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/
Katie says
liked copy-kids and today I ate a rainbow
Kristin Trammell says
The one bite rule. He must take one bite of everything on his plate. If he genuinely doesn't like it,he doesn't have to finish. He often is surprised by what he learns he likes!
Tracey says
like copy kids
Ginny says
Like rainbow!
Teal says
Like Rainbow!
Erica says
Like copy kids
Tammy says
I like rainbow.
Jen A. says
Like Copy Kids
Teal says
Like Copy Kids!
Becky Carafa says
My kids aren't picky eaters, thankfully, but they do occasionally decide they don't like something anymore. Grrr.
Olivia says
My 3 year old refuses to eat anything green! I make green smoothies with kale or spinach to get some greens in her diet.
Nikki says
like Rainbow
Em Heil says
My kids love anything made into a smoothie especially if it is then frozen into a popsicle. Today, for example, they have been eating kale, sweet potato, banana and flax pops all day.
Amy Stello says
contest entry: like Copy-Kids
Rachel Owens says
I just keep putting the new food on the menu hoping one day they will grow to like it.
Erica says
I mostly let my kids pick their lunches. But they have limitations and guidelines. "You can have some chips if you pick 2 different fruits or a veggie and a fruit." makes it seem like its their choice.
Like rainbow.
Tammy says
I like Copy-Kids on facebook
Shannon B. says
like rainbow
Michelle Q says
like rainbow
Jen A. says
I have a few picky eaters in our family. I've tried so many different things to get them to try new foods, but what has worked eventually was just patience and no pressure. Sometimes it takes longer with some kids. My 10 year old daughter is finally branching out and trying new foods on her own. It took years of trying to require her to try a bite of everything to realize it was just making us all miserable. It goes much better when trying the food is her idea. :)
Bonnie Dixon-Tribou says
We have a picky eater who usually looks at a food and refuses it based on appearance (if it looks different) so we play the "close your eyes and try" game. Spitting in the trash is always an option we don't force things, but the "no thank you bite" is done before viewing the food. Works for us (she sometimes says no thanks but at least tried...)
Like ranbow and like copy kids
Heather @ WhineCountryLiving.com says
I just ask my toddler try everything. If he tries everything sometimes he realizes he likes something he wouldn't have tried. I ask for one try and don't force him to finish the serving.
kate says
I serve their veggie on their dinner plate first with nothing else on there. It also helps to have their bellies really hungry before dinner.
kemi88 says
For my picky eater I would leave trails of food throughout the house for her to follow and eat. A little messy but effective.
Tracey says
never give up!!!!
Michelle Q says
like copy kids
Shannon B. says
like copy-kids
Kristina Sbarbaro says
We have a one bite rule of everything on your plate and I try to serve a favorite food along with something new
Vanesa says
I try the - try one bite method. If they don't dislike it immediately, then we coax up to 2, 3, etc.
Ginny says
Like copy kids
Erica says
My little one year old is a picky eater as far as textures go....we simply just keep trying....example:if we give her chunks of sweet potatoes she might spit them right out so we throw them in the blender with a touch of cinnamon and she gobbles them down because they are creamy!
Jennifer says
We have had success in getting our two year old to eat salad greens and other vegetables by going around the table and counting 1-2-3- (family member) GO! and eating a big bite of whatever it is. She has gotten a big kick out of that for the past month. I'm sure whenever this game loses its appeal I will be looking for others!
statgirl says
My daughter's texture preferences have changed over time. For a while she would happily eat any puree I made, so we ate a lot of pureed soups. Now she swears that she hates soup, so we've been focusing more on crunchy things -- miraculously, roasted kale (we call it "Crunchy Kale") is her favorite thing and she requests it every night for dinner. What a pleasant surprise, it only took two solid years of offering her kale every time we ate it before she was finally willing to try it and realize that she liked it!
Teal says
To get my daughter to eat something, it works best to not make a big deal out of it or mention it at all. If its on her plate she'll most likely eat it, but if I tell her what it is or ask her if she wants to try it, no go!
Rachel says
My son doesn't like to try new things (22 months old), but his sister is a little more adventurous(almost 3). I've found if I can get her to try it, he will try it too. I praise her for being such a good, big sister & praise him for trying something new. He doesn't always like it, but I'm happy he's at least trying it.
Carolina says
I baby daughter doesn't eat the same thing for lunch, dinner or snack.
We always have to come up with something new!
Christina says
My 3 year old is so picky. Somedays she will only drink milk and eat blueberries. My frustration is that she refuses to eat or taste the food that I put in front of her, even if it is fun and colorful. She would rather not eat than even try something new.
Melissa Warren says
Liked "Rainbow."
DawnMarie Garrels says
like Rainbow
Charlee Pensak says
I try to let my picky girl help me choose foods to try and preparr them with me or we find creative ways to use the item like mixing it into her favorite foods.