Do not ask a child what he would like for dinner. Prepare simple quick healthy meals based on healthy food guidelines. Prepare the meal, dish it out and then make little comment. Do not discuss the food and if there are complaints then calmly remove the food and allow the child to leave but ensure he or she understands there is no more food. Do not get cross at the child or reward him for eating the meal by providing ice cream or other desert.
Be prepared to stand your ground. If the child comes back later and demands food then return the evening meal. Remain calm and do not reason or negotiate. Do not give high calories drinks as substitutes.
For daytime snacks offer cut up fruit and vegetables. Do not buy processes high sugar snacks such as muesli bars biscuits etc. If they are not in the house then they cannot be found by inquisitive fingers.
Change your reward system for good behaviour. For toddlers use stickers and stamps, older children can purchase colouring books or a cheap toy that is often the same price as the foods that are traditionally used a reward.
Finally do not worry if your child does not eat anything for dinner. Socially this is deemed the biggest meal of the day but biologically the earlier meals should be larger
Here are some more ideas for managing the picky eater.
Expose the child to good role models who eat a wide variety of foods
Your example as the parent is helpful. Friends and classmates are more powerful examples. If your child has the opportunity to eat meals with other children (such as in preschool), that may be an opportunity to expand his or her menu of foods. Older brothers and sisters can also be great models. Studies show that if a child is seated at a table with other children who like a particular vegetable, the child will learn to like that vegetable more over time. Just don't criticize your child in front of peers or siblings, or use other children as examples. This practice can backfire if it makes the child feel bad or feel pressured to eat a food.
Give lots of encouragement
Praising your child for trying a new food may encourage him (or her) to try other new foods. Studies indicate that praise also increases the chances that a child will grow to like the food he was praised for eating. Do not give food rewards for eating, however. When a child is given dessert, for example, as a reward for eating a food such as a vegetable, the child learns to like the food he was rewarded for eating less over time. Also, never punish your child for refusing to try a new food.
Offer a new food repeatedly
Research shows that the more familiar a food is, the more children (and adults) like it. Don't despair if your child continues to refuse peas after you offer them three or four times. A new food has to be introduced 10 times, on average, before most children accept it. Choose a mild but tasty vegetable that you think your child will probably learn to like, and serve it at meals repeatedly. Lower the size of the other portions so your child will start trying the newer food. ( Why is it only Aussie kids like vegemite....because it is offered everywhere they go ) !
Enforce the "try one bite" rule with care
The "try one bite" rule has been shown to increase children's willingness to try new foods. If, however, your child has a difficult temperament, and requiring her to try a bite disrupts mealtime or upsets her (or you), stop this approach! With a child who has an intense or stubborn temperament, some battles are worth fighting (ones that involve safety, for example)—but getting her to try a bite of green beans is probably not one of them. Repeated battles to force a resistant child into eating rarely work.
Provide information about the food
An older child may be more willing to try a new food if you tell him about the food's flavour. This approach may not work as well with younger children, who often don't yet grasp the meaning of "flavor words" (sweet, salty, sour) or who have not yet developed a vocabulary of "food words."
Combine new foods with familiar ones
Offering an unfamiliar food, such as a meat, in combination with a preferred food, such as tomato sauce. This increases the likelihood that your child will try the new food. If dipping carrot sticks in tomato sauce makes your child more willing to eat the carrots, let her do it instead of forbidding it because it is "bad manners."
Offer a variety of foods at the same snack or meal
Children (and adults) eat more when a wider variety of foods, with a combination of flavors, is provided. For example, instead of offering only crackers as a snack, try offering crackers, cheese, and apple slices.
Most important, give it time
Young children are well known to be picky eaters, but most of them grow out of it, eventually. All of the methods in the world may not be as helpful as patience and time. While you're waiting, make life easier for yourself and your child. If your child prefers two flavors of soups, stockpile them. Try freezing child-size portions of his favorite foods and popping one in the microwave before the big family dinner to avoid having an upset child disrupt the meal. If your child remains a picky eater into the older school years, it may be time to simply accept it as part of the child's personality.
Take a moment and reflect on who else in the family is a picky eater—a favorite grandmother or uncle, perhaps, or even you! Sometimes, this helps put your child's behavior into proper perspective.
