How often does your child tell you that they don’t like something or that they’re not going to eat it because it’s yucky?
Do they tell you today that a food they liked last week or ate yesterday is disgusting?
Perhaps they tell you that it is too spicy (even if no spice is involved), salty or sweet?
It’s best to try not to take it personally, offer the food again another time, avoid serving an alternative and resist putting any pressure on them to eat.
And consider, this. They might not mean what they say!
What they might be trying to tell you is that:
- I’m not hungry
- I’ve had enough to eat
- I don’t fancy eating that today
- I’m still learning to like that food
- I don’t know what that is and it looks a bit scary/smells a bit odd/is a colour I don’t like/feels strange
- I’ve got a tooth coming through and eating hard foods is uncomfortable
- I haven’t seen you eating it – why do I have to eat something you’re not eating?
- I can’t eat that because last time I ate it, it made my tummy feel funny
- I’m just too distracted to eat and want to go back to playing my game