How to Help a Picky-Eater Child, According to a Paediatric Specialist
Facing a child who is a very picky eater can be a major challenge for parents. Worries about insufficient nutrient intake often lead to pressure at mealtimes, which can backfire. Paediatric specialist Dr. Ian Suryadi Suteja shared practical tips for parents to tackle this habit without stress. The key lies in texture exposure and a staged method called the sensory food hierarchy.
During a health discussion in Jakarta on Friday, 6 March 2026, Dr. Ian urged parents to utilise sensory play. This method involves exposing children to a range of food textures to train their sensory awareness.
“Let’s first address the picky eater,” he said. “You could start with sensory play with various textures of foods. There are endless ideas for sensory play every day. Then you can learn about the sensory food hierarchy.”
Implementing the sensory food hierarchy helps children recognise foods through different interaction stages that are not coercive. The doctor, who graduated from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), said parents can begin by placing foods their child dislikes on the plate every day. The aim is to get the child used to seeing the foods without pressure to eat them. In this process, children typically go through several phases:
“If a child is a picky eater and refuses meat completely, every day you should include meat on the plate. Tell the child to look at it repeatedly; it’s fine if they don’t want to eat it—the important thing is to keep it there daily. Gradually the child will become used to seeing it and will become curious,” he said.
Besides habit, Dr. Ian also suggested parents ensure whether the child has a dairy allergy. This is often found in children prone to picky eating. He said many parents claim their child is allergic to cow’s milk, but medical examinations show no such allergy. However, high-calorie milk that is often needed by children who struggle to eat usually contains dairy protein.
To verify this, Dr. Ian shared a self-observation method for parents: Always consult your child’s health condition with a paediatric specialist to obtain an accurate diagnosis and appropriate nutritional management.
A picky eater child only likes one or a few types of food, potentially causing unbalanced nutrition during fasting periods. The term picky eater (selecting foods) refers to a condition where the child only eats monotonous foods, raising concerns about deficiencies if continued. For example, a child may prefer a daily rice-and-egg menu without fruits or vegetables. In terms of carbohydrates and protein, those nutrients may be met, but vitamins and minerals could be lacking.
The first step parents can take is to understand why their child becomes a picky eater. The phenomenon of picky eating can have negative impacts on growth and development.