Is my picky eater ‘weird’ & specific advice

I hear all sorts of stories when I speak to parents about their child’s eating.

Before working with families, I always spend time talking to one or both parents about what is currently happening. We start by looking at what their child currently eats and what happens around food and feeding.

Frequently, parents are really uncomfortable discussing some aspects of their child’s eating habits and can be concerned that they are unusual or ‘weird’. Much of the time, although their child may not be eating like other competent eaters, what they are doing is quite common.

That strange behaviour or unusual tastes are often also really logical when we look at it through a picky eating lens.

The way our child behaves around food, or the choices they make, can also tell us lots about how they are feeling around eating and even where there may be challenges.

Weird or not so weird things

I am very rarely surprised hearing parents describe eating eccentricities. In fact, things that parents find really weird and often concerning are often traits that are shared with many other picky eaters.

I wanted to go through a few (there are so many) things that I see regularly to give you some perspective if these are…