Ask the Horizons Team: “How do I get my child to eat mac & cheese again?”

Question:

My son used to eat macaroni and cheese on a regular basis, a week ago he refused to eat it and now says he doesn’t like it anymore.  He has a rather limited range of foods and now he won’t eat macaroni and cheese anymore.  How do I get him to eat it?

-Dave in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Answer:

Hi Dave,

What you are describing is a food jag.  Everyone experiences this at one time or another.  When we eat the same food over and over again we get tired of it and decide we don’t want it anymore.  The difference is in the severity of the jag.  For children with feeding disorders (very limited diets) food jags can be more permanent in nature, meaning it takes a great deal of work and typically feeding therapy to regain foods that are lost.  For children who would be termed picky eaters, meaning they have a range of foods in their diet, but a limited amount regaining lost foods can be a bit easier.  Sometimes by not eating the food for a period of time (a few weeks to a few months) can be enough to help your child want the food again.  If your child has a feeding disorder it may be time to contact a feeding therapist to work on expanding their diets and to work on regaining lost foods.  This issue can be a part of treatment for autism as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Take care,
Erin