Winning over your picky eater is no new topic on this blog, but it's something that many parents continue to struggle with day after day. So this is why I am super excited to share some new healthy eating tips with you straight from two experts in the field (and both sponsors of our blog)! Cai Dixon, co-creator of the Copy-Kids, and Kia Robertson, creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit, have both created award-winning yet simple resources that get kids interested in—and eating!—their fruits and veggies. Both Cai and Kia are fellow moms who feel passionate about helping other parents overcome the typical struggles they face when trying to get their children to eat a varied diet.
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First Off, Set the Tone:
- Be Flexible
What does flexibility look like? It will vary from household to household. Here is what flexibility looks like in my home:
My 5-year-old took a bath first thing when she woke up today. I figured out a few years ago that coupling happy bath-time play with a meal was an excellent way to get her to eat more. First she started with a banana. Then she asked for a second banana. Then I set a divided plate on a low stool next to the tub. The plate contained red cabbage, cauliflower, celery & a cherry tomato – each in its own compartment, because she doesn’t like things to touch. And she ate them all. Yep, veggies for breakfast!
- - Be Creative
Sometimes a story prompt from you is all that is needed to get your child to eat. “Bunnies love carrots. There once was a bunny who ate 100 carrots in one meal. Could you eat 100 carrots?”
Creativity could include arranging a story scene on a plate. A sun, a house, a happy-face designed from the pieces of the meal. You can employ child-friendly dishes & utensils. Candles on a table at mealtimes can make the meal more appealing & pleasant. Lighten things up… move away from familiar norms of “sit-up-straight, eat-your-food, stop-wiggling, no-talking, chew-with-your-mouth-closed.” I’m not suggesting that you abandon good manners. Merely that you make creative efforts to bring joy to the table with optimal nutrition consumption always as the prime goal.
- - Go Easy on Yourself
Give yourself a pat on the back because no matter where you are in this feeding journey you have been doing the best you can with what you know. This parenting gig doesn’t come with a manual - it’s a “learn as you go” job so go easy on yourself!
- - Stop Comparing
Try not to compare yourself to other parents and how they are feeding their kids. Each child is unique and there isn’t one best or right way that works for everyone. It can feel disheartening to think that other parents have got it all figured out and you’re still struggling no matter how hard you try. Just keep learning new recipes, techniques and ideas that you can implement in ways that best fit your family.
- - Be Calm
Before you feed your kids just give yourself a moment to take a deep breath and put a smile on your face. Even if you know the meal might be met with resistance, approach each mealtime as a fresh start. Have confidence that you are providing your kids with a good meal and how much of it they eat and enjoy is up to them. If they reject your new spinach dish it’s not a reflection of your parenting skills or how much they love you.
Try These Suggestions:
- Serving New Food
Trying a new food can be very intimidating for a picky eater. I know it can be hard to understand if you’ve never been a picky eater…what’s the big deal about trying something new, right?! Well it is a very big deal for many different reasons. So when serving something new put the tiniest sample on their plate. When I say tiny I mean microscopic…as in bring a magnifying glass to the table! A teeny shred of lettuce, one grain of wild rice, half a blueberry…you get the picture. I know it sounds silly and actually that’s part of the strategy. Using humor and some fun is a great way to introduce something new. It will improve your chances at getting your picky eater to give it a try and that is half the battle when it comes to picky eating. I think Mary Poppins had the right idea when she said “In every job that must be done there is an element of fun! You find the fun and snap…the job's a game!” Kids love having fun so use that to your advantage and have a laugh together over a kernel of corn!
- - Texture Texture Texture
Did I mention texture? Texture issues are one of the biggest holdups for picky eaters, finding out what textures they like will be very useful information for you. Try serving your picky eater fruits and veggies in different forms and textures. Maybe they like crunchy, or perhaps smooth, some may prefer bumpy (like broccoli). You can achieve different textures by changing how you prepare them - try serving produce steamed, grilled, raw, baked, frozen, juiced, roasted, etc.
- - Keep Trying
I know how disheartening and frustrating it can be to keep serving food over and over again only to have it rejected and even worse, tossed on the floor! But here’s the thing, studies have found that it can take at least 10 exposures to a new food before it is accepted and that number gets a lot higher when dealing with a picky eater. So don’t give up too soon…you’re in the business of training taste buds and that takes a lot of patience and repetition. You can print off a free Today I Tried chart to help you and your kids keep track of how many times they are trying a new food. Once again turning this into something fun can help you successfully stay on track and get your kids on board.
- The contest is open to those with U.S. or Canadian shipping addresses only.
- You have THREE chances to enter the contest by leaving comments below:
- 1st entry: Please leave a comment below sharing your picky eater tip (or frustration!)
- 2nd entry: If you like Copy-Kids on Facebook you can leave another comment below. Just say “like Copy-Kids” on your entry/comment.
- 3rd entry: If you like
- The contest will end at midnight EST on Monday, February 11th.
