I was a picky eater as a child, or as I like to call it, a selective eater. By having three little boys of my own, I understand the obstacles that parents have in getting their kids to eat nutritious snacks and meals. I am blessed to not have the challenges that my parents had with me; my kids are pretty good eaters. Still, here are some of my meal and snack ideas for all kids that I can hope can help other parents.
Tip #1: Keep Trying! I once read that it can take more than eight times to get a child to try a certain food before they actually like it. This proves that there is hope if you can be persistent. It is frustrating and can be expensive to buy foods that continue to be turned down so make sure that it is something that another family member will eat (probably you!) before you buy something like that multi-pack of Babybel Cheese.
Tip #2: Dress it up! My kids are always more likely to eat something if it looks really fun. I have used colored sprinkles on yogurt, applesauce, and oatmeal. I have tried cookie cutters for toast (we made “ghost toast” around Halloween once and it was so popular that we have it year round now), sandwiches, deli meats, and cheeses. Use different foods to make designs, faces or pictures on a plate. My kids loved “Fruit Pinwheels.” I was able to get them to a variety of fruits this way by cutting them into different shapes and arranging them into a large pinwheel or flower. It can work with vegetables too. Try making your kids “Porcupines” for a snack. (A spoonful of hummus with pretzels sticking out all around) You could try it with peanut butter and pretzels too.
Tip #3: Don’t forget the dip! My boys hated French toast. One day, I cut it into strips and served some syrup on the side. Now they ask for French toast strips and smile as they happily dip and eat the very same food they refused before. It was that easy. Ranch dressing worked wonders for trying vegetables. Try sampling different salad dressings with raw vegetables. They might be so excited to try the dressings; they may not realize how many veggies they are eating. Do the same with meats. Grilled or oven baked chicken that is cut into strips could be sampled with a variety of sauces (BBQ, Honey mustard, etc.) Don’t forget to encourage some fun noise when they are dipping like “BOINGG!”
Tip #4: Let your child help you cook or prepare the food. Even at a young age, kids will take pride in accomplishing a task. My boys were always a little more willing to try something once I reminded them that they helped to make it.
Tip #5: Give choices (but not too many). As my children grow older, there are things that they have tried but prefer not to eat. My oldest son does not like pineapple or green peppers. So if those foods are being served at a meal, I will give him one or two other choices and ask him to pick what his fruit or vegetable choice is going to be. I read about a parent that has a “menu” and asks her children to choose one thing from each category to be sure that they are getting all the food groups. I love that idea!
Tip #6: Make it a game. Take turns with your child. You take a bite, he takes a bite. Play “guess that color” by asking them to close their eyes and you spoon a small bite into their mouth. As they chew, they can try to guess the color of the food they are eating.
These are just a few things that were successful for me. Get creative, have patience, and good luck!