Picky eating is defined as eating a limited variety of foods due to the rejection of both familiar and unfamiliar foods (Thompson et al., 2015). While feeding challenges are common and affect nearly 50% of children, only about 30% will naturally outgrow these difficulties.

Many people don't realize just how much work goes into eating. Mealtimes require coordination between muscles, nerves, sensory processing, and motor planning. In fact, swallowing alone requires 22 muscles and 3 cranial nerves working together. When any part of this process is challenging, eating can feel overwhelming for a child.

Your child's eating habits may be worth a closer look if they:

• Become upset or distressed during mealtimes, such as crying, gagging, hiding, or leaving the table
• Take a long time to finish meals or have difficulty chewing certain foods, especially meats or tougher textures
• Eat a very limited variety of foods, with fewer than three foods from a food group or only accepting one specific type of food
• In these situations, picky eating may be connected to sensory sensitivities or oral motor difficulties that make eating more challenging than it appears.

What Can I Do at Home?

If mealtimes have become stressful, there are a few simple ways to encourage positive experiences with food:

• Talk about foods using neutral descriptions like color, shape, texture, or size instead of labeling them as "good," "bad," "yummy," or "yucky."
• Try serving meals family-style so your child can practice interacting with foods and making choices in a low-pressure environment.
• Make food exploration fun through taste-safe sensory play, such as creating peanut butter play dough or painting with whipped cream.

The goal isn't to make your child eat a new food right away. Instead, focus on building comfort, confidence, and curiosity around food one step at a time!

How Hogg Therapy Can help

Mealtimes should be an opportunity for connection, learning, and growth, not a source of daily stress. If your child experiences significant challenges with eating, chewing, or trying new foods, feeding therapy may help uncover and address the underlying cause. At Hogg Therapy, our team of specially trained Speech Language Pathologists and Occupational Therapists works alongside families to build positive mealtime experiences and support each child's unique feeding journey. Contact us today at 859-353-3666 to learn more about feeding therapy services or speak with your pediatrician about a referral.