picky eating is a normal phase. Consistent exposure, patience and positive experiences with a variety of foods help children develop healthy eating habits over time.

More information

• Ask the Pediatrician: How can I help my child try more healthy foods?

• 5 Great Reasons to Cook With Your Kids
  

• Building Balanced Snacks for Toddlers: Example Combinations & Serving Sizes​
  

• Eatable Alphabet Sample Deck