Picky eating is a nightmare for every parent. Whether your child refuses to eat vegetables, only wants plain white rice & no stew, only wants fried sausage, or insists on eating the same meal every day for a whole year, it can be extremely frustrating and often concerning. Picky eating is common amongst most children’s development, I say most because I have met other people’s children eating their homes empty! They never refuse anything! My experience with this phase was indeed one for the books! Imagine being a homechef but your child turns up their nose at your carefully crafted “child-friendly” healthy meal. Man! All she insisted on eating was white rice and fried sausage or egg, no stew. Any sighting of red stew led to meltdowns or refusal to eat and because I want to keep my sanity, I’d let her have her way. But with patience and the tips below we ascended to local dishes, stews and even VEGETABLES!

Let’s explore the reasons behind picky eating and share practical tips to make mealtimes smoother.

Why Are Children Picky Eaters?

Understanding the reasons behind picky eating can help you respond with patience rather than frustration. Here are a few common causes:

• Developmental Stages: Around the age of two, children become more independent and selective with their food choices. Before the age of two, she’d eat Banku with Okro soup/Stew after she turn 2 the same meal was seen as ‘yucky!’ She became more vocal about what she wanted to eat.

• Sensory Sensitivities: Some children are sensitive to certain textures, colors, or smells, making them resistant to new foods. Can you relate to this? I introduced garden egg stew once and she literally gagged!

• Routine and Familiarity: Children find comfort in routine, and they may prefer familiar foods over new ones..

• Parental Pressure: If children feel forced to eat certain foods, they may resist out of a need for control and boy can they resist!

• Taste Preferences: Most kids after 2 years naturally prefer sweet and salty foods over bitter ones, making vegetables less appealing. That’s why most kids easily take to fried yam/potato fries.

So how can you as a parent handle this frustrating developmental phase?

1. Make Mealtime Enjoyable & Fun

Being frustrated at your child during mealtimes creates a tense atmosphere and can actually make picky eating worse. Keep mealtimes relaxed and pleasant by playing your child’s favourite music or pretending the spoon is a plane or train “Here comes the train..choo..choo!” This makes it enjoyable and makes your child open up instead of hand-over-mouth. Also please try to avoid pressuring your child to eat. Avoid making threats and rather reward them with claps when they complete a portion of the meal.

2. Offer a Variety Without Force

Expose your child to different foods, but don’t force them to eat. Offer a mix of familiar and new foods on their plate and allow them to explore at their own pace. I’d place different fruits in a plate and we’d talk about them and i’d often say “ this is good for your teeth!” focusing on the nutrition benefits for her body. It sometimes works and sometimes it doesn’t. Go with what works.

3. Be a Role Model

Children are more likely to try new foods if they see you and their siblings eating them. Even if they don’t take to it immediately, they build familiarity with those foods and over time are more likely to eat same. Make family meals a time to model healthy eating habits.

4. Make Food Fun

Presentation matters! Cut fruits and vegetables into fun shapes. You can make fruit skewers or fruit balls using scoops, create colorful plates, or arrange food in a playful way to make it more appealing. Pancakes and cookies are great for these fun shapes.

5. Involve Your Child in Cooking

Don’t sack your child from the kitchen like our parents did. Let your child help with meal preparation with child-safe kitchen utensils, whether it’s washing vegetables, stirring or pouring flour into a bowl or picking out ingredients from the supermarket shelf . When children are involved, they feel more invested in what they eat.

6. Serve Small Portions

Large portions can overwhelm picky eaters. Offer small servings and allow them to ask for more if they like it. This helps you to reduce food waste and makes you calmer when you see a cleared up plate.

7. Stick to a Routine

Children thrive on routine. It’s better to serve meals and snacks at consistent times instead of random times in a day. This helps to regulate their appetite and reduce unnecessary snacking before mealtimes.

8. Avoid Food Battles

Forcing a child to eat can create negative associations with food. Instead of arguing, simply remove uneaten food without making a fuss and try again at the next meal. If they’ve eaten enough just be okay with that.

9. Introduce New Foods Gradually

If your child dislikes a certain food, keep offering it in different ways over time. It can take multiple exposures before they accept it. You can blend new fruits into popsicles or add to a milkshake. Children never say no to Popsicle in my opinion..

10. Limit Distractions

Avoid all kinds of screens (TV included) and toys during meals to help children focus on eating. Turn off the TV, keep toys off the dining table and create a calm setting which encourages better eating habits.

When to Seek Professional Help

While picky eating is normal, extreme cases may require immediate expert guidance. If your child:

• Refuses entire food groups. They don’t eat any of the food groups listed below.

• Is losing weight or not growing properly

• Has anxiety around food

• Has ongoing digestive issues

Consider consulting a pediatrician or nutritionist for support.

Picky eating is a phase that most children outgrow with time and patience. By creating a stress-free eating environment, offering variety, and being a good role model, you can help your child develop healthy eating habits..

Here’s a list of the main food groups we have in our Ghanaian diet are:

1. Carbohydrates (Energy-Giving Foods)

These provide the body with energy. Examples include:

• Rice, bread, pasta, and cereals

• Yam, plantain, cassava, and potatoes

• Corn, millet, and sorghum

2. Proteins (Body-Building Foods)

Proteins help with every child’s growth and tissue repair. Examples include:

• Meat, chicken, and fish

• Eggs and dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt)

• Beans, lentils, groundnuts and soy chunk products.

3. Fats and Oils (Energy and Cell Health)