Little Bites Big Steps December Newsletter 2025

Picky Eating Or Something More?

All children go through phases with food—but not all feeding challenges are created equal. It’s important to know when a child is simply “picky”… and when there may be deeper feeding, sensory, or oral-motor issues that need support.

Picky Eating Or Something More?

What is Picky Eating?

Picky eating is usually behavioral and developmental.
Children may:

  • Prefer a small number of favorite foods

  • Reject foods based on smell, taste, or appearance

  • Go through phases of refusing foods they once liked

  • Eat less during growth-plateau periods

  • Want control and predictability

    Picky eaters still:

  • Show curiosity with food

  • Can tolerate seeing and touching new foods

  • Eat at least one item from each food group

  • Maintain healthy growth and weight

When It’s More Than Picky Eating

This is where feeding difficulties may indicate an underlying problem — medical, sensory, motor, or psychological.

Red flags include:

  • Gagging or vomiting around certain textures

  • Avoidance of entire food categories

  • Extreme sensitivity to smell or sight of food

  • Weight loss, slow growth, or nutritional gaps

  • Only eats very smooth or specific textures

  • Takes excessively long to eat

  • Difficulty chewing or pocketing food in cheeks

  • History of reflux, aspiration, or choking events

  • Refuses foods not just at home—but everywhere

Children with oral-motor delays, sensory processing differences, reflux, swallowing disorders, or feeding trauma may fit this category.

When To Intervene?

You should seek feeding support if a child:

  • Has fewer than 12 accepted foods

  • Eats only one texture (crunchy, pureed, etc.)

  • Avoids chewing

  • Has frequent coughing or choking with foods

  • Cries or panics when presented with new foods

  • Has a stressful relationship with mealtime

  • Is not gaining weight appropriately

  • Has a history of prematurity or medical complications

  • Shows signs of swallowing difficulty

Early intervention is key — delays in feeding can lead to long-term eating challenges, oral aversion, or nutritional deficits.

How We Help

At the Cleveland Feeding & Swallowing Center and the Star Center Foundation, we:

  • Assess sensory responses to food

  • Evaluate chewing and swallowing function

  • Explore food curiosity without pressure

  • Use playful exposure and modeling

  • Build safe eating experiences

  • Coach parents through every step

  • Promote confidence and adventure at the table

For some children, it’s not about won’t eat — it’s about can’t eat comfortably.

A Parent’s Reminder

You didn’t cause this.
Your child isn’t “being difficult.”
And they are not alone.

Every child can grow into a joyful, confident eater — with the right tools, support, and compassionate guidance.

Want to Learn More?

If you would like resources, a conversation, or support for your child’s eating journey, please reach out:


Cleveland Feeding & Swallowing Center / Star Center Foundation
835 Sharon Dr, Suite 280, Westlake, OH 44145
216-320-2456
starcenterfoundation.org