Picky Eater - Fighting the Good Fight

Often, the struggle at dinnertime with your picky eater is not so much about food as it is about control. As children become more independent, conflicts can arise as they carefully scrutinize what goes into their mouths. The more you push, the more they resist with the outcome resulting in tears and frustration.

During one of these scenarios, it is not surprising to see picky eater dissolve into hysterics when faced with a tiny lima bean or hear unpleasant gagging sounds after your seven-year-old sniffs the aromatic lemon sauce poured over the baked fish. Then, as the parents become upset, blowing things out of proportion, generally things become worse.

Instead, you will need to learn on finding a common ground with your picky eater, one by which you all can live. Try to remember that not all battles are worth fighting. Therefore, you will need to decide which ones are the most important in your house. Hopefully, food will not be one of them because it could potentially turn the pleasure of eating into a control issue that can last a lifetime.

Your primary concerns should be whether your picky eater child is getting the requisite amount of calories he or she needs to grow, and if he or she has a proper balance of nutrients to remain healthy. The answer is most likely "yes." Even if your picky eater child were on a macaroni and cheese kick for the next two weeks, protein, dairy, and other vitamins are still included in the diet.

Be realistic in your expectations. Children (not just picky eater children) up to age ten still use their fingers quite a lot in ways that adults don't, like pushing peas onto a spoon and picking up pieces of meat. They still have some trouble chewing and swallowing tough or dry or fibrous foods, like steak or chops. Part of the problem might be that they don't have the jaw strength to chew up the meat.

Another part is that up until about age eight their swallow is immature. They swallow with their cheeks, as if they were suckling from a straw, not using their tongue like you or I do. Children this age still have a limited number of foods they readily accept. Do not despair. The number of accepted foods will gradually increase, as they get older. The numbers will increase -- that is, provided you don't make a big issue about it. Often times making a big deal can cause and decrease in food acceptance rather then an increase.

To learn more about picky eater children and get some quick and easy picky eater recipes visit http://www.mypickyeater.com

Learn step-by-step how to successfully cope with Picky Eaters with Help There is a Picky Eater in The House! Full of Proven Strategies and Great Picky Eater Recipes that are Guaranteed to Help. Get Effective Picky Eater Help Now!

---

Five Easy Steps to Picking the Perfect Baby Name

One of the few decisions you'll make during pregnancy that... Read More

8 Tips To Save On Child Care Costs

Child care costs are are one of the most expensive... Read More

Shopping with Children

Is your weekly shopping trip with the kids an absolute... Read More

Parenting Your Teenager: Late vs. Too Late, and 5 More Sure Fire Tips

Late vs. Too LateEvery now and then, I'll hear a... Read More

The Personality of a Virgo Child

Your Virgo Baby..August 23 - September 22Virgo children are honest... Read More

The POWER of Reading

Reading to your child at a young age is one... Read More

How to Create an Attitude of Cooperation

Having been a parent educator and a PBS consultant for... Read More

Back to School Feng Shui

Every school year parents and students dutifully trudge through the... Read More

Want To Further Your Childrens Studies?

Being in a competitive world, the lowest qualification to secure... Read More

MORAL ARMORS Irrational Parenting, Part III

Not Letting Them Think.We all implicitly know that anything questioning... Read More

Stop, Look, Listen! Steps to Better Parenting Communication

As a parent is seems that the majority of your... Read More

Internet Dangers - Protecting Children from Internet Jeopardy

Parents are in a unique position to "monitor" their children's... Read More

Kids and Sports: Fundamentals First

Would you hand a child calculus problems once she was... Read More

Effective Troubled Teen Programs

Not all parents subscribe to the notion of "tough love,"... Read More

Is Your Teen Stressed? Teach Them How to Manage Their Time, Schoolwork, and Leisure Activities

I hear from many parents that their child is stressed... Read More

Guilty of Not Following Her Heart

Karen, a single never-married thirty-year old attorney has a four-year... Read More

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) for Teen Drivers

Drivers 16 years of age have little driving experience, putting... Read More

Parents - Create An Emotionally Healthy Connection With Your Child

"I could have helped you if I would have known,... Read More

What is Child Sexual Abuse?

What is child sexual abuse? Any sexual activity that is... Read More

Your Kids Career - Whose Choice?

A strange thing happened to me today. Or more precisely,... Read More

Joining a Gang: How to Help Kids Prevent it, How to Tell if Theyve Joined One, How to Help Them Out

While youth gangs are nothing new -- they've been traced... Read More

5 Ways To Tell If A Preschooler Is Living In Your House

1. You reheated the same cup of coffee three times... Read More

How to Stop Divorce Parental Conflict from Bursting?

It is not the divorce but the conflict arising after... Read More

Parenting Confidence - Who Needs It?

It used to strike me as odd - but really,... Read More

Real Monsters Under Your Bed

There may really be a real monster under your kidâ??s... Read More

Parents Role in Helping with Car Wash Fundraisers

As a parent you will be asked to assist with... Read More

Child Education

The initial state of happiness about an own child is... Read More

Life Lessons Learned in My Underwear

For several years now, I've told the following story as... Read More

Back to School - Disappontment?

Our back-to-school buying habits do not help kids succeed in... Read More

Is Your Discipline Damaging the Spirit of the Child?

If your parenting methods include abuse of any kind; physical,... Read More

Watch What You Say

"Now don't you go getting any ideas, Harold.""Don't you get... Read More

Treatment Options for ADHD

Ritalin has been shown through the years to be very... Read More

Why Creativity and Self-Expression are Important to Little Kids

Can you draw a straight line? Most adults don't consider... Read More