Picky Eating Quiz

1. A good source of protein is all of these, EXCEPT: Soy beans Chicken Strawberries Eggs

The correct answer is C strawberries. Although fruit is a good source of vitamins, sugar, and fiber, most fruits don’t contain a lot of protein. The other three choices are good sources of protein.

2. A good way to handle normal picky eating is to: Avoid introducing new foods to your child Put new foods on the table but don’t insist your child try them Force feed small amounts of the new food to your child Pick new foods that are very different from the ones your child likes

The correct answer is B. Put new foods on the table but don’t insist your child try them. Just having them on the table and getting used to the sight and smell, seeing others enjoy them, but without getting into a power struggle, might increase the child’s willingness to give them a try. If you avoid introducing new foods altogether, your child will never expand his food repertoire. You should not force feed your child; it could be dangerous, and is likely to make his picky eating worse. And when picking new foods to try, if you pick foods similar to what you know he likes, they will have a better chance of being accepted.

3. If your child has a tantrum when you introduce a new food, what should you do?A. Quickly take away the new foodB. Make him smell the new foodC. Insist that he eat a regular portion of the new food before he gets a reinforcerD. Ignore the tantrum and leave the new food on the table

The correct answer is D: you want to stay calm and ignore the tantrum, but not give into it by removing the new food. Just leave the new food on the table but not next to the child, and have him see adults enjoying the food. (A) would be reinforcing the tantrum, (B) is likely to make him even more upset, (C) is also going to make him more upset, and could easily turn into a power struggle or even a physical struggle.

4. Which child is probably NOT ready to start working on increasing the variety of foods he or she will eat? Johnny is 3 and will try small bites of some of the things his mother offers him Susie is 2 and has not yet learned to request what she wants by pointing, signing, or using Picture Exchange Communication System; she just cries Max is 3 and can request what he wants by pointing but only says a few words Rachel is 4 and can request most things she wants by naming them

The correct answer is B. Since Susie can’t really communicate yet, it would be more important to work on teaching her to request using a point than to work on expanding her food repertoire. Teaching her to point to her favorite foods, and then giving them to her, is a very good way to work on this. Since Johnny is already willing to try small bites of new food, he can work on expanding his food choices (but it is not probably not necessary to work on this using behavioral methods). Max and Rachel both have means of requesting specific things, so they may be ready to work on increasing the variety of foods they will eat.

5. Which statement is true about picking a new food to work on? Pick a food that is very different from the things the child already eats Pick a strong smelling vegetable like asparagus rather than a bland fruit like an apple, to get his attention Avoid putting sugar or sweet sauces on the new food because once the child tastes the sweetened food, he will never accept it any other way Pick something similar to what you know the child already likes

The correct answer is D. Pick something similar to what you know the child already likes. That way, it’s likely to have the sensory qualities he enjoys, like warm, spicy, sweet, salty, crunchy, or soft. (A) Picking a food that is very different from the foods he likes to eat, is not likely to work well. In fact, the more different the food is from things a child likes, the less likely he will be to try it. (B) Picking a strong smelling vegetable is less likely to work than picking something sweeter and less strong smelling. (C) Although we certainly don’t advocate feeding children a lot of sugar, sometimes putting a little bit of sugar or a sweet or savory sauce on a new food will help to make it more acceptable to a child. Once the child gets used to it, you can very gradually decrease the amount of sugar or sauce you add each time you serve that food until your child is eating the food without any added sugar or sauce.

6. The best time to have a special learning session to work on accepting a new food might be: Right after lunch because he’s in an eating mode To let him go without lunch and then have a learning session just before dinner Just before his usual mid-morning snack At bedtime when he’s usually calm

The correct answer is C. Just before his usual mid-morning snack. That way, he will be a little bit hungry and ready to eat, and therefore more motivated to try the new food. (A) Right after lunch, would not be a good time, because he will be full and have limited interest in eating any more. (B) Letting him go without lunch is not a good idea. You should never deprive your child of his meals. And that won’t work anyway because, by dinner time, he will be very uncomfortable and very cranky, and that would be a bad time to learn anything. (D) Working on expanding food choices at bedtime would also not be a good idea. You want bedtime to be calm and pleasant, and you don’t want to interrupt your child’s bedtime routines. Bedtime routines should be a time for relaxing and loving interaction with your child.

7. If your child has a problem with stuffing too much food in his mouth, you should Just ignore it Prompt him to take one bite of food and then put his hands in his lap until he has chewed and swallowed. Give him only liquids or pureed food and let him take as much as he wants Only let him eat finger foods and not use a fork or spoon

The correct answer is B. Prompt him to take one bite at a time and then wait for more until he has chewed and swallowed. (A) Ignoring the behavior is not a good idea, because stuffing too much food can be a choking hazard. (C) Feeding your child only liquids or pureed food is also not a very good idea. You want to expand your child’s food repertoire, not limit it; and he won’t be learning not to stuff solid foods if he has no opportunities to practice eating properly. (D) Eating only finger foods will not necessarily prevent stuffing. You can work on teaching your child to take small bites and chew his food thoroughly whether your child feeds himself mainly finger foods, or uses a fork or a spoon.

8. Which statement about picky eating is most true? If your child is a picky eater, you should introduce many new foods at once so you can find one your child likes. Insist the child eat regular portions of new foods. You won’t need to reinforce eating new foods; they will be their own reward. This can be a challenging problem. Go slow, be patient, and give yourself and your child lots of pats on the back!

(A) Introducing many new foods at once, is not a good choice. If your child is a picky eater, introducing many new foods is likely to just make him more resistant. Pick one or two and work on these for a while, so that they become familiar to your child. (B) Insisting the child eat regular portions of new foods, is also not a good idea. Start by encouraging the child to eat only very, very small portions, like one pea or one raisin, and build up from there, very slowly. (C) New foods will not necessarily be rewarding to the child. In some cases, eating a new food might even be a little unpleasant to the child. Giving him a few minutes of play with bubbles or another preferred activity, or giving him a really favorite treat, may be necessary to reinforce the behavior of trying new foods. D is the correct answer. Encouraging picky eaters to accept a greater variety of foods can indeed be a challenge. Go slow, be patient, be generous to your child with your praise and other reinforcers, and be proud of yourself for any success and even for patient efforts!

Next: Module 8: Toilet Training