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/
Melanie says
Liked copy kids
Melanie says
I try to put out fruit or vegetables before a meal so if they are really hungry they eat the good stuff first!
Melanie says
Liked Today I Ate a Rainbow
Melanie says
Liked Copy Cats
Melanie says
I have one son who will try just about anything and one who won't eat anything as well as a husband who won't eat many vegetables especially greens. One day my picky eater will eat something and then next he won't even try it, just when I think I found something he will eat he won't eat it again. I have found that for the most part he prefers raw vegetables over cooked ones. When preparing meals he likes to help and will try one or two bites of them raw but won't even try them after they are cooked. So I guess a couple bites is better than none at all.
Kristie M. says
like rainbow!
Irene says
like Rainbow
Irene says
like Copy-Kids
Irene says
get creative making vegetables, roasting is amazing!
theresa pilgrim says
like rainbow
Jamie says
Why is it that the picky eater will like something one day and NOT like it the next????? Thanks for hosting!
lauren says
rainbow like
lauren says
Like Copy-Kids!
lauren says
Picky eater frustration: My kids don't seem to care how many times I offer certain veggies- they still don't try it! Texture maybe? I will say that now that my oldest is almost 7, he is generally willing to try a bite of something that he otherwise would say "I don't like that".
Rebecca says
Keeping perspective that they will change as they age helps. My oldest was always a picker eater, but now that he is 9, many things he once hated he now loves. All those dinners that were a battle, now aren't.
Molly says
I have a child that does not like to try new things, he says it is "too hard". We have tried various ways to get him to eat. Normally if he can get a dessert he will at least try it!
Susan says
My frustration has always been my son's pickyness. If you tell him he needs to try it he will then begin gagging...if I get to close to him with something he doesn't want to try he will begin gagging (even if he has what he likes to eat). Drives me crazy! I know he will grow out of it in his own time but for now - frustration rules.
Dawn says
I love the idea of using the colors of the rainbow to encourage the kids to eat. I'm trying hard to get my kids agreeable about trying new things. Sometimes I can only get them to stick out their tongues and get a "taste" of the new foreign food!
Alicia says
I have three kids and a picky husband, I puree a lot!! Texture seems to be a problem :( I find it to be a day to day issue depending on moods and environment that determines what is a hit or miss! Tomorrow it may be a hit if today was a miss... just keep putting it out there, and I hope they will make the right choices over time (not so sure about my husband, haha)
Lauren Henderson says
Like Copy Kids and Like Rainbow on Facebook!
Amanda K says
Liked Rainbow :)
Amanda K says
Liked Copy Kids :)
Amanda K says
My daughter changes her mind about what likes on a daily basis. There are certain things she will eat at home, but not at school. Or she'll eat it at school, but not at grandma's house. Or she will ask for it, then refuse to eat it. I love her to bits, but sometimes I just want to scream...
Lauren Henderson says
Tried the story idea from the "Be creative" tip and it totally worked on my 2 yr old picky eater! Thanks!
Nicole says
My kiddo has always been good at eating his veggies, as we call them super pooper food. Now that he has entered K, it has become more difficult for him.
Heather says
Liked Rainbow on fb!
Heather says
Liked Copy-Kids on fb
Heather says
I introduce 1 new food at a time - and pair it with things that my girls already like to eat.
Keri says
@eva - what a good idea to do a movie tie-in with a new food. Going to brainstorm on that for my resistant eater
Beth says
Liked a rainbow!
Beth says
involve them in the process of their food... plant a garden, take them to the store, let them help pick the recipe and prepare the meal.
Joy says
Yummy dips!!! We help get lots of veggies down by serving them with hummus or cucumber-yogurt-dill dip that we make. Works like a charm and my 2-year old, 4-year old and 8 year old all have fun dipping :)
Joy says
Liked Today I Ate a Rainbow!
Joy says
Liked Copy-Kids!
Jen Warga says
I have made the most progress with my picky, now 14, by having her help grow and help cook the food. She has helped freeze thousands go carrots over the years!!
Anna says
Find more ways to serve them.Ex. Carrots raw, with dip, steamed, or carrot ''fries''. Most likely they will like them one way or another.
Eva says
liked eat a rainbow
Eva says
liked copy-kids
Breanne says
My kids are willing to try nearly anything (including loads of raw veggies) while they're helping me in the kitchen.
Eva says
We have a movie night once a week and introduce new veggies. They fall in the theme of the movie. Example we watched Frankenwinnie and they ate cawliflower (brains) for the first time and loved it. Next week The Odd Life of Timothy Green!!!!!!!