Picky by Nature

Satisfying Finicky Tiny Diners

By April E. Clark

Jenny Peterson's 4-year-old daughter, Sophie, likes garbanzo beans, blueberries and dried apricots, but the brown-haired preschooler stays clear of chicken nuggets.

"She's totally a picky eater," says Peterson of New Castle, Colo. "Even as a baby she would only eat certain kinds of [food]. It was truly a matter of choices because one day she would like key lime yogurt and another she would like the blueberry flavor."

Peterson says her daughter changes her mind often about what she likes and dislikes. She might prefer peanut butter and honey one day, but she won't eat peanut butter and jelly the next. "It's a grazing phase," she says. "What I do with Sophie is give her little options all day long. She likes nuts and almonds, so I give her those. And she loves corn-on-the-cob; she loves the activity."

Peterson says marketing in today's consumer-focused society plays a big part in what her daughter will eat. "Take string cheese; she'll only eat it if it's in a certain packaging, like if it has 'The Incredibles' on it," she says. "She likes to pick out her fruit chews, but only with certain characters on them. It's all about what's on the box, even with granola bars and especially with cereal."

One way Peterson helps Sophie focus on food while making mealtime enjoyable is by associating numbers with what's on her plate. She says it seems to work for her preschooler, who was a preemie weighing around 1.5 pounds when she was born.

"What's more exciting for her is for me to say, 'Take six bites of anything on your plate.' It's more like a game to her," Peterson says. "It's fun, and it's important for her because she's such a grazer. The main thing I would advise other parents is to offer little pieces of food all day long."

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