Child Picky Eating: 3 Categories of Causes and 5 Handy Tips for New Moms

Child picky eating that persists can lead to serious repercussions such as malnutrition, susceptibility to illnesses, delayed physical and intellectual development, and more. So why do children become picky eaters, and how should mothers deal with it to help their children eat well, gain weight quickly, and develop comprehensively? Check out the information and useful tips introduced below. 

What is Picky Eating in Children? Warning Signs of a Picky Eater

Picky eating (food refusal/picky eating) is when a child eats little, refuses certain types of food, or rejects all food, leading to nutritional deficiencies.

The condition of picky eating often occurs in children aged 1-6 years with easily recognizable signs such as:

• Child holds food in mouth without chewing or swallowing.
• Child runs away or cries when fed.
• Child clenches mouth, spits out food, shakes head to refuse feeding.
• Child is too distracted to focus on eating, only eats when persuaded, begged, threatened, etc.
• Amount of food/day is less than the child's age-appropriate needs.
• Child is becoming increasingly thin, slow to gain weight, or frequently falls ill.

Child Picky Eating Leads to Weakness and Frequent Illness

Why Do Children Become Picky Eaters?

To understand the reasons behind picky eating in children, mothers need to grasp information about the 3 common types of picky eating in children:

• Physiological Picky Eating: This condition occurs when a child is undergoing physical changes such as crawling, walking, talking, teething, etc. Physiological picky eating typically lasts for 7-14 days.

• Psychological Picky Eating: This type of picky eating develops due to negative influences in caregiving practices such as scolding, threatening, forcing feeding, which makes the child fearful and stressed for a prolonged period. This picky eating behavior ends when the child's psychological state stabilizes.

• Pathological Picky Eating: This type of picky eating manifests as symptoms when a child is affected by illnesses such as sore throat, tonsillitis, digestive disorders, etc. Pathological picky eating improves only when health issues are addressed.

There are various reasons for a child's picky eating

For each type of picky eating in children, there are different causes such as:

Handling Tips for Picky Eating Children

If mothers are wondering 'What should I supplement for picky eaters?' and 'How can I help my child overcome picky eating, gain weight quickly?' then don't overlook the useful tips below.

Milk for Picky Eaters

For children with picky eating, mothers should prioritize choosing a type of milk suitable for their condition. Doing so not only ensures adequate nutrient intake but also helps children digest better and eat more:

• Supplementing complete nutrients helps prevent children from slow weight gain, weakness, malnutrition.
• Supplementing additional B-group vitamins, nutrients (Zinc, prebiotics,…) supports digestion, stimulates children's appetite and makes them eat better.

When choosing milk for picky eaters with slow weight gain, mothers need to pay attention to:

• Milk should have digestive enhancement components for children such as B-group vitamins, Zinc, Iron, fiber, Bifidus prebiotics (Oligosaccharides, GOS), BB536 probiotics,…
• Milk suitable for the child's age to meet their nutritional needs.
• Milk from reputable brands and purchased from official distributors to ensure quality, safety, and effectiveness when used for children.

Morinaga is a type of milk originating from Japan that helps effectively improve picky eating in children. This type of milk is currently favored and loved by many mothers, known as The 'cool' vegetable milk line for babies. Because, Morinaga is researched to supplement many digestive health enhancement components, stimulate babies to eat well such as:

• Bifidus prebiotics (Lactose, Raffinose, Duphalac, GOS)
• Nearly 3 billion Bifidobacterium longum BB536 probiotics/100g
• B-group vitamins
• Iron
• Zinc
• Calcium,…

In addition, Morinaga also offers 3 types of milk suitable for each age group of children such as Hagukumi (for children 0-6 months), Chilmil (for children 6-36 months), Kodomil (for children over 3 years old).

Morinaga milk helps me eat well, be healthy, and grow taller

What should children with picky eating supplement? 4 types of essential vitamins, minerals 

The body lacking essential vitamins, minerals, such as B-group vitamins, Zinc, Lysine, Calcium also makes children picky, bored with eating. Therefore, mothers should take their children for nutritional check-ups to determine which nutrients the child is deficient in and supplement them in a timely, correct manner, and in the appropriate dosage as prescribed by the doctor.

Below are the roles and ways to supplement these vitamins and minerals for children that mothers can refer to:

1 – Zinc: Zinc participates in enzyme metabolism and the formation of intestinal mucosal cells. A deficiency in this nutrient can make children irritable, prone to digestive and respiratory diseases,… Mothers can supplement Zinc for picky eaters through foods such as oysters, shrimp, crab, cereals, chicken, or use functional foods containing organic Zinc.

2 – Calcium: Calcium acts as a catalyst to speed up the metabolism, nutrient absorption, helping children feel hungry and crave food. To supplement Calcium, mothers should add foods such as yogurt, cheese, cereals, nuts, green leafy vegetables to the child's daily diet. Alternatively, mothers can choose functional foods containing organic Calcium accompanied by D3, K2 (to increase Calcium absorption).

