Will My Picky Eater Eventually Eat?

Back in the days, when a child was not eating all the food off his plate, a parent would simply need to give a stern look and that child would need to sit at that table until his plate was cleared. It all sounds so easy, right? I mean, that's what most family members might advise you to do if your child was refusing to eat certain foods.

But as a parent, I'm sure you've tried this and more. I'm sure you've tried coaxing, bargaining, threatening, punishing, apathy, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement...whatever it takes to get that sweet child of yours to eat that some meat or a piece of vegetable. At this point, you don't even care what it is...as long as it's something other than simple carbs that can fill their belly.

Now for some kids, this may have worked. Yes, they are picky but usually hunger will win out and they'll eat whatever you force them to. However, what if your kid still continues to refuse. What if he continues to starve for the whole day? Two days? Will you attribute that to him being extremely stubborn? As parents, we might consider this a mental game and wait to see who will win out in the end.

However, for picky eaters who are refusing to eat for several meals due to their picky eating and who are not getting enough nutrition for adequate weight gain, there might be more going on. He may be gagging or even throwing up when he tries to eat everything that's on his plate. Developing such a negative relationship with food and meal times can cause future problems, further exacerbating the picky eating situation. As a parent, your gut will tell you if your child is merely being stubborn or if he is really unable to eat that food. Listen to your gut and schedule an appointment with a speech therapist who specializes in feeding to help with that.

The answer to the blog post might be "no" in your particular case. Let a feeding specialist help ameliorate the situation by providing steps and education to get your child to eat a variety of foods for health and growth.