How to Deal with a Picky Eater

Children of all ages, including teenagers, can sometimes make meal time, seem like a climb to Mt. Everest. It's like an uphill battle, all the way. However, there are things you can do, and not do, to make life a lot easier when it comes to planning the meal of the day. Here's a list of do's and don'ts.

1).Eliminate snacks and junk food before it's time to eat. When you do this, then children are more likely to come to the table more hungry, than if they were to have had a snack, shortly before meal time.

2). Don't insist that your child has to eat, if they tell you they are not hungry. This will make children feel that meal time is more of a task, than it is for enjoyment.

3). Instead of serving one large portion of one type of food, break the meal down into several smaller portions of a variety of food. This eliminates getting full on one type of food.

4). Make meal time fun. Using a cookie cutter, cut the food into shapes, if possible. Also, serve vegetable slices with dip.

5). If your child enjoys vegetables and fruits, then take advantage of that, by using them in soups, and cereals. Put fruit in with your child's cereal, or use shredded carrots, or squash on top of soups.

6). Substituting a dessert for fruits or vegetables, will signal the wrong message to your child. Avoid doing this, to not confuse your child that it's okay to eat desserts, when fruits and vegetables are much more nourishing for them.

It's a wise choice to introduce your child, at a very young age, to healthy eating habits. If you start this when they are young, it will carry with them through their childhood.