Giving kids more choices and control around what they can eat may help mitigate the stress of running out of their favorites. Offer two options for snack time and let them decide, Dr. Rowell suggested. Ask older kids to help you write up or decorate a meal plan for the week and be in charge of picking which fruit or side dish goes best with your main meal. Many picky eaters enjoy getting more involved in cooking, and may surprise you by tasting new foods in the process, though they may still decline to touch it once their dinner reaches the table.
If you have a child with food allergies, medical dietary restrictions or an extremely limited palate, it’s important to stock up on their safe foods when you can. Ask your grocer when the store is expecting a shipment, order online or reach out to neighborhood friends who may have some to share. (Online, the Mealtime Hostage Facebook Group is a great place to brainstorm and share resources with fellow parents of limited eaters.) Stock up on yogurt tubes, baby food pouches or electrolyte drinks if your child will eat those and you’re worried about simply getting enough calories in.
“Assess your child’s anxiety and let that be your guide,” Dr. Rowell said. Refrain from pushing your child to take bites, which will only increase her worry. And try to maintain a meal and snack schedule both because kids thrive on routine and because this will give them time to get hungry for meals. But get creative about what that looks like for your cautious eaters; you may need to ease any anxiety around unfamiliar foods by letting them eat while reading a book or watching a screen.
If your family is grazing without a clear schedule on some days, don’t stress about that either. “Being a ‘responsive’ parent and feeder means looking at each situation and going with what works,” Dr. Rowell said. “If you’re crying in the bathroom while your kids eat Goldfish in front of ‘Dora,’ but that keeps you sane right now, go for it.”
How can we help food-insecure families?
This is the true food fear of the pandemic: How many families will struggle to have enough to eat, period? More than 11 percent of American households qualify as “food insecure,” according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s 2019 report, including 2.7 million households with children. Experts don’t yet know how that number will climb in response to coronavirus, but it’s safe to say it will, said Rachel Cahill, an anti-hunger advocate who works with state and national organizations in Ohio. “We’re already seeing lay-offs in many industries with low-wage workers, many of whom may not qualify for unemployment benefits.”
Although the Families First Coronavirus Response Bill includes certain protections for those receiving benefits from the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), the risks of food insecurity are nevertheless magnified for families who were already struggling. “Low-income families certainly cannot stockpile food,” Cahill said. “Even if we’re keeping their SNAP benefits and making sure schools distribute free breakfasts and lunches, that still won’t get them to a place of having excess.”
Emergency food banks will work to fill the gap short-term for most families. (Enter your zip code at feedingamerica.org to find one near you.) If you’re able, consider volunteering with your local food bank or school district distributing breakfasts and lunches.
