Red, White, and Picky

Holidays can be extra stressful for picky eaters. Expectations are high, distractions abound, and non-preferred foods line the table.

You just want it to be a nice day with family, but when you sit down to eat, the anxiety and tantrums you experience each day at meal time with your picky eater begin. But this time its in front of family and friends. You leave the BBQ feeling like a failure and your picky eater’s feelings are in shambles (not to mention on empty tummy to make it even worse). This is not the kind of memory you want your child to look back on years from now.

As feeding therapists, we feel endless compassion for the struggle of picky eaters and their families. We often remind families that picky eating is typically not rooted in behavior – its often something going on in the body. Jaw difficulty, swallowing and sensory needs can often look like being stubborn when there is actually much more going on.

We know that emotions are heightened on holidays. That’s why we want to share our time proven tips to make your holiday day go as smoothly as possible. Let’s make this the best 4th of July ever!

Slowly introduce 4th of July foods into family meals

As soon as you can begin introducing some of the typical 4th of July foods, the sooner your child can feel comfortable around them. Even just having them at the table and seeing and smelling them is great exposure. They’ll start to make the connection between family meals and holiday spreads.

Main Courses

Grilled meat like hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, chicken, steak

Side Dishes

Potato salad
Coleslaw
Pasta salad
Corn on the cob
Watermelon
Baked beans
Deviled eggs
Mac and cheese
Grilled vegetables served skewers
Cornbread

Desserts

Fruit pies like apple pie and blueberry
Strawberry shortcake
Ice cream

On the day, pack a lunch with preferred foods - and remember that meat may not be safe if your child has any kind of jaw weakness

There’s no need to make the 4th a day to try something new. Let your child make positive memories about spending time with family and friends by bringing their preferred foods to have for lunch/dinner. Remember that your child may not have the ability to safely chew meat, so forcing them to eat from the grill can also be dangerous.

Use dips

Dips are a great way to mask flavors and vary a diet. BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard – condiments and dips can be so fun and exciting!

Contextualize and craft

Help your child understand why we celebrate and come together by making a craft and sharing fun facts like:

The 4th of July is the day we celebrate our country’s independence from Britain.
The original Declaration of Independence was signed on July 2, 1776 but the final version was adopted on July 4, 1776.
There are about 14,000 professional fireworks displays every 4th of July in the United States.
Americans love to celebrate this day with BBQs and hot dog eating contests. 155 million hot dogs are eaten on this day in the United States.

Here’s a cute craft you can make too!

Grill together

Even if your child isn’t a meat/veggie lover, exposing them to the smells and sounds from the grill can be a great way to teach them about cooking. Showing them the artistry in waiting for the perfect temperature and color is a really unique way to involve them in the process.

Relax, enjoy the fireworks, and shut out the extra noise

Don’t let family/friends give you grief for accommodating your picky eater. More damage is done through force feeding and shame than creating a safe space from them to eat. You know what’s right for them.

To reiterate, picky eating is almost never behavioral. More often than not there is something going on with your child’s ability to chew, swallow, and handle certain textures. Usually picky eaters need a little more help than a loving parent alone can provide. We hope you’ll give us a call to learn more about our services. As your teammate, we’ll never force-feed your child, make them feel uncomfortable, or leave you out of the process. We’ll help you get to the root of their picky eating and make lasting changes to diet and mealtimes.

Written by: Jane Wright
Marketing Manager