All children eat selectively at some point during childhood, and there is no universally accepted definition of selective eating, and there is no agreement on the best way to define it, especially since most selective children are not pathologically underweight compared to their friends.

Why does the child pick food?

A child may become selective in his food for several reasons, some of which are innate and the other is acquired. The child may be more sensitive to taste, smell and texture, or have encountered difficulties in feeding, or delayed weaning, while the majority of children develop selective eating behaviors by simulating the unhealthy eating habits of their parents.

These behaviors are more likely to develop into habits when parents punish, bribe, or reward their child, or eating becomes a battle, rather than encouraging him to try new foods.

The American Academy of Pediatrics conducted a study to research the habits of children from 4 to 9 years old, and revealed that selective eating begins at an early age, and the child tends to follow this behavior for life, which means the need for parents to intervene to treat it early, preferably before That their child reaches the age of two, and becomes part of his personality, and a way to prove his independence in exchange for the stubbornness of parents.

The study provided some useful solutions for parents, and by following it it will confront the causes of the problem, and a way to get close to the child, and erase his negative thoughts and memories about some foods or food in general, namely:

1- The family should not prepare a meal intended for the child, and in return they must prepare a lot of healthy foods, provided that it mainly includes vegetables and fruits, with the exception of foods that may cause choking if he fails to chew, so that the child makes his decision to eat what he wants.

A child who gets a lot of vegetables and fruits on his plate considers them normal and delicious foods, unlike those foods that he is forced to eat alone.

2- The study reached a conclusion that selecting food may be a symptom of a bigger problem, which is the child's concealment of his feelings, and this can be confirmed if the child has behaviors that are challenging and stubborn other than selecting food, and here it is necessary to contact a doctor who specializes in solving children's mental and behavioral health problems.

If the child has not eaten what is served after about 20 minutes the dish is taken away (Pixabay).

3- A schedule must be set and adhered to as soon as the breastfeeding period ends to avoid this problem, as the schedule includes 3 healthy meals, and two healthy snacks per day, one between breakfast and lunch, and the other between lunch and dinner.

If the child does not eat what is served after about 20 minutes, the dish is taken away and another meal is not offered to him except on time, and after a while the child will discover that if he does not eat, he will be hungry, and he will stick to eating what is available on time.

4- The study found that if the parents are very strict in determining what the child can eat and what is forbidden, this will be reflected in his reaction to food selection.

This method can be replaced by encouraging him to eat new foods without quarreling about it, or forcing him to eat everything on his plate.

Here it is necessary to emphasize the possibility of the child's stubbornness to prove his personality, so the authorities must be divided, so the parents control what, where and when food is available, and the child decides whether or not he will eat, how much he will eat, and in what way, and whether he eats the head of broccoli or its stem.

5- Eating meals in a family gathering, and enjoying those times, to focus on the social aspect of eating together, instead of the food itself, even if the child refuses to eat, he must stay on his chair until everyone finishes his food.

To achieve this, it is preferable to leave smartphones away from hands, and consider meal times as an opportunity to communicate, laugh, and narrate the funny events of the day. Close family relationships develop the child's skills, reassure him, and help him avoid problems in the teenage years.

Mealtimes should be viewed as an opportunity to communicate, laugh, and narrate the day's funny events.

6- Some people may be pleased with the selective hesitation of the child to the kitchen or refrigerator and to choose what he wants outside the meal dates he refused, or to submit and cook his favorite meal as an alternative to what is available, but this must be prevented, so the child should not be allowed to eat juices and milk only once a day, and replace that Drinking water, until the meal or snack is due and he is hungry enough to eat what is available.

7 - Children are interested in what adults do, not what they say, so you should stop buying fast food, soda and candy, and replace them with healthy foods, so that access to them becomes much more difficult, and a good example must be drawn for the child and help him make sure that these healthy foods are really useful.

8- Dessert should not be served with every meal, or even every day.

When sweets are available at home, the child should not be forced to eat his full meal before sweets, as he may be full, but he will eat it anyway. Likewise, if the child refuses to eat the meal, preventing him from sweets is not the solution, the child will learn the value of sweets and prefer them over healthy foods, which may change the pattern His food is for the worst of life, and the solution here is to serve dessert with the meal.

9- The child's participation in planning and preparing meals will motivate him to eat them, by searching for the ingredients of the meal and how to prepare them together, and being ready to try new and different things that appeal to him, take him to shop, and even grow some vegetables and herbs at home.

It may take time to agree and cook with the help of a child, but the result is worth.

10- If these tricks do not work, resort to a doctor as soon as possible.