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Ronnie’s one rule is, never eat anything green. This also applies to
other-colored vegetables in a salad, which by themselves may be okay,
but become tainted when they come in contact with salad greens.
The parents of this four-year-old can’t understand why he doesn’t
respond to that wildly popular parental technique for getting balky
kids to eat – the threat. "Eat your green vegetables or they will
be no dessert!"
Children, especially young ones, are often finicky eaters. Food fads are
common. So is avoiding certain foods and, at times, eating less than
sparrows. Food comes in all kinds of colors, shapes, textures and flavors,
not all of which appeal to children. Most adults have marked food
preferences, so it’s not unreasonable for a child not to like liver
either.
The good news is that children who are finicky eaters are not doomed to
nutritional deficiency and won’t starve themselves.
The bad news is that the common parental response of trying to force
children to eat something they consider yucky is usually a losing
proposition. However well-intentioned, such tactics invite power struggles,
usually don’t work, and risk making mealtime stressful and unpleasant for
everyone.
What to do? Start by setting a good example. If you wolf down the chips
and desserts, snack between meals, and avoid veggies, don’t be surprised
if your child’s idea of dinner is chips and dip.
Serving only nutritious foods is perhaps the best way to steer children
toward a healthy diet. Offering several types of nutritious foods increases
the odds that children will find something they like. Try serving only the
kinds of foods that you wouldn’t mind your child making a whole meal of.
This might include fruits; vegetables; protein foods, like meat, cheese,
beans; milk; and carbohydrates, such as potatoes, noodles, and rice; and
grains.
Introduce new foods gradually. Offer a small portion of a new food with
more familiar foods and call it an "extra." If it doesn’t work the
first time, serve it again until it becomes clear your child isn’t going to
fall for it, then try other new foods. After a couple of months, come back
to the first "extra." You might be surprised. Children’s food
preferences do change.
What if you are someone who loses all resolve in the face of Grandma’s
brownies? Fall back to a compromise position. Serve dessert occasionally
and in small portions.
This column is written by Robert B. McCall, Co-Director of the
Office of Child Development and Professor of Psychology, and is provided as a
public service by the Frank and Theresa Caplan Fund for Early Childhood Development
and Parenting Education.