3 – Lysine: Lysine is an essential amino acid that stimulates digestive enzymes, helping children eat deliciously, enhance metabolism, and nutrient absorption. The body cannot synthesize Lysine on its own, and when lacking this nutrient, children are prone to picky eating, being underweight, and slow growth. Mothers can supplement Lysine for children through breast milk or Lysine-rich foods such as eggs, beef, shrimp, fish, lentils, soybeans, tomatoes,…

4 – B-group Vitamins: Supplementing B-group vitamins (B1, B6, B9, B12) is essential to help children overcome picky eating. The following information will help mothers understand more about the benefits and ways to supplement these types of B-group vitamins:

• • Vitamin B1: This vitamin stimulates the production of digestive enzymes, enhances energy metabolism, increases appetite. Mothers should increase foods containing vitamin B1 in their child's diet such as whole grain cereals (rice, corn, beans), spinach, Swiss chard, pumpkin, eggplant, lean meat, fish, shrimp,…

• Vitamin B6: This vitamin participates in the formation of digestive enzymes, plays an important role in the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Supplementing vitamin B6 helps children improve nutrient absorption, good digestion, and reduces bloating. Foods rich in vitamin B6 that mothers should give their children include salmon, tuna, beef, chicken breast, carrots, broccoli, avocado, banana, beans, liver,…

• • Vitamin B9: This vitamin has a positive impact on the mood and emotions of children. Adequate supplementation of vitamin B9 helps children stay cheerful, comfortable, and prevents psychological picky eating. Foods rich in vitamin B9 that mothers should add to their child's diet include spinach, broccoli, lentils, lima beans, soybeans, bananas, chicken eggs, pork liver,…

• Vitamin B12: This vitamin helps boost digestive enzyme production and nourish beneficial bacteria in the intestines, thereby improving picky eating in children. A list of vitamin B12-rich foods for picky eaters includes animal liver, clams, mackerel, tuna, eggs, beef,…

Scientific Meal Plan for Picky Eaters 

One of the important measures to help children improve picky eating is to ensure their daily diet is scientific and full of nutrients. When creating a meal plan for picky eaters, mothers need to adhere to the following principles:

• • Complete 4 main food groups: The child's diet should include foods rich in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
  • Balance the proportion of 4 food groups: Mothers need to balance the ratio of nutrients, for example, protein-rich foods, fats should include both animal and plant sources.
  • Meet energy needs adequately: Mothers should calculate and estimate the calorie amount from foods to ensure meeting the child's daily energy needs. According to recommendations, the energy requirements for children are as follows: 1200Kcal/day (for children aged 1-3 years), 1500Kcal/day (for children aged 4-6 years), 1850Kcal/day (for children aged 7-9 years).

• Diverse Preparation, Beautiful Decoration: Mothers should frequently change cooking methods, avoid repeating the same dish too often, decorate meals in cute shapes to stimulate curiosity, make children feel comfortable, interested in eating, and eat more. 

• Choose Suitable Ingredients: Mothers should prioritize soft, easily digestible foods, limit hard-to-digest, low-energy foods.

Cultivating Eating Habits for Children

Developing healthy eating habits is also a great tip to help children overcome picky eating. Here are some things mothers should pay attention to and modify:

• Mothers should divide the meal into 5-6 small portions throughout the day to make it easier for children to digest. Meals should be spaced 3 to 4 hours apart, and only water should be given during that time.
• Mothers should encourage children to sit at the table until both 'mom' and 'dad' are full; a child who learns to sit patiently may eat better.
• Mothers should instill in children the habit of eating on time; a meal should not last more than 30 minutes, even if the child has not eaten enough.
• Mothers should praise when children eat on their own and should not set a fixed amount of food as a benchmark to force them to eat enough or prevent them from overeating.
• Mothers should not force children to eat, should not threaten, but instead encourage and create a comfortable, cheerful atmosphere for children during meals.
• Mothers should not allow children to watch TV, use phones, or play with toys while eating, as these activities distract children from eating.
• Mothers should not bribe children by saying they can have something if they finish their meal; instead, they should praise and encourage them.
• Mothers should not let children eat snacks before main meals; this will reduce their hunger and appetite.

Using Medicine for Picky Eaters

Medications for picky eaters are often used in cases of prolonged picky eating due to illness. Mothers should not use medication without consulting medical professionals when children show signs of picky eating but should take them to healthcare facilities for examination. At that time, the doctor will accurately diagnose what illness is causing the child's lack of appetite and prescribe specialized medications.

For example, in cases of respiratory infections, gastrointestinal infections, antibiotics should be used; in cases of oral thrush, antifungal medications are necessary,…Surely, mothers have heard of the serious consequences of antibiotic abuse and the side effects of medications; therefore, use medications as directed by qualified individuals.

Additionally, mothers need to avoid confusion between medicine and dietary supplements (also known as health supplements). Some types of syrups for picky eaters or delicious food supplements for children often seen on the market are mostly dietary supplements. The use of these products should also be consulted with a doctor, following the manufacturer's instructions to ensure effectiveness and safety for children, avoiding misuse that could lead to loss of money and harm.

Thus, the article has helped mothers understand the reasons behind picky eating and proposed useful tips to improve this condition. Hopefully, through this, mothers can find ways to help their children overcome picky eating, gain weight quickly, and develop comprehensively. If mothers need detailed advice on all matters related to their child's health and nutrition, please contact the experts directly via the hotline 0916 434 429.

• What to Do When Your Child is a Picky Eater?
• Two Basic Rules Mothers Should Know to Improve a Child's Picky Eating
• Parenting Mistakes That Cause Picky Eating in Children