Holidays can be stressful for caregivers, especially if your child is a picky eater! Read on to learn some pediatric feeding specialist tips & tricks on how to make mealtimes around the holidays stress-free!
1. Use the 80/20 Rule
Follow the 80/20 rule when presenting foods to your child. This means that 80% of foods presented should be familiar and preferred foods, while 20% of foods presented can be new foods and/or textures. This ensures that your child does not become overwhelmed with the presentation of foods that are unfamiliar or nonpreferred to them on a holiday!
2. Shop Together!
Shop for foods with your family. Giving your child increased exposure to new foods and the opportunity to pick foods of their choice can increase likelihood that they are willing to explore new foods around the holidays!
3. Involve Your Child
Encourage your child to be involved in the preparation of food and have fun when preparing it together! You can use food coloring, cookie cutters to make fun shapes, and/or make fun designs with food. Some ideas are:
- Put food coloring in their mashed potatoes to create a colorful mixture!
- Use Thanksgiving or Christmas-themed cookie cutters to shape turkey slices, ham slices, etc.
- Create a “picture” with their food by creating broccoli trees, mashed potato mountains, etc.
4. Treat All Foods Equally
Treat all foods equally! This helps to limit the idea that some foods are more desirable than others. A way to do this is presenting dinner and dessert at the same time.
5. Encourage Exploring with Our Senses
Encourage exploration of foods and talk about all of our senses when exploring a food. We can talk about how a food looks, smells, feels, or tastes. Using words like “smooth or bumpy”, “crunchy or soft”, “cold or warm”, etc. to encourage engagement while exploring their senses.
6. Presentation
Present foods on sectioned plates or mats!
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When presenting new or nonpreferred foods it is important not to pressure your child to eat the food if they are feeling hesitant or nervous, as this could cause them to escalate and decrease likelihood of them engaging with foods! Using the strategies above can lead to a stress-free holiday meal!
Meals Don’t Have to Be Stressful!
Does your child have consistent difficulties with picky eating or participating in mealtime? Our Feeding Specialists can help! Call us at (203) 828-6790 or email us at info@moretosayct.com to schedule a feeding evaluation!
