Many children come to The Schlinic with a history of picky eating habits. An article in Exchange Magazine cautions parents that the child may demand certain foods each day, but his or her NEED is for nourishment. Demands and needs are not the same and parents are encouraged to meet needs and limit demands. It can take many exposures for a new food to become familiar to the picky eater. Start by putting a small teaspoonful on your child’s plate on 4 different occassions with no requirement to do anything with it. The next 4 times they are only required to smell it. The next 4 times, just lick it once. After that, just leave it on the plate and see what the child will do. Do not demand that they take any bites. Hopefully your child will try some. If not, you need to consider that they may have an intolerance to the smell, taste or texture, or possibly have an allergy to the food. Attempt a different new food using the same system. You might want to have your child help to prepare the food that is being introduced as this helps with familiarity and motivation. Children who only eat light colored foods and mostly carbohydrates are NOT getting the nutrients that are necessary for proper development. If these suggestios don’t help it may be advisable to contact The Schlinic at 856-692-9292 for professional assistance.
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