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/
LatriciaJuneau says
My frustration is that my children think they have to have dessert after dinner. I started exchanging dessert items for fruit salad, flax seed pumpkin muffins and even some of the healthy snack ideas off of 100 days of real food blog(love those!)
Tricia Allison says
I have non adventurous eaters to say the least. They want to eat the same foods daily. I try everyday to offer them new food but I feel discouraged! I'm hopeful this selective eating will stop. I try to also be a good example for them.
Stacy says
My son says no before even trying a new food!
Emily Wyatt says
Like Copy-kids
Ashley says
'liked' I ate a Rainbow on FB!
Michelle says
My kids prefer uncooked veggies so I often keep their veggies uncooked with a dipping option and prepare our veggies as we like.
Ashley says
I don't have a picky kid, but my best friend (who lives across the street so we eat together ALL THE TIME) has 2! The excessive whining about trying new food is the most frustrating thing to me! I would love to be able to help her with her kids!
Sam says
Like Rainbow!
Kally says
Like Copy-Kids
Martha says
My picky 6 year old son has a hard time trying new foods, but we finally got him to eat spinach by putting it in a smoothie!
We used: 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach,1/2 cup frozen mango pieces, 1/2 cup frozen pineapple,1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1 cup Trader Joes green plant juice or 1 cup apple juice, 1 or 2 bananas. Blend all in blender:makes 3 smoothies.
We call this the power smoothie.It will look green in color,but we say just because it looks green doesn't mean it doesn't taste good!
Brooke C. says
My picky tip...I know EVERYONE says keep trying, but it's true. I always put everything on my son's plate. Out of the blue about 3 months ago, he said, "I love brocolli", picked up the broccoli from his plate, ate it all and asked for 2nds, then 3rds. I have no idea why or when he decided it, but thank goodness I put the broccoli on his plate that night, otherwise we might never have known he liked it. I see small windows opening like this every now and then. On Sunday, he ate chili and black bean dip...both new tastes for him, though I offer stuff like that to him often.
Kathryn @ Mamacado says
I wrote about getting my toddler to eat healthy foods on a blog post here!
http://www.mamacado.com/2012/07/tricks-for-getting-toddler-to-eat.html
Suzi says
Like Copy-kids
Rainbow
Jessica D says
Couldn't find "like" option for Copy Kids, but I sent a friend request. :)
Traci Haskins says
Liked Rainbow on FB!
Kally says
My almost two year old will take one bite of any fruit or vegetable and immediately spit it out except for raw broccoli, cinnamon applesauce, and pears. He is excited to try it, but doesn't like a wet texture. I make zucchini and pumpkin breads, and baked sweet potato fries. I am trying baked Parmesan zucchini fries tonight...
amanda says
I like Today I ate a Rainbow on Facebook.
stephanie says
liked "copy kids"
Kellye says
like rainbow!
Emily Wyatt says
Like rainbow
Piper says
Keep trying again and again! Maybe someday they will like it
Brooke says
Tip: Offer new foods with familiar foods to help the unfamiliar taste---like a smoothie with fruits and a few veggies (steam them first to make them softer).
Beth says
I try to sneak veggies in when I can disguise them for my picky eaters! However, my kids do have favorite fruits and veggies because I started them off with them! They don't know any different:)
Traci Haskins says
I Liked Copy-Kids on FB.
Adrienne says
Great giveaway! And thanks for the tips!
Adrienne Pugmire says
like rainbow
Meghan says
Liked Rainbow
Traci Haskins says
I have kids that love veggies and fruit, so I can't complain...but they won't eat meat to save their lives...this gets a little tricky when we are eating out or with others. We just end up loading up on carbs... Well, there are probably worse problems! Would love to win!
Meghan says
Liked Copy-Kids (very cute concept!)
Kelly Jordan says
I found that if I just don't react to my son's (who is 7) big groans or complaints, I get a lot less of them. We always say "that's fine, you can say no thank you" and leave it at that. He started saying about halfway through the meal, "Okay, fine, I'll try it..."
Jessica D says
Liked Rainbow on FB.
Matt Harris says
I offer my son a variety of fruits in vegetable in different colors.
Adrienne Pugmire says
like copy kids
Kathryn @ Mamacado says
like Rainbow!
Suzi says
I love all of these tips! I found that I can get my most picky eater to eat some new things if they are in a muffin...ex: shredded carrot, pumpkin.
Brooke says
Yummy! Yeah for veggies!
Brooke C. says
Liked "Today I Ate a Rainbow"
Jessie says
I have four girls, just one gives us a hard time with eatting veggies. Our new rules is she has to eat at least four pieces of whatever veggies is on her plate. she has been doing great with it. some days we even get more in her. :)
Emily Wyatt says
My kids were a little picky but we just kept serving them what we eat and they are starting to enjoy healthy foods now.
Michele Villano says
Liked Today I Ate a Rainbow