What to do if a 5-year-old child has a picky eater

A 5-year-old child has a certain cognitive ability. If a child shows picky eating, parents can talk to the child about the harm of picky eating and the importance of certain foods to our body. They can also give some examples of picky eating, such as how overweight children and underweight children are all caused by picky eating. Let the child understand the importance of picky eating, and with parental supervision, they will gradually be able to change this habit.

Health Tips 1. Never talk about a certain food not being tasty or having a special taste in front of your children. For foods that children don’t like very much, talk more about their nutritional value and the benefits to the body after eating them. Parents should set an example in front of their children by eating the foods with big mouthfuls and praising how good they taste. When the child expresses his desire to eat something, praise him in time.

Health Tip 2: Let your child eat with the whole family, or with other children who are not picky eaters, to create a pleasant dining environment, and encourage him to learn from adults or other children.

Health advice 3: Strictly control children’s snacking. The interval between meals should be kept at 3.5-4 hours to allow the gastrointestinal tract to have a certain amount of time to empty, so that it is easier to feel hungry. As the old saying goes, “When you are hungry, you will eat anything.” When you are hungry, even foods you didn’t like in the past will start to taste good. Over time, you will gradually get used to them.

Health Tip 4: Improve your cooking skills and prevent your children from picking out foods they don’t like. If some children do not eat egg yolks, you can mix raw eggs with flour and cook egg pancakes or egg noodles; if they do not eat carrots, you can make carrot and pork stuffed buns or dumplings. Wait until after the meal to tell your child what he has eaten.

Health advice 5. Arrange a variety of outdoor activities for your child, such as riding a bicycle, playing ball, running competitions, etc. When it is time to eat, let him wash his hands, be quiet for a while, and eat when he has an appetite. At this time, there are various foods on the table, some of which the children don’t like to eat, but parents should not remind them. After the activities, the children will be very hungry and will find the food delicious. As long as he does not experience nausea, vomiting or allergic reactions after eating the food, it means that the food is suitable for him. If you show any signs of feeling unwell, you should consult a doctor. This does not mean you are being picky or have a partial diet.

Surveys and studies have found that children who are overweight or thin have a certain degree of picky eating. This situation has an adverse effect on children's growth and learning, and in severe cases it can cause some chronic diseases. For the healthy growth and development of children, we parents must create good eating habits for our children.