{"id":78284,"date":"2026-03-10T00:04:42","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T00:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.saigonbiz.com\/vn\/a-parents-guide-to-navigating-picky-eating-with-confidence\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T00:04:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T00:04:42","slug":"a-parents-guide-to-navigating-picky-eating-with-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.saigonbiz.com\/vn\/a-parents-guide-to-navigating-picky-eating-with-confidence\/","title":{"rendered":"A Parent\u2019s Guide to Navigating Picky Eating with Confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

NEW YORK, March 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — (Feature Impact) For families with young children, mealtimes can often feel like negotiations or even battles. If that sounds familiar, you\u2019re not alone. Picky eating is one of the most universal challenges families face.<\/p>\n

\"17850_1\"<\/p>\n

With the right strategies, parents can reduce stress, build healthier habits and help children become more confident, curious eaters. Dr. Lauren Loquasto,\u00a0senior vice president and chief academic officer at\u00a0The Goddard School<\/a>, and registered dietitian Ali Bandier, founder of Senta Health<\/a> and member of the Expert Council at Little Spoon<\/a>, share these insights and guidance to help parents navigate picky eating.<\/p>\n

Why Young Children are Picky Eaters<\/strong>
Picky eating isn\u2019t just common; it\u2019s an expected part of early childhood development. In fact, it would be more surprising if children didn\u2019t experience a picky eating phase.<\/p>\n

Picky eating is a natural expression of independence. As children enter toddlerhood, they discover they can assert control, and food becomes a typical place to do it. They can\u2019t decide whether to go to school or take a bath, but they can decide whether to take a bite of broccoli.<\/p>\n

Avoid the Power Struggle<\/strong>
The key for parents: stay calm, consistent and neutral. Pressuring children only makes picky eating worse.<\/p>\n

Telling your child they must try one bite, celebrating excessively when they do eat a vegetable or resorting to negotiation (\u201cthree more bites then dessert\u201d) can actually reduce their desire to eat. It also creates a dynamic that only reinforces the power struggle.<\/p>\n

Instead, recognize the division of responsibility when it comes to eating. Parents decide what food is served, when it\u2019s served and where meals happen. Children decide whether to eat and how much to eat. As a parent, you can\u2019t force your child to eat; recognizing this is critical to reducing the mealtime tug-of-war and creating a calmer, more predictable environment for the entire family.<\/p>\n

Exposure, Not Pressure<\/strong>
Young children often need repeated, low-pressure exposure to a new food before trying it. Offering broccoli once likely isn\u2019t enough. It\u2019s important to offer it repeatedly, without commentary, bribing or coaxing.<\/p>\n

Trying new foods is more than just ingesting them. Touching and smelling are steps toward tasting and acceptance. Involving children in food preparation \u2013 washing vegetables, stirring batter, mixing ingredients \u2013 lets them gain familiarity without the pressure of having to eat. Inclusion in this process increases curiosity and that curiosity is often followed by a willingness, or even desire, to try the food.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important for parents to model desired eating habits. If you want your child to try salmon but you\u2019re eating pizza, they\u2019re unlikely to want to eat the salmon. Daily family mealtimes \u2013 often dinner in busy households \u2013 where you\u2019re modeling manners and eating the food you want your child to eat is key.<\/p>\n

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The Importance of Routines<\/strong>
For young children, routines provide structure, predictability and comfort. A consistent meal and snack schedule helps children learn what to expect and can reduce not only their anxiety around mealtimes, but parental anxiety, too.<\/p>\n

Notably, there is no right or wrong schedule; every family needs to figure out what works best for their circumstances. What matters is setting a schedule and maintaining consistency. For example, if you provide a snack between breakfast and lunch, do it every day, not just a few days a week. This helps children know what to expect and feel comfortable.<\/p>\n

Schedules also help parents resist \u201csecondhand cooking.\u201d When a child refuses the meal offered, parents often scramble to make alternatives, but this teaches the child if they hold out long enough, a preferred food will arrive. Instead, calmly remind your child when the next snack or meal will be: \u201cOK, you don\u2019t want to have the yogurt and fruit. That\u2019s fine, but I\u2019m not going to make something else. Snack time is in two hours.\u201d This builds trust and reduces anxiety for everyone.<\/p>\n

With patience, low-pressure exposure and consistent routines, most picky eaters gradually broaden their palates and mealtimes become more enjoyable for the whole family. For more\u202fparenting guidance, including\u202fthe Parenting with Goddard blog and\u202fwebinar\u202fseries, visit the\u202fParent Resource Center at GoddardSchool.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Michael French
michael.french@featureimpact.com
https:\/\/editors.featureimpact.com\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

About Feature Impact<\/strong>
Feature Impact\u00a0is\u00a04media\u00a0group\u2019s\u00a0earned-first content solution\u00a0for audience-ready storytelling at scale.\u00a0Formerly Family Features, the\u00a0editorial\u00a0service\u00a0delivers\u00a0measurable earned media results and authentic consumer engagement\u00a0through\u00a0high-quality, topical and seasonally relevant multimedia content.\u00a0Publicly-facing\u00a0content is\u00a0available\u00a0at\u00a0culinary.net and eLivingToday.com, with additional ready-to-publish resources for editors and journalists at\u00a0editors.featureimpact.com.\u00a0Learn more at\u00a0featureimpact.com<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at\u00a0
https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/NewsRoom\/AttachmentNg\/e4506b3b-a5e7-4a28-9007-f150ccf3e6f2<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/NewsRoom\/AttachmentNg\/0a2bd3df-335b-4a06-aeb2-04da6dd54e5f<\/a><\/p>\n

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