Dealing with your child’s picky eating can be a rollercoaster ride, but with a bit of imagination and some laughter, it can become an exciting adventure! Think about turning broccoli into tiny trees on a colourful plate, or carrots into magical wands for a lunchtime spell.
Help your child see themselves as a brave explorer, tasting new foods like they’re discovering hidden treasures. Mealtimes can turn into an adventure rather than a family battle.
Use creativity and patience
For Nogolide Giyose from Gugulethu, Cape Town, dealing with picky kids is something she still experiences. Her daughters, now in their adolescent stage, remain picky eaters.
“Both of them hated milk when they were young, from breastmilk to bottles to powdered milk. It was an everyday fight.”
Nogolide Giyose
She says the trick that helped her during those days was to wait until they were very hungry; then, they would eat anything once they started starving.
“My doctor told me that if a baby eats three spoons, do not force them, or else they will vomit and lose what little they have had.”
Instead of forcing them, Giyose advises them to be patient. “Say, ‘Okay, my baby, you can eat it when you’re ready.’”
Sometimes, calling other kids to eat with yours makes it fun. They enjoy the competition, Giyose explains.
Now that her daughters have grown, they still do not eat certain food items. “Now I make them help in the kitchen, and everything we’ve prepared, they need to taste it. Sometimes they end up enjoying the foods they thought they didn’t like.”
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A battle she never won
Ntee Malekane from Jane Furse, Limpopo also struggled with her son’s eating habits.
“It was not easy raising my son because he could not eat much. From the time he started solids, he could only manage three spoons of porridge,” she says.
Malekane explains that the biggest challenge was the vomiting whenever she tried to force him to eat.
“We tried, but he only enjoyed sweet things, and we never succeeded unless we mixed yoghurt with veggies. But the minute he realised they were mixed, he stopped eating.”
Ntee Malekane
Malekane says that sometimes you run out of tricks, and the best approach is to let your kids eat when they want. Forcing them, in her experience, is a battle she never won. “He is 15 years now, and he hasn’t changed.”
Understand your child’s reactions
Dr Nomusa Mfeka, a paediatric medical officer based in Cape Town, says the key is when you introduce new food, notice how your child takes it.
“Check whether they vomit, have tummy cramps, or just don’t like the taste. This also helps pick up any food allergies.”
Dr Nomusa Mfeka
Mfeka explains that some children only like certain textures, consistencies, colours, aromas, and shapes when it comes to food. Once you’ve observed which ones your child likes, then you can try different fruits and vegetables that share the same features.
“It is helpful to involve children in preparing different shapes of food. Thus, they see the fun side of cooking and eating.”
Encourage healthy eating tips
Mfeka says, “If your child likes certain shapes, then try plating their food with that shape, but it must be a healthy option (vegetables, fruit, high-protein foods like fish or meat).”
She advises sitting down while eating, preferably at a dinner table, with no distractions from cell phones or television.
“This also helps the child see that eating is not a chore but a time for family bonding, where the whole family sits and eats together.”
“Even if there’s no dinner table, ensure that the child doesn’t have distractions.”
Dr Nomusa Mfeka
She says, “This approach varies with children, of course. Some are still able to finish their food even if parents use playful ways.”
Mfeka notes that fizzy drinks should be avoided at all costs. Instead, try small sips of water or milk before meals so that the child does not fill up on beverages and fails to finish their food.
“Avoid rewarding the child with dessert or other unhealthy food options. This makes them give more value to the ‘reward’ and view healthy meals as a chore.”
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