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The food jag survival kit

How to handle a one-food-or-nothing child -- and yourself

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Originally published in Today's Parent December 2007

For a laid-back mom like me, it was no big deal when my three-year-old suddenly demanded oats soaked in apple juice for dinner. Weird choice. But why not? Unfortunately that was the only thing David would eat — every night for a month. You can imagine how excited I was when he finally agreed to try a peanut butter sandwich instead. But my joy was short-lived. All that sandwich accomplished was to jump-start David’s next food jag.

Did I worry? You better believe it. Because David was shorter than his friends, I was frightened his eating habits were affecting his long-term growth. I also found it hard to deal with the unsolicited comments like: “I’m so glad Erin isn’t picky like David. She just adores calamari and Caesar salad.” Hearing about a three-year-old with a gourmet palate might be funny under different circumstances. But if David continued to eat this way, would he be invited to birthday parties, or even over to a friend’s house for lunch?

I wish I’d known then what I know now — because according to Robert Issenman, president of the Canadian Paediatric Society, food jags are quite common in the under-five set. A food jag is an eating pattern in young children, and most little ones will gravitate toward a certain food at some point during childhood. Although a food jag can last anywhere from a few days to several years, Issenman assures us that healthy children will eat and drink what their bodies require. “They’re remarkably resilient and can get by for a long time on a very narrow range of food choices.”

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