Picky Eating Around the Holidays: 5 Tips to Help Your Family Through the Holiday Season

The holiday season is approaching! For many of us, this comes with feelings of excitement and anticipation. But for others, this season may come with significant feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. Consistent schedules are often challenging to maintain; unfamiliar food items are provided during family meals, and sugary treats are in abundance. This, along with travel to unfamiliar destinations and increased exposure to noisy environments, can be very overwhelming.  

Here are five tips to help your family navigate feeding during the holiday season.

1. Attempt to keep changes as minimal as possible: 

Holidays often come with travel, schedule changes, unfamiliar foods, and new environments. Plan and consider which events are most important to your family and try to attend only a few, if possible. Keep your child's meal times the same, even if it differs from the scheduled holiday meal. Provide your child with preferred foods at mealtimes. During special holiday meals, have your child sit at the table with the rest of the family and offer at least one preferred food item from the table, even if your child eats ahead of time. If traveling, attempt to make very gradual changes to your child's schedule, and bring some familiar utensils and plates from your home. Remember, it is okay to stick with your established mealtime routine; other family members can be flexible and join in with you! 

2. Prepare your child in advance for any upcoming changes or new experiences:

Around two weeks before the big holiday event, begin to discuss your family's plans with your child. You can also create a visual schedule or provide pictures of family members and friends to help them better understand the upcoming changes. Practice exposing your child to typical holiday foods that may be provided at the holiday event. Your child does not have to eat or even touch these food items! Simply providing exposure through sight and smell is beneficial. 

3. Feed your child before the major holiday event

As previously stated, it is ok to feed your child a protein-heavy, balanced meal or snack before the holiday event to prevent power struggles. Include your child at the table during the holiday event by providing them with one food from the table you think they may eat or show interest in without the expectation that they will eat it. 

4. Limit sugary foods: 

Increased consumption of sweets will suppress the appetite and lead to the under-consumption of nutritious foods. This can result in increased cravings for more sugary snacks and increased difficulty adapting to change. Try allowing your child to pick one or two sweet treats to enjoy during the holiday event. Pick one meal when your child may have their sweet treat and always follow through by providing the sweet treat at the agreed-upon time. 

5. Provide your child with breaks.

Create a plan for your child if he or she becomes overwhelmed by new environments and experiences. Have a designated safe space for your child if they need a break. Pack a small bag of familiar calming items such as headphones, stuffed animals, preferred snacks, or fidgets.

The holidays can be challenging to navigate, but with small changes and added support, they can be enjoyable for your entire family!

Works Cited 

Toomey, Kay. "Surviving the Holidays with a Picky Eater." 2013