“Like many moms, you’ve probably had your patience tested at the dinner table by kids who like a certain meal one week and don’t the next.”

About 30 – 50% of parents of preschoolers describe their child as a picky eater!

And a new study from NTNU shows that 1 in 4 kindergarten children has such quirky food preferences that researchers classify them as picky eaters.

This is a problem A LOT of parents face.

Among us, there are a few lucky parents whose children eat well-balanced meals every meal, every day. The majority of us struggle with picky eaters, food refusals, busy schedules or a combination of all three. We might get a well-balanced meal a few times a week, but every day is a pipe dream!

I don’t think anyone necessarily outgrows being a picky eater. But for our kids, since we’re making all their food choices for them, and we feel responsible for their diet, we keep hitting the wall with their preferences. It can be frustrating, but it’s also important to acknowledge that we may not be able to change them quickly.

In this section we’ll dive into some of the main struggles you're dealing with as well as a solution to one of the biggest issues you face: making sure your finicky eater gets all the nutrients they need!

Here are some of the main struggles you are most likely facing:

 

Picky eating can lead to an unhealthy or possibly inadequate diet

Picky eaters consume a smaller range of food items than non picky eaters and have lower diversity and variety in their diet. In turn, this can result in being underweight and having poor growth or in being overweight, having gastrointestinal disorders, or developing eating disorders.

It’s obvious that none of those are ideal. We all want our kids to be as healthy as possible and we know that diet is one of the biggest factors to their overall well being but when they refuse to eat half the foods you give them, things can be tough.

 

Knowing how much they need to eat

The natural concern is if your picky eater is actually eating enough. It can be hard because the foods they actually do like, things like buttered bread & fruit snacks, aren’t necessarily the most nutritious so giving your child these foods in abundance is never the best idea.

The main thing you can watch for is their weight. If your child is gaining weight well and has plenty of energy, that’s a good sign that they’re getting enough food.

 

Here’s an additional 20 struggles you can probably relate to:

[written by Mike Spohr of BuzzFeed]

This list was so real we had to share!

1. Having to make your kid the same boring-ass meal day after day after day.

2. Being excited when your kid announces that they like a new food, only to be told, "I changed my mind."

3. The pit in your stomach when you think about how many fruit snacks your kid consumes on a daily basis.

4. Also, the pit in your stomach when you picture your kid as a 40-year-old who eats buttered white bread for every meal.

5. Trying to act natural when you serve your kid a meal you've made with "hidden vegetables."

6. Always having to make sure the food on your kid's plate never, ever touches.

7. Gaining weight because you're always finishing off your kid’s leftovers.

8. Keeping your cool after your kid begs you to make them something, then takes only two tiny bites.

9. Searching Pinterest for help only to find suggestions that you turn your kid's dinner into elaborate food art.

10. Being treated like the meanest parent in the world for trying to get your kid to try one lousy bite.

11. Listening to your mom tell your kid that you used to be a picky eater too, basically undermining everything you’ve done to get them to eat.

12. Also, listening to your parents gloat because they somehow got your kid to eat something new at their house.

13. The feeling of despair as you prepare a meal you know damn well your kid isn’t going to eat.

14. Trying not to injure yourself rolling your eyes when you see all of the “Turn Your Picky Eater Into a Foodie!” articles.

15. Trying to understand how your kid can like peanut butter but not peanuts, spaghetti sauce but not tomatoes, and strawberry ice cream but not strawberries.

16. Going to dinner with another family and watching their kid eat something sophisticated while your kid eats plain pasta.

17. Lying about the ingredients in the new meal you're preparing when your kid suddenly wanders into the kitchen.

18. Listening to your kid negotiate how many bites of dinner they have to take before they can have dessert.

19. Having to “Frankenstein" a meal your kid deems inedible.

20. Resisting the urge to do bodily harm to people who insist on judging you because your kid won’t eat.


As you can see there are many parents trying their best to deal with the daunting task that is feeding a picky eater.

Now, if your kid is eating a really limited diet and isn’t supplementing with a daily multivitamin you really should consider getting them one!

A multivitamin is an incredible way to make sure your child is still getting the daily nutrition they need for growth and development.

What we’ve found is that most parents have the same common questions when it comes to a multivitamin so let’s answer a couple of those here:

If my kids don't eat fruits and vegetables or seem to pick at everything I give them, then a multivitamin will help make sure they get the nutrition they need, right?

A daily multivitamin can indeed be good nutrition insurance against missing out on important nutrients, like iron, vitamin D, and calcium. Depending on which gaps in your child's diet you need to fill, you could give him a gummy vitamin, chewable multi-vitamin, or vitamin to simply get extra vitamin D.

What do you do when your picky eater is so picky that he won't even take a daily vitamin?

It may come as a surprise to some, but there are kids who think that chewable vitamins are too chalky and who won't even touch a gummy vitamin. I recognized that problem and it was the driving force in developing 24Hr Health Daily Kid’s Multi-Vitamin.

We found the most convenient way for kids to take daily multi-vitamins is in spray form!

It is a new, fun, and tasty way for your kids to take their vitamins!

Our unique, convenient spray is not only more convenient but offers better absorption vs. traditional pills and capsules.

Click over to our website to check out our product:

https://24hrhealth.net/collections/all-products/products/kids-daily-multi-vitamin

No more forcing your kids to take multiple capsules and pills!