It can be difficult to get your children to expand their diets when they’re picky eaters. Whether they love certain foods or hate trying new things, it’s important to help them overcome this. The staff at Tinkelman Pediatrics in Brockport, NY, know it takes a wide range of foods for children to satisfy their dietary needs. To help, they want to share several pediatrician-approved tips to overcome picky eating. These will ensure your children are healthy and open up a whole new world of meal options.

3 Tips to Help Expand Picky Eaters’ Diets

1. Build Off What You Know

It can be difficult to know where to start when instituting a diet change, so after speaking with a pediatrician, start with what you know. Create a list of everything your child likes to eat. Once you have a complete picture, you can see what’s missing and begin brainstorming similar foods to what they like that also satisfy health needs. Whether it’s by color, flavor, or texture, you’ll find similarities between foods that will make it easier to introduce others.

2. Start Small

Picky eaters won’t settle for drastic change. Start small by serving new foods alongside their favorites. It can be at snack time or as a side with dinner. They may still be apprehensive about eating it at first, but you can commit to making deals or establishing a reward system for experiencing new foods. They may like some and not others, but once you get results, you can be more strategic about expanding their diet.

3. Get Them Involved

Children want to be part of the decision-making process, so get them involved at the grocery store. Let them pick out new foods to try. The same goes for meal time. Present options based on what they’ve chosen so they feel they have a say in how their diet is changing. All of their choices may not be healthy though, so speak with a pediatrician about preferred foods.

With some patience and practice, you’ll break your child’s picky eating habits in no time, and the staff at Tinkelman Pediatrics can help. They offer a variety of pediatric care services and ensure your children remain healthy. Call (585) 637-0060 today to schedule an appointment and visit their website and Facebook to learn more about their children’s medical services.