New foods can feel genuinely threatening to a sensitive child. Graded exposure breaks the distance between "refuses" and "eats" into small, achievable steps.
A typical ladder
- Tolerate the food in the room or on the table.
- Interact: help serve it, touch it, smell it.
- Bring it close: hold it, touch it to the lips.
- Taste: a lick or tiny bite, allowed to spit out.
- Eat: a small bite, then gradually more.
Keys to success
- Move up only when the current step feels easy.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat. Familiarity is the medicine.
- Celebrate the step, not swallowing. "You touched it, nice work."
- Never trick or hide. Trust is what makes the next step possible.
Your clinician may assign specific foods and steps to practice between visits.
Related resources
- Understanding ARFID: A Guide for Families
ARFID is more than picky eating: a child eats so little variety or volume that growth or family life suffers. What drives it, and what recovery looks like.
- Kitchen Activities for Kids, by Age
Age-appropriate kitchen tasks for toddlers and older children — a printable list that helps picky eaters try more foods by cooking them.