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/
Leslie says
Like copy kids.
Leslie says
I struggle with my three year old on eating dinner. There are very few nights where he'll sit and eat without my probing. We make him try everything once and if he doesn't eat the healthy stuff he is done eating for the night. I went through the same thing with my 6 year old and she seems to have grown out of it and is a good eater now and always willing to try.
Kelly R. says
We love the "one bite rule" at our house!
Kim Messick says
picky eater tip: I would "hide" good veg's in things like spaghetti sauce by pureeing them up first so there is no "evidence."
Marjo b says
As we all know, children can be picky eaters! I have several younger siblings, and I think it is important to encourage them to eat healthy foods by first of all explaining why they must, and secondly eating them ourselves! I would not recommend trying to sneak vegetables in such foods as muffins and such because that's not really training your child to enjoy vegetables. Try to foster a love of good food in your child by starting them off young! Try to feed your babies more vegetables than applesauce, apple juice and other sweet foods when they start eating ''real food''!
I must admit, I have performed a couple tricks on my siblings which turned out great: last time I made ''pear pie'' for supper which was really a (whole wheat) pie filled with a combo of leftover lentil stew and delightfully spiced pears. It was a hit, and we finished the leftover lentils!
Colleen Ree says
Like Copy Kida
Emily W says
I don't have a great tip. But, I try to serve veggies mixed in things they like. For example, I made a squash and carrot mac and cheese by Rachael Ray. They're okay with some veggies that way :-)
Rebekah says
Liked today I ate a rainbow.
Colleen Ree says
I offer fruits and vegetables at snack time before anything else.
Rebekah says
Liked copy kids.
Rebekah says
I just try to serve as many ways as I find a recipe for. Eventually they will like it! And if they never like it because they just don't they will at least tolerate it!
Amy says
You have to taste at least one bite. After that, you don't have to eat it. But many tastes are acquired, and it's good to try new things.
Juli says
Like copy-kids
Juli says
Like rainbow!
Rivka says
One trick I use is to let my toddler feed the food to me, then she's often more inspired to try the food herself.
Liked copy kids
Liked Rainbow
Margie says
When my son was a toddler and really big into dinosaurs. We'd tell him, when we were eating green leafy vegetables, "You know, this is what big herbivorous (plant eating) dinosaurs eat!" and we'd hold the leaf up high and he would eat it from our hand like he was a long necked dinosaur eating from a tree. It's so much more fun when you roar!
Carolyne says
Like Rainbow
Anna says
like Today I ate a Rainbow
Nicole Morrison says
I eat them! My boys always want/steal what I am eating.
Jennifer says
like Copy-Kids!
Anna says
My almost 4 year old recently became a picky eater. Ugh! We do the one bite rule but always have most of her plate full of items she likes. Which lukily is ALOT of veggies!
Carolyne says
Like copy-kids
Amy C says
We do a "no thank you" bite. After the child takes one bite, they can say "no thank you" or "yes, more please!" It has worked well in our house so far, my kids are now 7 & 9.
Rebecca says
I liked today I tried a rainbow!
Jennifer says
like Rainbow!
Rebecca says
I have an extremely picky eater! In fact, he is in therapy. The thing he responds to the most is playing with his food. Making the cheese race across the table or rolling a blueberry off his nose. I will admit it goes against all the things I am used to but it helps.
For are other child, its as simple as getting us all to try it at the same time with a little cheers to the "cashew" or whatever beforehand.
Jennifer says
I have my kids help me make meals. Last night we had fajitas with yellow, red, and green peppers and purple onions. THEY mashed the avocado and smeared it on the tortilla and they got to roll them up all by themselves. My 5 yr old son ate 2 of them!
Joy says
My frustration: two kids with different demands - one only eats raw veggies and the other only eats cooked!
Maureen Bozek says
I make big pots of tomato sauce, chicken soup and beef veggie soup and then take my magic stick handheld blender and zoom all veggies gone into undetectable smitherines! It works and my picky eater eats carrots, kale, flax seed, onions, celery, tomatoes, garlic, broccoli all in one meal, a rainbow of veggies! I add whole grain wide noodles. I send it for lunch in a thermos. He says I make the best soups which is music to my ears from this picky eater! Good luck to all!
Copy kids.
Judy says
Never give up! My daughter went through a phase when she decided she didn't like mushrooms, although she loved them before. We just kept telling her it was meat until she decided it was okay to eat mushrooms again.
Mandy says
My daughter will not eat mushrooms if they are on her plate and I've tried MANY times. But she wanted to eat the mushrooms I was cleaning and skining. So I set aside her portion of mushrooms while I'm making supper for her to eat before we sit down. I just don't take no for an answer and keep trying (new recipes/way of cooking/location).
All kids look to their parents and if you are eating healthy real food choices, your kids are more likely to as well.
Kelly says
I have cut out the processed items in the house, thereby limiting choices for snacks etc. Since there is no longer junk to pick from, they choose fruit as a snack option most of the time now.
Megan says
I find that if I give my son the same veggies and fruits all the time he gets bored. I give them to him because I know he'll eat them.. But I've learned that he loves variety!
Mollie @Sprinkles of Life says
I talk to my daughter about trying to eat as many colors of the rainbow off of her tray at school. We've also done stickers for days she eats her veggies at lunchtime. When she takes cold lunches I make sure to pack mostly veggies with a good amount of protein, too.
Mollie @Sprinkles of Life says
Liked Today I ate the rainbow.
Juli says
Great suggestions. My kiddo loves trying new ingredients when she participates in the cooking and/or preparing of the food. She will also eat foods when she helps pick it fresh even when she won't eat the same food off her plate.!
Mandy says
like Rainbow
Mandy says
like Copy Kids
Carolyne says
I have the pickiest water on the planet - she takes right after her dad, and like her mother, she loves sugar: yep, we set her up for problems! I really have to battle to make sure it's worthwhile calories not just calories for calories sake going into her mouth. Oof!
Jessica says
Well it takes several attempts at a new vegetable or food before my kids will decide they like it. Even then, if they are in a particular mood they may not like it that night, that is frustrating especially when they have liked it before. They also like certain foods served cooked not fresh ie:tomatoes, and certain foods fresh not cooked ie: carrots.