When your picky eater says “Yuck!”

“Yuck, I don’t want that!” I used to hear this pretty regularly from my Picky Eater.

*Sigh*.

Being a parent of three kiddos, each with their own set of food likes and dislikes was pretty challenging. But my Picky Eater took it to the next level. They’d ask “what’s for dinner” and before I could even finish my sentence, they’ll roll right into complaints!

Because of the work that I do now, I realize that the reason my Picky Eater went straight to complaining was an anxiety response. They were worried about showing up to the table to a completely unfamiliar menu. My Picky Eater was preemptively rejecting dinner in an attempt to get away from something that may be uncomfortable.

If I could rewind time (if only!) here are a few things that I’d tell myself about how to handle rude comments from the “Peanut Gallery”:

Empathize without getting drawn into the drama.

  • For example: “I hear you. You don’t like carrots and you’re disappointed. There will be other foods that you like”. And then move on. Don’t get sucked into a back and forth. You’ve acknowledged their feelings & their complaint. Now let it go.

Consistency

  • Be consistent in the way that meals are organized & served so that there are fewer unknowns for the Picky Eater.

Stay on course

Stay neutral

  • To the best of your ability, keep your irritation off your face!

Frame your response using the “sandwich” strategy.

  • When answering the question “what’s for dinner?” lead your response with the foods that your Picky Eater likes, tuck the main (and possibly problematic food) in the middle, and finish with another food that your Picky Eater likes.
  • Like this: “For dinner tonight we have rolls, steak, raw carrots and apple slices”. This way your Picky Eater is hearing a food that they like both first and last!

If Picky Eating is stressing you and your family, reach out at Karen@CoastalFamilyNutrition.com or call the office at 603-674-2479. I’m happy to help.

Snack Idea: Mini tomatoes, cucumber slices & pretzel sticks with ranch (or other dressing)

Please feel free to share this with someone who may like to learn more about feeding kiddos!

1/12/2025

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When your picky eater says “Yuck!”

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