What To Do When Your Child Only Eats Cookies, Crackers, and Candy
Very often, I meet parents of children with autism who tell me their honey’s favorite foods are cookies, crackers, and candy. They wonder how to expand their picky eater’s diet and how to get them to try new foods.
In fact, just the other day, a mom asked me: Is serving junk food better than serving no food? She went on to explain that junk food seems to be all her son will eat.
My answer: It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If your honey’s favorite foods are cookies crackers, and candy, and you’re looking for some ideas on how to expand your child’s diet, this blog post is for you.
Today, I’m walking through a few solutions to this problem.
Avoid letting your child snack their way through the day.
I get it. Your child’s favorite foods are snack foods. However, if you serve them as snack foods frequently throughout the day, your child is going to land in the grazing trap.
Oh, the grazing trap: Once you’re in it, it’s hard to get out. Your child is used to being able to request snacks at any time, and they are used to either getting the snack themselves, or getting a “yes” from you whenever they ask for it.
To get out of the grazing trap as a parent, you’ll need to 1) set a schedule for meals and snacks, 2) set boundaries for snacking between meals, and 3) set the food up where your child can’t access it alone. All of these things can be challenging to do; however, they all go A LONG WAY to helping your child come to the table feeing hungry at mealtimes.
Being hungry at mealtimes is key for your picky eater:
When your child comes to mealtimes feeling hungry, they are more flexible and ready to eat.
Your honey will be more willing to try new things.
Your honey will be able to eat enough to really satisfy their body for an interval of time in which they DON’T need constant snacks.
If your child comes to the table without feeling hungry, they’ll have a few bites and be looking for more to eat before you finish cleaning the kitchen.
Serve the cookies, crackers, and candy alongside other foods your child likes
Taking away your honey’s favorite things is not going to help them like other, healthier foods. So, rather than removing these items from their diet, start by serving these things at meal or snack times alongside other foods. (Bonus: This will also make your child much more interested in coming to the table for a meal!)
Try to make the plate as balanced as possible by having a starch, a fruit or vegetable, and a protein at every meal. This might mean adding cheese and a piece of fruit to your child’s crackers, or placing a cookie or candy alongside their dinner meal.
Expose your child to new foods that are dry and crunchy like crackers and cookies.
Your child has a strong preference for dry foods with a crunch. There may be an underlying medical reason or a skill deficit that explains this. I recommend assessment by a feeding team to rule this out.
It may also be the case that these foods are preferred because they are highly predictable, always taste exactly the same, and let’s be honest, are a little addictive by nature. So, let’s assume that you’ve ruled out any medical concerns and skill issues and simply have a kiddo who loves cookies, crackers, and candy. (Because, who doesn’t?!)
Your next step is to identify some other foods that you can expose your child to that have the same selling points. For example, freeze dried broccoli, okra, and snap peas are dry, crunchy, and salty like crackers. Banana chips and granola are sweet and crunchy like a cookie. Slivered almonds are dry and crunchy, as are plantain chips.
Once you’ve found some not so scary alternatives to your child’s favorites (I find a stroll through Trader Joe’s extremely helpful with this step!), then, start offering these new foods alongside your kiddo’s favorites at mealtimes. These dry crunchy alternatives are great for introducing new variety into your child’s diet without pushing your honey too far outside of their comfort zone.
Extra support for this step:
Here are some ideas to help keep stress low at meals when you present new things.
Here are 5 not-so-scary food changes to help your child try new foods.
In Conclusion
The good news is, kids don’t have to be completely restricted from their favorites in order to expand their diet. Picky eaters who love crackers, cookies, and candy can benefit from a mealtime schedule that prevents the grazing trap, meals served with their favorites alongside other balanced foods, and exposure to new foods that are dry and crunchy.
*This is not medical advice and is provided for education and entertainment purposes. As I describe here, a thorough assessment by a team of professionals is the best practice prior to making mealtimes changes.
Hello, I'm Valori
I’m a behavioral expert, a feeding therapist, and a momma. I love big hair, long dinners, and DIY podcasts. My mission? To see you share a meal with your child that you cannot believe. The kind where your kiddo eats FRESH foods, smiles a lot, and says, “I’m all done,” when they’re actually satisfied.