How to Get Kids to Try New Foods?

As a mother we always feel it's important for your child to eat everything, especially foods that are healthy. Most often making kids try out something new in foods is a task, especially if your child is a picky eater or a fussy eater.

Preschooler not eating well is one of the most common concerns parents raise, often accompanied by statements like “my son is not eating anything.” This challenge is especially visible when planning meals for for two year olds, baby weaning food, or  for 3 year olds.

Picky eaters resist trying new foods. They eat the same food over and over and refuse to eat any other foods. This can make parents worry about whether their child is getting enough and balanced nutrition.

If a child eats fewer than 20 foods, they are considered to be “hyperselective.” Most often kids are hyperselective between the ages of 2 and 4 years and also sometimes between the ages of 5 to 7 years. 

If they eat the same thing every day for a long time, they will one day stop eating that food, which can limit their diet quite a bit. This is often when parents notice their child is not eating a variety of things.. It's like a developmental milestone they will go through.

So, here are some tips that will help you to get your hyperselective child to try new foods.⠀⠀⠀⠀

1) Understand what's their food preference. Eg. If crunchy savory is the food preference for your child, let's start by adding a new food which is made salty and/or crunchy.
Basically if your child only loves eating crunchy foods, you should avoid trying to get them to eat a sweet potato mash. Let's try instead a crunchy, salty sweet potato chip (fried or baked in an oven) that meets some of their preferences. This approach works well for fussy eaters.

2) Similarly if we go by their color preference; if they love orange colored soft, and warm-temperature foods - why would we start with a cool carrot stick? Why don't we start with a soft, warm gajar halwa! This makes introducing new things to eat less overwhelming.

3) Try the partitioned thali strategy for your child to expose them to new foods without overwhelming them. The idea is to have each food item in various slots. Keep the most loved food item in the biggest slot and the least loved or the new food in the smallest slot. This strategy works well for children who are not eating varied foods and rely heavily on familiar snacks to eat.

4) You can also get creative in the ways you present the food to make it more attractive to your child. For example, say your child has eaten a simple pancake daily for breakfast every morning, but now they refuse to even hear about it. You can offer them pancake topped with apple slices and banana slices placed like a smiley. This helps normalize healthy foods in a fun way.

5) Allow them choices. While going shopping, ask your child do they want something, maybe something he/she loves and something he/she is willing to try. This builds autonomy, especially during early weaning food stages.

6) Cook with them, i.e. involve them in the meal prep by giving them tasks they can manage. Eg. Sieve flour or whisk eggs. Prefer it to involve the new food you want them to try. This is especially useful for toddlers transitioning from baby weaning food to regular meals.

Let them set the table the way they want ie let them decide the crockery and cutlery. Let them serve the foods.

7) Use positive language when encouraging your child to try out a new food. Eg. Instead of saying, "Try this food, it's good"; try saying, "I am not forcing you to eat this, but at least see what it looks like, how the texture feels and what are the health benefits and decide."

8) Children have to try a new food 8 to 15 times before they can decide if they like it and are ready to try it and make it a part of their daily diet. Be patient and don’t give up trying!

If they do not try out the new food, it's alright. Don't be dejected. Try again and again. It’s important to expose your child to the new food at regular intervals, especially when building long-term healthy eating habits for 3 year olds.

As a parent you should be offering foods that are healthy consistently. Also your child has the choice to eat a new food or not.

Use the above tips, and see what works for you and your child!