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/
Angi says
I continue to be clueless on getting the pickiness reigned in a bit. We've been doing the kiss, lick, taste technique... Rarely does it ever get past the lick stage though. I. Just. Keep. Trying. Would love to win !
Michelle Crifasi says
Like ate a rainbow & copy kids. My 5 & 7 yr old only want to eat a few foods, though they include cucumbers and carrots, many fresh fruits.... I'm desperate to expand our menu to have more variety as they grow tired of items and revert to asking for refined sugar, fast food, processed items. School lunches are a great challenge. They day they become sick of greek yogurt will be very sad indeed.
Francine says
My daughter will try anything at least once. My son will not. I know I shouldn't be sneaky, but I have been "sneaking" in additional veggies. For example, he doesn't like chunks of tomatoes. So I first puree them before adding them to a recipe. I guess I wouldn't call it sneaky because he knows I did it. He was fine because there weren't any chunks. So I am enhancing what we are eating now.
Kristin says
We call it a "No Thank You Bite" at my house. Many times we get a no thank you afterward, but sometimes we have a victory and find something new that we like. I also try to let them choose one new vegetable to try when we go to the farmer's market. I find if they pick it they are more open to it. Having them help in the kitchen is also helpful at our house. My biggest frustration with my picky eaters is that they can love something for awhile and then I make it again and they say, I don't like it anymore.
Rebecca says
We offer several interesting veggie options with dinner. They must try one bite. Cause "how do you know you don't like it til you try it..." we've had many successes that way and found many new "likes" just by taking "one bite". Also, it helps if they are actually hungry at dinner time. We have a snack right after school. Then the kitchen is closed until supper.
Kathy Booher says
Love this site. LOVE IT. But getting the kids to eat vegetables by serving them in the bathtub?! REALLY?!??! I truly believe that sitting down at the table and eating meals together is very important. Managing to get your child to eat purple cabbage because you served it to her in the tub is not teaching a healthy relationship with real food and not something I would ever want to promote with my kids. I would expect more from a "real food" site. The best advice about picky eaters that I ever heard was simply this: Your goal as parents is to raise a "healthy-eating adult". Your goal is not to manage to get a couple servings of vegetables into your toddler by whatever means necessary ("hiding" them in other foods, serving them in the tub, blending them into a sugary smoothie, etc) and then bragging about it . . . but instead teaching them a lifelong love of real, healthy food. This takes time, effort, and patience. It also takes YOU to be a good model of healthy eating behavior. My kids are not there yet, but it is a journey. You will NOT see me resorting to serving a salad during bath time!!
Maya M. says
Liked Rainbow and Copy-Kids
I find that the hungrier my kids are the more picky they become and they get fustrated. If I offer snacks 30minutes to an hour before a big meal, they will not come to the table cranky. I can usually get them to try everything on their plate. Now they may not eat the new foods on the first date. But, by the second or third they are old news and the boys will gobble the "newish" food up.
kelley says
Going to try the rainbow approach. With 3yr old triplets where my two boys gobble whatever I put in front of them but my little girl turns away from most food items, I am ready to start to have fun with this power struggle!
Linda Dona says
Like rainbow
Linda Dona says
Like Copy-Kids
Becky says
When they are hungrier, I find that my kids are much more willing to eat the foods they would normally reject. I anticipate those times in our day and pack accordingly. For example, carrot sticks are offered in the car on the way home from an afternoon swim at the pool or some steamed broccoli is offered while I prep dinner. It's tempting to reach for the convenience foods at these moments, but a few extra minutes of chopping celery pays off!
Linda Dona says
My picky eater tip is that we try to introduce new foods every week. This helps my small kids be more open and willing to try new things, as they understand that it's important to be willing to eat a variety of different foods. I also like to incorporate a new food with something that they love. For example quinoa with fresh strawberries or noodles (they love) with edamame. It works for us!
Jewell Carroll says
When I am introducing a new food I let my kids participate in cooking. If they feel like they made it, they take ownership and are more likely to eat or at least taste it!
I like both pages.
Valerie Eclhart says
We have opened up our eating. If kids want leftovers from dinner for breakfast they can have it. Then lunch is breakfast food. We also have let them experiment with trmperatures of food. Things I would never eat hot they like hot and vice versa. My kids eat a lot if variety.
