Thanksgiving and Picky Eating

​Turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing… You may be thinking yum! But your picky eater may be thinking YUCK! Thanksgiving can be a hard day for many of our picky eaters. Thanksgiving comes with lots of smells, tastes, and family members that we don’t usually experience on a regular basis. This can lead to sensory overload and leave our picky eaters hungry and overwhelmed.
 
Here are some tips for having a successful Thanksgiving dinner with your picky eater:

• Try and participate in sensory activities that are calming or regulating before heading to your dinner or sitting at the table. Playing with water and heavy work are examples of sensory activities that children can find calming.
• Make a plan with your child. If they are feeling overwhelmed, they can move their plate away from them without removing themselves from the table. If they need to leave the table, make a plan for what they can do if they leave the table.
• Make sure to talk about the property of foods rather than calling them “yummy” or “yucky.” Talk about how a food is crunchy or chewy, sweet or salty, or how it compares to another food they’ve tried.
• Make sure there is something that your child will eat at the meal. Encourage everyone at the table to put some of their food on their own plate to help your child feel included in the meal. In turn, encourage your child to put some foods on their plate without pressure to eat it if they aren’t ready. Remember! Foods don’t have wheels (usually), so new or non-preferred foods can wait in their spot on the plate without touching preferred foods.
• And more importantly: meals should be fun! Try not to pressure your picky eater to eat foods that are new or non-preferred if they aren’t ready. Remember! Adrenaline dampens appetite so if your picky eater is feeling worried or excited, they may not be feeling very hungry.

 
Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving from the A2 Therapy Works Team!