Sensory-Friendly Nutrition Tips for Picky Eaters/Children with Feeding Disorders

Having trouble at mealtimes with your child?

You are not alone. Many children, especially toddlers, are notorious for picky eating.

However, it’s important to know when your child’s eating habits are a symptom of a sensory processing or feeding disorder. Feeding challenges, if not addressed, can impact your child’s health. Picky eating is a problem of its own, but when combined with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disability, creates additional challenges when trying to adapt and correct. Below, we’ve outlined a few sensory-friendly nutrition tips to overcome the difficulties your child is experiencing at the table. 

If your child is rejecting or having issues with a particular food or group of foods, you should first consider and rule out any food allergies, intolerances, and other medical problems. Your child may not “like” certain foods because they make their stomach hurt and are either too young or unable to communicate this to you. Once these issues have been cleared, try following these tips: 

Pay Attention to Textures 

One of the most helpful sensory-friendly nutrition tips for picky eaters is to pay attention to textures. Does your child prefer crunchy foods, but won’t eat soft or mushy foods? Or maybe the opposite? Try combining soft food with crunchy food, like chips and guacamole or graham crackers and peanut butter.  

You may think that your child doesn’t like tomatoes or blueberries, but actually, they don’t like the squishy texture. When blended and used in other ways, like pizza sauce or muffins, your child may eat the foods they normally reject. Paying attention to textures will allow you to note the types of foods your child may have issues with. You can then think of ways to use these foods in other dishes and meals, so they still get the nutrients from these “problem” foods. 

Introduce New Foods Gradually 

Mealtimes can be stressful for kids, especially those who prefer structure and routine. Another simple suggestion to limit anxiety around the table is to make mealtime as consistent as possible by maintaining the same seating arrangements and serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same times every day. Children thrive on routines, and having a regular mealtime schedule ensures your child knows what to expect.   

Once your child is comfortable with their mealtime schedule, you can slowly introduce new foods. A brand-new dish will likely overwhelm a child with a feeding or sensory disorder, so it’s important to start small. Mixing new foods into favorite foods is a great way to introduce new foods. For example, if you are trying to introduce strawberries, try mixing or dipping the fruit into a bowl of yogurt. Try introducing vegetables by mixing them into rice or pasta.  

Stay calm and do not add to your child’s stress if they do not try or eat the new food. Slow and steady wins the race, and consistency is key! By staying as consistent as possible and the new food being the only “new” experience the child is facing at the time, it will be less scary and intimidating. 

Make Mealtime Fun 

Another way to decrease sensitivity to certain or new foods is by making mealtime fun. If you are practicing mealtime consistency (like mentioned above), you may want to consider these fun activities at snack time or during play time – not your regular mealtime. The goal here is to expose your child to new foods without the pressure to eat them. You can make mealtime fun with these sensory-friendly nutrition tips:  

• Explore new foods – Instead of encouraging your child to take a whole bite, show your child how to look, touch, and smell the new food. You can get involved and let your child feed you, or you can model kissing or licking the food to help show your child the food is “fun”, so your child creates a positive association with the food. 
• Play with new foods – Show your child how to play with new foods. This may involve making pictures, houses, and other art with the food or using the food with other activities he or she enjoys. By playing with the new food, your child is familiarizing themself with the food and decreasing their anxiety associated with it. 
• Offer a variety of foods – Take this snack time or play time opportunity to offer several new foods in colors, textures, flavors, and food groups. Your child will first get used to seeing a variety of foods together. The more they explore and play with new foods, they soon will be using other senses (like touching and smelling) to help encourage tasting and eating new foods. The more comfortable they get, the more okay they’ll be when they see a variety of foods on their plate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

Provide Options and Control 

Some children thrive on feeling in control. Instead of putting a completely new meal or even just one new food on your child’s plate, provide options and ask your child for permission. A simple “We’re having tacos tonight. Would you like meat? Cheese? Sour cream? Tomatoes? Onions? Lettuce?” will help your child feel in control of what’s on their plate. Other children may enjoy feeling in control of what the family eats. You can ask for the child’s opinion by saying something like “I’m making pasta tonight! Should we add broccoli, peas, or carrots?” By feeling important and involved in mealtime decisions, your child will eventually replace negative feelings towards mealtime with positive and happy feelings.  

Celebrate Small Victories 

If your child has a sensory processing disorder, feeding disorder, or other developmental disability, it’s important to remember how scary it is for your child to try new things. What may be normal or exciting to other children is often filled with anxiety and other challenges for your child. Instead of celebrating a cleaned plate, celebrate your child touching the beans with their fork, licking the spoon of mashed potatoes, and tasting a bite of lasagna! Your child needs to understand you are proud of them and all their hard work. Remember to not pressure your child to eat new or certain foods, as this only creates more resistance. Instead, introduce new foods by following the sensory-friendly tips above to allow your child to gradually overcome their fears. Celebrating small victories can go a long way in encouraging positive behaviors! 

Consult a Healthcare Professional 

Another option if you aren’t seeing the results you’d like or are worried about your child’s health is to consult a healthcare professional. Siskin Children’s Institute offers pediatric feeding therapy in Chattanooga, TN to infants, toddlers, and children. Our team helps children with feeding difficulties such as issues with breast or bottle feeding, transitioning to solid foods, and picky eating. Learn more about feeding therapy at Siskin by contacting our team today.