Special child month edition

Picky eaters consume a limited range of food, can develop nutritional deficiencies and often make their parents frustrated and anxious. Here are some tips to assist parents prevent picky eating in their children:

1. Introduce complementary foods appropriately

Don't delay. Making the change from the diet of milk to solid foods can be tricky and errors at this time may lead to pickiness. Your infant has to learn how to chew and swallow foods of different textures. Most infants learn to chew by age six months and can tolerate solids between four and six months of age. After six months, there is insufficient iron in breast milk and infant formula to meet your infant's needs. Therefore, the introduction of iron-fortified cereals should not be delayed beyond six months of age. Delays may lead to a child who is unaccustomed to the taste and texture of solid foods. He/she may grow up preferring to drink rather than eat.

Be persistent and consistent: Many infants start off spitting out their cereals. This is a normal response and not necessarily related to whether or not he/she likes that particular food. It may be partly due to the fact that she has not yet figured out how to swallow this solid food.

If you take this as an all-out rejection of this food, you may find the same response to other foods and conclude that your infant likes nothing but breast milk. If your infant seems hesitant with any new food, continue to offer it at least once daily for about two weeks. He/she is very likely to acquire a taste for the new food by this method.

Variety is the spice of life: Offering your child foods with a variety in taste and texture will make him or her more open to different foods and less picky. Tastes from mother's diet may be transmitted to the infant through breast milk. Therefore, breastfed babies may be more accepting of new foods than infants accustomed to the taste of a single, unchanging formula.

2. Keep meals focused on the food

Remove distractions: The television, a pet or an older sibling playing are some things that can distract a child from food. Ensure that at mealtime your child has no distractions. Many children eat better when others around them are also eating.

Allow autonomy: Allow your child to enjoy mealtime. He/she may want to touch, smell or taste food. Let them explore food and settle in a routine of eating well before becoming concerned about table manners.

Dr Kirk Thame is a paediatric gastroenterologist and member of the Paediatric Association of Jamaica; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.