- The winners will be selected at random and announced on the “100 Days of Real Food” Facebook page as well as emailed directly (so make sure your address is entered correctly in your comments below!). The winner will have 3 days to respond before they are disqualified, and a new winner is chosen.
Kia Robertson is a mom, children’s book author and the creator of the award winning Today I Ate A Rainbow kit that gets kids ASKING to eat their fruits and veggies by turning healthy eating into a fun game! As a former picky eater, Kia is passionate about helping parents overcome the typical struggles they face trying to get their children to eat their fruits and vegetables. Learn more at: https://www.todayiatearainbow.com/
Cai Dixon is a mom and co-creator of Copy-Kids. Copy-Kids makes video content encouraging positive habits in young children by encouraging them to copy other kids. Their debut release is a DVD entitled Copy-Kids Eat Fruits and Vegetables. In it you'll find children joyfully eating fruits and vegetables. Kids watching it want to join in. It’s that simple. And it’s effective. Find them at: http://copy-kids.com/
Kami says
My 3 yr old loves green peppers but it is a challenge to get him to eat any other veggie. I try to do a smoothie in the am to get him 3 different kinds of fruit and veggie plus the coconut milk!
Melisha Meredith says
Like copy kids
Melisha Meredith says
Tip: Be consistent with your expectations, and try to discern if they just don't want to eat it, or if they really don't like it. If it's an "I don't want to", then at our house, you eat it anyway.
B eth S. says
Liked Today I ate a Rainbow.
Terra F says
Like rainbow
Cindy says
I put veggies in the food processor and pulse until my boys can't tell what it is. I use carrots in meatloaf. Onions and spinach in my pasta sauce. I have to process when they are at school or outside playing or I would get BUSTED ;)
B eth S. says
Liked Copy Kids
Terra F says
Like copy-kids
Mika says
liked ate a rainbow.
Lauren Bergoon says
About a year ago we started the switch to whole foods. It has been a journey for sure. When we started my six year old son ate an Eggo waffle every day for breakfast alongside a host of other processes foods throughout the day. He was horribly picky and I thought he would literally starve to death if I took away all processes foods. However, with much encouragement from dear friends and blogs like yours I decided to take the plunge. I'm not going to say everything is perfect and he gobbles up his food at every meal with no complaints but I am thrilled to say that my child did not starve and has come so far! The biggest tip I have is get rid of the junk! If there really is no other option they will eat:) thank you so much for all your support! I really could never do this with out help from wonderful people like you!
Lindsay says
liked Rainbow
B eth S. says
My daughter often likes to dip foods in some kind of dip. The only way we can get her to eat broccoli is to give her ketchup. My son on the other hand would prefer to not have dips.
Lindsay says
liked copy kids
Kami says
like copy kids
Mika says
We have a three strikes and tell me why rule. Our 7 yr old has to take three bites and tell us what she didn't like about it. We listen to the reasons and try to accommodate on next attempt (was it too spicy, cooked vs raw, etc).
Flame says
We called in the experts and took our kids to occupational therapy for help with picky eating! Having trained professional guidance was wonderful and our family made real progress. Plus, now that we have completed therapy we know that the problems are not neurological but behavioral!
Karie says
like Rainbow
Kami says
like rainbow
Jennifer Salazar-Mexicano says
Like Rainbow
Kristina M says
Smoothies- Whatever my son doesn't eat for dinner I blend up in his evening smoothie. Sounds gross but he's never said anything about it and always drinks the whole thing!
Karie says
like Copy-Kids
Kristen says
Like rainbow
Jessica says
liked rainbow
Jenna Dahl says
A new plate or utensils gets my 2 year old excited about eating :)
Breck says
Like rainbow!
Jessica says
liked copy kids
Shashi says
Like Copy-Kids
melanie says
sometimes we have a "crunching contest". i do a bunch of raw veggies (carrots, peppers, etc) and then we take turns closing our eyes and guessing which veggie each person is crunching. works everytime!
Kristen says
Like copy kids
Amy says
Serve something you know they love along with the new food you are trying. Most importantly, don't give up trying.
Both my kids are picky in different ways
Amy Reed says
Try not to pre plate your kids food. Serve some family style and let them determine what and how much they want. Give them several choices when doing this.
Kristina M says
like copy-kids
Terra F says
We use an "Adventurous Eater" punch card.our son gets to pick something fun to do when he fills up his card.
Breck Frye says
My picky eater gets to be picky when he is with his mom and then we make him try new foods when he is with us. It's super frustrating to have no support on the flip side. Any ideas how to encourage him to try new foods when he's away from home?
Jennifer Salazar-Mexicano says
Like copy kids
Brea says
Like Rainbow
Kristina M says
like rainbow
Jessica says
Tip - tell them it's "super" whatever. My 3 year old will eat chicken as long as it's "Super hero chicken!"
Kim says
Like copy kids
Jill W says
Try To Present The Foods In Different Fun Exciting Ways. Make Pictures Or creatures With The Foods. :)