Picky Eater Essay

• Picky eating has become a common health issue. It does not only occur in infants and children but also in teenagers and adults. The problem causes parents to feel bothered and very disturbed. It is because of the risk it poses to the children's health.

• As a mother to a young picky eating child, you should know that most children who are picky eaters stop the habit as they grow up. However, some of them persist until adolescence or even adulthood.

• Mothers or caregivers can be able to determine if their children are picky eaters by observing specific patterns in their eating behaviors. When your child avoids food that is familiar to him, it is a sign of picky eating.

• If your child refuses to take fruits and vegetables, this may be a

Risks of having a picky eater

• The first step towards caring for your child who is a picky eater is to determine the picky eating behavior early enough.1

• There are several problems which are associated with picky eaters. Therefore, when health experts can identify picky eating early, these children can be treated before the behavior persists too much.

• Picky eating is associated with a wide range of health concerns as well as behavioral problems in children.

• Health concerns related to picky eating include poor nutrition in children as well as being underweight.

• On the other hand, behavioral problems related to picky eating include depression, tantrums, anxiety, increased aggression levels as well as somatic complaints. Somatic complaints are a health term that refers to pain and fatigue that result in emotional distress.1

• These problems may sometimes persist through adolescence and even adulthood. For this reason, it would be best to identify and treat picky eating early in a child's life.

What to do with your Picky

Infants and children develop trust for their mothers or caregivers through the feeding process. The way you feed your child contributes to your child's feeding habits.

• The most efficient ways of treating picky eating in your child are consulting a pediatrician who will recommend the best course of treatment. A psychologist would also play a major role in helping you understand the best way of interacting with your child.

• Developing a healthy feeding relationship between you and your child is an important step in treating picky eating.

• As a mother of a young child, you should not force the child into eating when they show signs of being full. Doing so will cause the child to develop anxiety when they know they are about to be fed.

• It eventually causes the child to despise the feeding process instead of looking forward to it. Moreover, forcing the child or luring the child to eat a food they are not familiar with can result in the child detesting or hating the food.

• Instead of luring your child to eat certain foods or enticing them with rewards, you should let your child decide to eat the food