When New Means No: Picky Eating as a Normal Toddler Phase.

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Parents can help children navigate it by avoiding a battle of wills.

'It’s normal for toddlers to go through a picky eating phase, but experts say parents can help them learn to handle new sensations and avoid a battle of wills.

Hildy S. Lipner, chief of pediatric speech pathology at Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, N.J., said that by the time she sees children with picky eating problems, they are usually between 18 months and 3 years old and already have their patterns well established. And while those patterns reflect children’s different temperaments, they may also go back to the way parents and children navigated that normally picky toddler phase.

Establishing Habits
So at 6 months or so, which is when the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing solid foods into a baby’s diet, parents should be aware that babies are already establishing habits. “The best time to transition kids as you go up the textural pyramid is when their oral motor development is ready for the next transition,” Ms. Lipner said.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/04/well/family/picky-eaters-toddlers-parenting.html?