Picky Eater - Fighting the Good Fight

Often, the struggle at dinnertime with your picky eater is notso much about food as it is about control. As children becomemore independent, conflicts can arise as they carefullyscrutinize what goes into their mouths. The more you push, themore they resist with the outcome resulting in tears andfrustration.

During one of these scenarios, it is not surprising to see pickyeater dissolve into hysterics when faced with a tiny lima beanor hear unpleasant gagging sounds after your seven-year-oldsniffs the aromatic lemon sauce poured over the baked fish.Then, as the parents become upset, blowing things out ofproportion, generally things become worse.

Instead, you will need to learn on finding a common ground withyour picky eater, one by which you all can live. Try toremember that not all battles are worth fighting. Therefore,you will need to decide which ones are the most important inyour house. Hopefully, food will not be one of them because itcould potentially turn the pleasure of eating into a controlissue that can last a lifetime.

Your primary concerns should be whether your picky eater childis getting the requisite amount of calories he or she needs togrow, and if he or she has a proper balance of nutrients toremain healthy. The answer is most likely "yes." Even if yourpicky eater child were on a macaroni and cheese kick for thenext two weeks, protein, dairy, and other vitamins are stillincluded in the diet.

Be realistic in your expectations. Children (not just pickyeater children) up to age ten still use their fingers quite alot in ways that adults don't, like pushing peas onto a spoonand picking up pieces of meat. They still have some troublechewing and swallowing tough or dry or fibrous foods, like steakor chops. Part of the problem might be that they don't have thejaw strength to chew up the meat.

Another part is that up until about age eight their swallow isimmature. They swallow with their cheeks, as if they weresuckling from a straw, not using their tongue like you or I do.Children this age still have a limited number of foods theyreadily accept. Do not despair. The number of accepted foodswill gradually increase, as they get older. The numbers willincrease -- that is, provided you don't make a big issue aboutit. Often times making a big deal can cause and decrease infood acceptance rather then an increase.

To learn more about picky eater children and get some quick andeasy picky eater recipes visit http://www.mypickyeater.com

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