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/
Jamie says
Liked copy kids
Ellen says
My 4 year old loves fruit, but doesn't eat veggies. We have had luck with grazing on veggies at the farmers market, but the other 9 months of the year are hard (we are committed to eating as local as possible). Should we buy snap peas flown in from far away on order to get greens into our kid?
Jamie says
We pick out a new food every week at the store. The kids take turns choosing different foods and it is axing what they find that they like.
Jodie S. says
like rainbow
R says
The whole only one choice for dinner( I am not cooking a separate dinner for children) and modeling good food habits/choices has worked for us. Also, I use the just try a bite because you could be missing out on your favorite food in the whole world if you don't!!!
Jodie S. says
Like copy kids
Jodie S. says
I bought stickers of my son's favorite character and put them on the healthy food like yogurt. Worked like a charm. We also have the 2 bite rule since the first bite is usually already "yucky".
Tanya jones says
My picky eater will not eat, or even try vegetables at all. Seems I had better luck when she was a baby and ate baby food- lol! I have tried using cookie cutters and decorating them but no go. Help?
Liked a rainbow
Liked copy kids
Courtney says
Like Today I ate a Rainbow. Thanks
Leah says
Like Copy-Kids
Jamie says
I pay my kids a quarter when they try a new thing....it seems to be working so far. Since January 1, they've tried 8-10 new things! :)
Courtney says
My 2.5 year old son refuses to eat anything hot or cold/frozen. It's hard to find the right temperature for him, especially when things are cooked. But he is pretty good about eating his fruits and veggies. I've found that he really likes to stand on a chair next to me when I'm preparing things and help out and will then pick out different new things to try, like beans, vegetables, etc. that he wouldn't usually eat otherwise. Also when I don't make a big deal of trying to force him to eat something he is more willing to just try it by himself, so I've tried to just put things in front of him and let him choose what he wants. And he gets really excited when we eat things together at the same time, so I've tried to start sharing meals with him even though the members of the family have different eating schedules a lot of the time. I agree that we need to stop stressing about it so much as that just makes him and me both more miserable and him less willing to try stuff.
Holly Fetherolf says
Liked rainbow
Liked copy-cat
My son eats fruits and veggies well, but no nuts or healthy cereals
Megan says
My 3 year old is all of a sudden a picky eater... Good suggestions, I am going to try them!
Leah says
Serve a variety of foods and quit drawing attention to what they're not eating. Model good choices.
Anne Marie says
We use colorful sticks or pokers with her food cut into smaller pieces. We also make a lot of kabobs...seem to be a big hit!
Amanda says
Our kids can choose one food item that they don't have to eat, all other foods are fair game!
Brittney says
like copy kids!
Brittney says
I always serve a new food with somthing else I know they will eat. Then,they have to try at least one bite and if they don't want to eat any more I don't make them. Also, watching their favorite cartoon and seeing the characters eat healthy foods helps and so does bribery sometimes!
Kelly D says
I liked Today I ate Like a rainbow on FB(Kelly D Saver)
Kelly D says
I like Copy Kids on FB(Kelly D Saver)
Kelly D says
My kids will eat most veggies if I melt a little Velveeta for them to dip them in. After they get used to the veggie I can cut down and do without the cheese without them noticing.
Tanya says
Like Today I ate a Rainbow on Facebook
Clare says
Great ideas! I especially like the try a microscopic bite tip! I'm going to try that this evening!!!
Tanya says
Like Copy-kids
Cori says
Try at least 1 bite. Many times the are surprised they like it.
Tanya says
My 10 yr old loves her goldfish & would eat them for all three meals!!
kim lesher says
I like rainbow
kim lesher says
I like copy kids
kim lesher says
I made my son try everything we eat at dinner.
Dawn says
No great tips... I just started my kids from day one of eating solids on all kinds of fresh food. Later on, I let them choose one unique item from the farmers market ea week. They usually liked it because they picked it out!
Jean Anderson says
One thing I do for my picky eater is to add in vegetables that he can't see such as shredded yellow squash and zucchini in spaghetti sauce. I also encourage him to try new things and when he does I let him know how cool that he has been adventurous. He is 14 and I've been dealing with this since he was 2....sigh
Nicole says
liked Rainbow
Candace H says
Just liked I just ate a rainbow on Facebook.
Nicole says
liked Copy-Kids
Candace H says
Just liked copy-kids on Facebook.
Nicole says
I always continue to offer my son a food item even if I know he won't eat it and eventually he tries it, especially if I leave him alone and don't push him to eat the food.
Erika says
I am in the midst of trying to diversify my 3 year old's pallete. It's often a challenge, and I'm thankful for any tips and resources other, more experienced moms are willing to share!
Candace H says
My son is such a picky eater. I thought I was doing everything right when he was younger. He was breastfed. I started him with all different kinds of foods earlier than my first born. However it didn't take long and he was eating basically chicken nuggets, spaghetti, and pizza. It is so frustrating. It seems like I am always rotating the same unhealthy foods and I hate it. I know he gets hungry but am a little skeptical of the idea to just put a new food out and he will eventually be hungry enough to eat it. So thanks for the tips. I welcome any advice you can offer. Thanks again. Also the book and giftcard would be nice too to help me.
Leslie says
Like rainbow