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/
nicole says
like copy-cat kids
nicole says
my 6 year old is the discerning eater wheras my 4 year old will try anything at least once. sometimes this motivates big brother but not always. we do have a rule to at least try it once. i will have to try the microscopic portion as both boys will get a kick out of that! thankfully their baby brother is breastfec so no arguments from him....yet!
Tabitha Eden says
like copy-cat kids
Tabitha Eden says
like rainbow
Tabitha Eden says
I have a 3 1/2 year old who will absolutely not eat vegetables or fruits. We have gone as far as putting him in nutritional therapy. We are making progress, but it's very slow. I will take any advice I can get!
Sarah says
My 3 year old is very picky! Thank you for the tips/tricks. I think I may try breakfast veggies one day.
Brandi K says
Thanks for the helpful tips! My frustration with my kiddos is veggies. Fruits is no problem-they love fruits, but veggies are a whole other story!
Valerie Ford says
Like rainbow
Cindy says
Like rainbow
Cindy says
Like Copy-Kids
Cindy says
Picky eater tips: when the kids introduced to something new they have a "no thank-you" bite and if they don't like it after trying the first bite they don't have to eat any more of it - end of story! We also make up crazy names for things we think they won't like and it helps spark their interest and willingness to try it!
Kristi Pritchard says
Like rainbow
Kristi Pritchard says
Like copy-kids
Kristi Pritchard says
I dearly love this site and use it everyday and I think I tell someone about it everyday as well. My favorite tip is to se the super foods like cacao nibs, cacao powder, maca powder and goji berries. My son loves them an he is now on 1/2 dose of his ADD meds thanks in part to all the great information on this site as well as food babe.com.
Heather says
I swear by smoothies! I add carrots, zucchini, and spinach to a mix of frozen berries, mango and fresh squeezed apple and orange juice in my VitaMix and my son loves them. He gets a great dose of fresh fruits and veggies without all of the added sugar and preservatives in store bought smoothies or Jamba Juice. It only takes a few minutes and I make a blender full so I can freeze the rest in Popsicle molds and he feels like he's getting a wonderful treat/dessert on other days!
Hilarie Austin says
Like Rainbow!
Cassie D says
My most picky eater in the family is my hubby. It's a taste and texture issue with him and it all dates back to when he was a kid and didn't like things then. He's not very good at trying new things. I'm having to blend everything smooth Jane mix it in just to get him to try things. He does not eat veggies or fruits except green beans and wax beans and corn. A diet with on,y those veggies gets oh so boring, so boring in fact that we've gone months without veggies as a family at dinner time. :( we are working on through bit by bit by continuing to blend everything that's a veggie down into s purée. And adding it into the dishes
Hilarie Austin says
Like Copy-Kids
Julie Golightly says
Our son ate anything and everything since the day we introduced food. Nowadays it is all about the texture and appearance. I attempt to make new things that give a similar appearance and appeal to the types of food he really enjoys. Otherwise he won't even try one bite. Now that he is 5 I have no problem saying "sorry, the next meal is not until breakfast"!
Gina says
Like rainbow
Joanne says
Like Rainbow
Gina says
Like copy-kids
Joanne says
I am blessed with twins who are not picky at all. They eat tons of fruits and veggies! But...my son has a thing with texture. He does not like anything with a grainy texture...rice, quinoa, couscous. These are all pretty bland things so it's not the taste. He just doesn't like the feel of those foods in his mouth.
Gina says
My daughter is a super picky eater. She will pick the spices, "green things", out of spaghetti sauce. She will inspect every bite before it gets to her mouth. I am making small strides with her but it is exhausting, these food battles.
Hilarie Austin says
My picky eater isn't picky when it comes to sugared up processed food! So glad I found this blog. So much useful information provides encouragement as I strive to remove "fake" food from our daily lives. I try to provide a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables for my picky eater. We have made progress in the fruit department, but not so much with raw vegetables. I am convinced it is a battle worth fighting though!
Jennifer Robinson says
With my daughter, I just kept trying different ways of serving that food. For example, she won't touch a piece of cooked brocholi but turns out she'll eat the whole head raw with some vinegrette dressing ... who knew!
Heather says
I can get my picky eater to eat veggies when baked in muffins and fresh fruit in smoothies.
heather roark says
like rainbow
Cindy W. says
I always liked to have my children help with the food preparation. They seemed more willing to try new foods.
heather roark says
love the inspiration of the blog! Tip that has helped with my family is to partially conceal the foods (like blending in some carrots/sweet potatoes, etc into something like some homemade mac and cheese) as well as serving the real deal alongside. Repetition has also been key. Eventually my picky eaters have come to eat more (but all the while I know they are getting what they need)?
lara oneil says
Thanks for the suggestion on picky eaters. My son ate everything you offered until he was around 3 or 4. Then he just got really picky. As parents we thought going off to school would help him adjust when he saw what other kids did. It never got better and if we tried the going to bed hungry thing my motherinlaw stepped in. I have a 12 yr old today that still only eats about 3 different meals and the same snacks over and over. I feel as if I failed him somewhere. Hoping to start this summer teaching him to cook, I hope maybe more time in the kitchen will spark his interest in something new
Tiffany Yano says
Liked rainbow
Tiffany Yano says
Mac and cheese made with steamed carrots and aranchini made with pumpkin (we are no dairy anyway).
Kate Normand says
Liked today I ate a rainbow
Lori says
Every day is a different day with my little one. Yesterday, she couldn't get enough carrots. Today, she wouldn't touch a single veggie. But I do find, that if she sees me eating it, she'll most likely do the same.
Kate Normand says
Liked copy kids
Nicole Donaldson says
Well we do have some picky kids and its hard because their dad has never been a picky eater, though I remember being one as a kid so we share different views, trying a taste for me vs. staying at the table or finishing it in the morning for dad:). I've noticed a funny thing, when our kids eat something at a friend's house or with other kids, a lot of times they eat more/ are more willing to try it than when I make it at home....
Dawn Kaestner says
One bite of something you don't like for every two bites of what you do:)
Rachel Kamish says
Like Rainbow
Dawn Kaestner says
like Rainbow