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Finicky Eaters
February 10, 2015
If we don’t stand up for children, then we don’t stand for much.
-Marian Wright Edelman
-Marian Wright Edelman
In "The Making of a Healthy Eater: Winning the Finicky Eater Battle," in the Exchange Essential: Nutrition and Childhood Obesity, James Thomas, Diane Pfeil, and Fernando Guerra make these observations:
"Perhaps no single factor influences a child's health and lifelong well-being more than food patterns established early in life. Contrary to many parents' assumptions, children are not by nature finicky eaters. On the contrary, childhood is characterized by exploration; and children are naturally curious about foods, their textures, shapes, colors, and flavors. Parents too often create finicky eaters by conveying their own likes and dislikes to their children through words and actions.
"Remember, a child is not an adult dressed in kids' clothing. His role in developing into a healthy eater is being himself and exploring the world around him. Specifically, he needs to focus on the task at hand — eating. Sometimes this can be difficult if his eating environment is filled with too many distractions."
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Child obesity is at epidemic levels. One-third of the children in the America are carrying too much weight.
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This comprehensive, professional development DVD is comprised of 14 interactive one-hour lessons divided into four modules. The program captures the insights of over 80 experts in pediatrics, nutrition, movement, child development, and adult education, as well as scenes of appropriate practice gathered from over 30 innovative early childhood classrooms across the country. It also includes discussion questions that will measure what the viewer has learned along the way, as well as off-line resources and suggested extended activities.
Learn More by Watching This Video and Viewing the Table of Contents.
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Comments (2)
Displaying All 2 CommentsWorld Forum Foundation
Eugene, OR, United States
Hmmm, yes, some parents surely 'create' finicky eaters, but I really wonder if some children actually are 'by nature finicky eaters.' Some children on the autism spectrum, in particular, have moderate to extreme sensitivities to textures, smells, sounds and other sensory input, all of which are involved in eating. Contrary to creating the problem, parents often find these sensitivities quite surprising and frustrating to deal with.
I have also known parents of kids with extreme food allergies that resulted in every early feeding being violently thrown up, or in some cases a race to the emergency room to treat anaphylaxis‎. The search to find something their child could eat and retain was frightening and difficult, as was having their child diagnosed with 'failure to thrive.' Once your baby is underweight, it takes a conscious and informed effort to not reinforce 'finicky' eating while simply trying to ensure they begin to maintain and gain weight.
So rather than risk alienating parents through apparent blame, let's look at these extra challenging situations and find positive ways to support parents to get their kids' eating habits on track.
East Central University
Ada, OK - OKLAHOMA, United States
My son is an example of the extreme opposite of this article. He was a great toddler eater with spinach and green beans being among his favorite foods. One day at age 2.5 he looked up at his teacher, then to our center cook, with the utmost indignation at his plate of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans and clear as a bell said, "Ms. Sandy, you know I do not eat green things!". Thus began an 20 year struggle to do 'all the right things' mentioned in all 'the books' about a finicky eater growing up in a family with a propensity for obesity and not having food become a battleground.
Imagine my surprise when my now 21-year-old son ordered onions and peppers on his steak while out to eat the other evening.
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