You’ve finally figured out how to make making healthy eating choices for yourself, but there’s one epic force working against you…your child who this week is committed to eating only macaroni and cheese and nothing but macaroni and cheese.  How many nights have you put your toddler to bed and thanked heaven above for his multi-vitamin? This incredibly frustrating phenomenon is common and completely normal, in fact many experts believe that 1 out of every 5 children is a picky eater, and they usually stay that way until they turn 5 or even 8 in some cases. There are several reasons this happens, and understanding these reasons, and learning how to work around them makes it a bit easier to live through this problem.

The most concentrated age bracket for picky eaters is between two and five.  And it makes sense really; toddlers are way too busy to care about food. They’ve just finished up the fastest growth period of their lives, more than tripling their birth weight in a year – once they hit toddler hood, they are simply not as hungry because their bodies do not need the food as much.  Oh yeah, and they’re testing you – they’re not trying to upset you, but they are seeing where their boundaries lie and they get a big kick out of your reactions!

This age bracket also has a developmentally related resistance to new foods. Perhaps they are too busy, or as they discover a world with so many new things they simply aren’t able to handle one more new thing, even if that is just a little bit of sweet potato on the corner of the plate. It takes up to ten (and sometimes more) exposures to a new food before a child will accept it. Getting through this phase is about perseverance and knowing that by teaching your children healthful eating habits now, it will be much easier for them to eat healthfully as they grow into adulthood.

As always, it’s a good idea to discuss these matters with your child’s doctor. She’ll want to keep tabs on your child’s growth and development. Also, knowing she has a picky eater on her hands will ensure you all keep an eye out for other problems such as an oral-motor problem.