Winning Over a Picky Eater on Thanksgiving

CHICAGO - Nov. 17, 2014 - PRLog -- If you have a picky eater at home, you may not be looking forward to Thanksgiving. It can be difficult to encourage a child with limited food preferences to eat on an average day, but compound that with the stress of visitors and unfamiliar places, and you don’t stand a chance. But with a few insider tips from Jill Krema, LEEP Forward’s speech-language pathologist who leads feeding sessions, you can arm yourself with the info you need to have an effortless holiday with your child.

Set Expectations in Advance – No Surprises, Please!

One of the greatest causes of anxiety revolves around not knowing what’s going to happen. Setting expectations will greatly reduce anxiety, so it may be helpful to:

1.    Discuss your Thanksgiving plans in depth ahead of time. Make sure your child knows where he is going, who will be there, and give him fair warning of the timing (“Thanksgiving is in two days” or “Thanksgiving is today and our family is coming over at 4pm to celebrate”). The more visuals you can use the better; a countdown calendar until the big day or photos of family members may help your child create an image in his head.

2.     Discuss the foods that might be on the table beforehand. If they have several foods they mention they will refuse to eat, focus on one that might motivate them. If your child still refuses or seems anxious about the foods, let her know that these foods will be on the table, but she don’t need to have them on their plate. However, let her know other family members will be eating them.

3.   Prepare some sample foods to try before the big day. Thanksgiving is not the time to try new foods. Instead, find a quiet time to sit down and try some foods in a low-stress environment. You may even allow your child to help you cook. This can be a great way to desensitize your child to unfamiliar textures and smells.

4.   Build an exit strategy. If your child is sensitive to noises and sounds, then being at the table, regardless of the foods present, may be difficult. Ask your child what he might like to do if he needs a break. That might mean finding a room at grandma’s to have quiet time or packing a special toy or blankey that brings comfort. Whether your child actually uses this or not doesn’t matter. Simply knowing there’s a plan in place can reduce anxiety.

When Mealtime Rolls Around – Navigating on Thanksgiving Day

Now that you’ve set some expectations and (hopefully) taste-tested some foods, you’re ready to tackle the meal itself. Below are a few considerations that can make the meal more manageable.

1.  Consider where your child would like to sit for the meal. It can be overwhelming to sit at a large table with so many faces, sounds, and smells. If you think your child will be uncomfortable eating at a large table, think about using a smaller table, even a “kids table” where he may feel safer. On the contrary, if there are cousins, siblings, or friends at the table who may not be a good fit, think about allowing them to sit at the “grown-ups” table for a portion of the meal.

2.   Start small. Large plates of food, big portions, and a lot of different smells, flavors, and appearances can be overwhelming. Start out small, maybe just two or three food items. You can always add additional foods and increase portions as the meal progresses and your child appears motivated and/or hungry.

3.   Baby bites are better bites. Turkey – especially if it’s on the drier side –  can be difficult to chew, so consider cutting bites into smaller pieces than you might normally. Also, you may want to remove the skin, as this adds an additional texture that can be off-putting to those with texture aversions.

4.   Cater to the best of your ability. This may not be possible if you’re not the chef, but the more you can cater to your child’s food preferences the better. Some children have aversions to color, texture, and/or taste. Play to his strengths: serve more sweet potatoes if he likes orange foods, puree those mashed potatoes if he likes it smooth, and cut back on the spices if he prefers bland tastes. This doesn’t mean changing the whole meal. You can always keep a small serving on the side made special just for them.