What to Do When a 3-Year-Old Child is Picky About Food?

Question

What to Do When a 3-Year-Old Child is Picky About Food?

Answer

Many mothers can relate to this feeling: Before 6 months, the baby eats well, almost anything given to them. But after 7 or 8 months, they start being picky, pushing away food they don’t like with their tongues. This is because as a baby’s taste buds develop, their likes and dislikes become more pronounced, and they express their resistance in this way. However, this kind of ‘picky eating’ should not be compared to that of older children. It’s common for a child to dislike something one month but love it the next. Therefore, parents don’t need to worry too much about their baby’s ‘picky eating.’ If the child only dislikes one or two types of animal-based foods (fish, eggs, pork, etc.), it won’t cause nutritional deficiencies. There are many types of grain foods; skipping a few is perfectly fine. Parents should never force their child to eat; if they refuse this time, they can try again after a while. They also shouldn’t stop offering the food just because of one refusal. Parents can also change the form of the food and offer it again, or choose similar foods with similar nutritional values as substitutes. For example, if the child doesn’t like chopped vegetables or minced meat, you can mix them into porridge or wrap them into dumplings to feed them; if they really don’t like egg custard, you can cook eggs for them or give them a few hard-boiled quail eggs to hold in their hands and eat themselves.