Selective Eating - Give Permission
July 2, 2025
Selective Eating - Give Permission
Getting a selective eater to try new foods is a process. Keep in mind that the goal is to provide your child with the opportunity to be exposed to new foods. Continue to introduce them to unfamiliar foods, have them see that you eat and enjoy them, all the while making sure they have safe foods that they know they can count on. Giving your child permission helps to reduce anxiety around new foods. Inviting your child to be around and try new foods is a very different experience than forcing them to try new foods.
Give your child permission…
- To touch, smell, and explore food. Children learn about foods using their senses. Allow them to touch, smell, and explore a new food to investigate it.
- To try it when they are ready. It can take multiple exposures (15+ times!) to a new food to be interested in it. Keep providing them the opportunity and encourage them to try it when they are ready. Perhaps a fun opportunity would be to try new foods as a family as children tend to look to adults for cues on what is safe and acceptable.
- To play with food. Allow your child to paint with pudding, create structures with pretzels and marshmallows, follow a pattern with a fruit kabob, smoosh avocados to make guacamole, scramble eggs with a fork, use food coloring to change the color of their yogurt, or make a funny face with pancakes and fruit or tortillas and veggies.
- To try a non-preferred food. Encourage them to have a small serving of a non-preferred food on their plate until they get used to it.
- Be exposed to new foods without bribes. Try to limit questions or pressure to try new things. When you prepare your child’s plate for dinner, you don’t have to bribe them or pressure them into eating the new food. Allow them to discover the new food on their terms, knowing they are supported by you. There is also no need to hide food in other foods. If you have a trusting relationship with your child, hiding foods will deteriorate that trust.
- To not like something. We all have personal preferences; honor their reactions, however continue to offer non-preferred foods. Just because it wasn’t liked the first time, doesn’t mean you stop offering it. Also, try various ways of serving it. Perhaps roasted carrots aren’t a hit, but maybe try raw carrots with ranch dip, honey roasted, sliced carrots, or carrot chips.
There is no one way to raise a curious eater.
Take a deep breath and remember, what they are eating today is not permanent. Their preferences may change over time. What is important is that your child feels supported and encouraged.
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