Valerie Eclhart says
Liked a rainbow
Susan says
Eating my own rainbow while breastfeeding is a great start. Once solids are started, I purée all the veggies the family is enjoying that evening. Small steps and perseverance is working with the first three and babe #4 is just starting! 100 days is helping too, thank you!!
S Garner says
To curb picky eating I just don't have alternatives in eye sight. I tend to just keep trying and eventually they get used to seeing the same food sand will start to eat them. I also cut up some veggies will small and mix them into dishes so it's too hard to pick them out so they have to eat them.
Jessica Kossick says
I have two picky eaters at home. One tip I found is to juice. I put fresh fruit and fresh spinach in a blender with some yogurt and 100% juice. My 2 year old will drink it up...even if's its green. Give it to her raw and no way. Now if only this would work with my 5 year old :)
Jessica Kossick says
Liked copy kids!
Jessica Kossick says
Liked rainbow on facebook.
Lori Davis says
Liked rainbow on Facebook,
Lori Davis says
Like copy-kids on Facebook.
Lori Davis says
Hide the vegiies and fruit by dressing them up or even blending them in with other foods!
Kelly says
I have a little guy (21 months) who began as a good eater but now will not eat too much unless it is a fruit and even then it must be in a recognizable form. I sneak veggies in as much as possible - especially a lot of smoothies with veggies and nut butters to help bulk him up!!
Sabrina W. says
I take all my vegetables, puree them and add it to my meatloaf or use as a gravy and/or sauce. It ads lots of flavor, less fat, and more veges in your diet.
Robin says
My boys respond to cute designs, plus we always tell them they don't have to like it today, you just have to swallow it, and maybe you might like it tomorrow. It wouldn't work for kids who are picky eaters for psychological reasons, but kids who are just picky might respond to it. I know it took me a long time to warm up to boiled eggs. I 'hated' them my whole life until I started telling my kids that. Now I eat them daily.
GretchenP says
i love making my kid food 'fun' ..muffin tin meals/shapes/characters. thanks for the giveaway! :)
Hillary says
Like copy kids
Hillary says
Like rainbow
Hillary says
So tired of fighting the "thrown on the floor" battle with my 22 month old. Last night she even grabbed her older sister's plate and dumped it too!! Argh!!!
Michelle F says
My daughter has never been picky until recently. She wants to eat so much junk. I am trying to get her to make better choices but it is so hard when not every party involved is on board. I try to make good choices in front of her so she sees that it really is a good thing.
I like Rainbow and Copy Kids...
Tammy says
Super frustrated that our oldest, now 5 1/2, would eat anything as a babe/young toddler, and slowly developed into a kid that will eat limited veggies (unless I'm really good at hiding them) & fruits (again, unless hidden). He loves whole grains & is a decent protein & dairy eater. Our 2 1/2 yr old is better, but often refuses anything served for supper in favour of a bowl of cereal (thankfully he happily gobbles up the whole grain, more healthful cereals that we purchase). So far, our 10-mo old is the best eater of the 3! Here's hoping it continues!!
Shana says
Liked rainbow
Shana says
Liked Copy-Kids
Liz says
Like rainbow
Julia says
Great post! I rotate food constantly and recently my 15mo ate kale chips! But of course he won't eat them this week so our go to veggie right now is carrots. As parents we must keep in mind that a "balanced"diet can take place over a few days, i.e. we don't need to fret that our child only ate one type of food today. So long as over the course of a few days they are receiving a nutritious balance. (Though I'm a big believer that we need fat, proteins and veggies everyday!)
Shana says
My 2yo picky eater is now watching his little brother (9mo) eating things he has previously chosen to avoid. The more he watches, the more he is interested in trying what his brother is eating. So far, it is challenging me to expand the palate of my infant in an effort to temp the stubborn toddler!
Liz says
With multiple food allergies -myself and the kids. -it's SO frustrating when they choose not to eat something that we can all actually digest. Aargh! I feel like a chef in a commercial kitchen trying to produce four different healthy meals simultaneously :(
thuy nguyen says
I just give them the food over and over and eventually, 99% of the time, they end up liking it.
thuy nguyen says
Liked Today I ate a rainbow