Section Overview
Picky eating is common during childhood, but it can make family meals stressful. In this section, you’ll learn practical, evidence-based strategies to help children become more comfortable exploring and trying a variety of foods—without pressure or mealtime battles.
Start Here: 5 Things You Can Try Today
1. Keep portions small
A new food doesn’t need to take over the plate.
2. Keep offering without pressure
Familiarity takes time. Children may need many opportunities to see, explore and taste a food before it becomes familiar.
3. Pair something new with something familiar
Let your child encounter the new food alongside foods they already enjoy.
4. Show them, don’t just tell them
Let children see family members eating and enjoying a variety of foods.
5. Let kids participate
Shopping, washing produce, stirring, serving and choosing between options all create food experiences without requiring the child to eat.
Is Picky Eating Normal?
Some children will eat everything that is put in front of them whereas others are more selective in what they choose to eat. Picky eating is when children are unwilling to eat familiar foods or unwilling to try new foods.
For many children this is a normal part of development. Food preferences can change over time, especially when children have repeated opportunities to see, explore and taste a variety of foods in a positive, low-pressure environment.
What matters most is the overall pattern. Rather than focusing on what your child eats at one meal, continue offering a variety of foods over time while allowing your child to decide whether and how much to eat from what is offered.
Why it Matters
The main issue with picky eating is that it has been associated with causing children to be underweight and have poor growth. Picky eating has also been correlated with lower child intakes of vitamins E & C, folate, iron, and fiber. Numerous studies have also indicated that picky eating can be incredibly frustrating for parents. In fact, picky eating has been shown to cause parental stress and anxiety. Picky eating during early childhood has been correlated with picky eating in later childhood, adolescence, and even adulthood.
Although it can be problematic and at times frustrating, it is important to know that picky eating is a very common stage of development. With patience and creativity, you can help encourage your children to try new foods and expand their palate.
Helping Children Try New Foods
Learning to enjoy new foods takes time. Your job isn’t to convince your child to eat. Instead it is to keep providing your child with positive opportunities to explore.
Keep Offering
A food rejected today may be accepted another time. Continue offering unfamiliar foods without pressure.
Eat Together
Children learn by watching. Let your child see family members eating and enjoying a variety of foods.
Keep Meal Predictable
Regular meals and snacks can help children know when eating opportunities are coming.
Your Words Matter
Avoid negativity and favor child-focused positive language when talking about new foods. Also, try not to label your child as a “picky eater.”
Let curiosity count
Seeing, smelling, touching, helping prepare or tasting a food can all be part of becoming familiar with it.
Make it Work for Your Table
Have a very cautious eater?
Start with tiny amounts of unfamiliar foods alongside familiar foods.
Feeding children of different ages?
Serve the same basic meal and adjust portions, textures, or components rather than automatically preparing completely separate meals.
Budget tight?
Exposure doesn’t require expensive specialty foods. Frozen or canned vegetables, seasonal produce and foods already used in family meals can all provide opportunities to explore.
Have sensory concerns?
Texture, smell, temperature and appearance can affect food acceptance.
Helping Kids Get Comfortable with Vegetables
Vegetables can be challenging for some children because their flavors, textures and appearances vary considerably. Familiarity can grow through repeated, low-pressure experiences.
- Pair Veggies With Familiar Favorites
Offer vegetables with foods your child already enjoys. Try veggies as a topping on taco night or serve them with a favorite dip. - Make Veggies Fun
Playful language can make vegetables more approachable. Broccoli can become “little trees,” for example. - Start With Milder Flavors
Try vegetables with naturally milder or sweeter flavors, such as peas or carrots. - Encourage an Open Mind
Food preferences can change as children grow. Encourage your child to stay curious and try foods again over time. - Keep Them Coming Back
Continue offering vegetables without pressure. Repeated opportunities to see, explore, and taste foods can help them become more familiar and accepted over time.
A Helpful Way to Think About Mealtimes
You provide:
- What foods are offered
- When meals and snacks happen
- Where your family eats
Your child decides:
- Whether to eat
- Which of the foods offered to eat
- How much to eat
When Should I Ask for Help?
Most picky eating does not mean a child has an eating disorder. However, talk with your child’s pediatrician or another qualified healthcare professional if you are concerned about your child’s eating, nutrition or growth.
Consider seeking additional support if your child:
- has eating difficulties that interfere substantially with school, family activities or social situations
- has a very limited range of foods that continues to narrow
- is losing weight or not growing as expected
- has suspected nutritional deficiencies
- experiences significant fear, anxiety or distress around eating
- regularly avoids foods because of fears such as choking or vomiting
- has sensory sensitivities that severely limit the foods they can eat
Picky Eating vs. ARFID
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is different from typical picky eating. ARFID involves food restriction or avoidance severe enough to cause nutritional, growth, medical and/or significant psychosocial problems. The general strategies on this page are not intended to diagnose or treat ARFID.
