Can someone please explain at what point in history it was decided that children’s menus would only offer the following?
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- Hamburger/Cheeseburger with French Fries (or Chips)
- Hot Dog/Corn Dog with French Fries (or Chips)
- Chicken Fingers with French Fries (or Chips)
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Cheese Pizza
- Plain Pasta
Sure my kids would gladly devour any of these choices, but I often wonder when it was decided that kids need a special, separate meal in the first place? Since when can’t they just eat what the adults are eating? Has it always been this way? Surely not.
It amazes me when we go to birthday parties and the food served to kids consists of pizza and cake. How is that possibly being passed off as a “complete meal” for our next generation? Where are the fruit and vegetables? When was it decided that kids would only eat a handful of simple (and somewhat bland) foods? I understand that pizza is usually a crowd pleaser, but how and when did things get to be so limited?
How did children end up with such a limited palate?
I too used to be guilty of thinking kids had a very limited palate. Not long after embarking upon our “100 Days of Real Food” pledge it dawned on me that I had never before offered my daughters a salad because…they are kids after all! That is honestly the only reason (other than the fact that we didn’t eat salad all the much in the old days), but I just assumed they wouldn’t be interested because “kids don’t like salads”…right? Well you should have seen how shocked I was when I finally offered my children a salad and saw my older daughter actually eating it. And liking it! It took much longer for my younger daughter to come around, but after lots of repeated exposure she eventually became open to the idea of salad (and more importantly began to expect it as a norm at our family dinners). That was definitely a lesson learned for me.
One thing I’ve noticed is that many kids these days will only eat foods if they look a certain way (i.e. familiar). If there is a variation from the norm then the whole meal could be a flop. Why is that? I’ll never forget this one instance (long before our real food days) when my parents were babysitting my 3-year-old niece. They knew she liked and would eat Kraft Macaroni & Cheese so that was the plan for her dinner. But what they didn’t know was since they bought Kraft “Shells” Macaroni & Cheese instead of the traditional variety that all hell would break loose. Has anyone had a similar experience?
Do your kids willingly try new foods?
It’s no secret that food is a big part of my life and one of the things I am interested in is other people’s food choices. I am curious what choices they make and why. One thing I’ve noticed is that when I am preparing food in the kitchen and I offer my children a bite of something, they almost always take me up on it. Usually it’s something I know they love like a piece of parmesan cheese, a bite of pesto, or a roasted cashew, but I admit I occasionally take advantage of the situation and slip a piece of olive in their mouths just to be sure they still don’t like it. They’ll make a face and spit it out, but thankfully it doesn’t stop them from coming back. :)
I’ve also noticed when I offer other kids a little bite of something as well they are almost always very much against the idea of taking the sample (usually before they even know what it is). Maybe it’s because I am not their mom and they’re scared what that “Organic Miss Lisa” might try to make them eat, but their response is dramatically different than what I am used to with my own children. I bring this up because I am curious about other’s experiences when you offer your own children new foods or bites of what you might be eating. Do they act like it is straight-up poison?
Can a picky eater really be converted?
Our younger daughter used to be extremely picky so I totally get it. It was much easier and much less time consuming (and also much less likely that food would be wasted) if I only offered her what I knew she would eat. I recently came across a document I’d typed up - for the same babysitting grandparents mentioned above - that was a complete list of all the foods my younger daughter would eat (she was 3 at the time). Let me tell you that it was a very short list with a mere 31 items on it including Spaghettio’s, Goldfish, Graham Crackers, only 1 dish containing meat (spaghetti sauce), 5 types of fruit, and only 1 vegetable (frozen peas).
Looking back I am amazed at how far this child has come. She was one of those that would spit out her baby food before she knew it was fun to annoy mommy by not liking anything. Her palate was dramatically different than our older daughter’s from day one. But after two years (since taking our pledge) of repeatedly offering her a variety of different foods she thankfully now has a broader palate than most adults. I will be the first to tell you it has not been easy, and many months passed before any of our efforts started to pay off. But since this is one of my only first-hand examples of watching a child’s eating habits change over time, I wonder if I can really attribute the change in her to something we’ve done or if she would have grown out of that picky phase on her own regardless?
What’s your opinion?
So I’d love to open this up for discussion….what is everyone else’s experience/input on children’s eating habits these days? Why are so many kids so incredibly picky and is it possible to change their preferences? I wonder what it was like a hundred years ago (or even now in other countries)…have kids always been catered to with a limited variety of special, separate meals?? Do we only give kids pizza and hot dogs because that’s all they’ll eat or do they only eat pizza and hot dogs because that’s all we give them? How can we break this cycle?
Olivia says
My 2 yr old also probably had a lift of 30-40 foods she'll actual eat and it's not the greatest. She pretty much refuses all fruits and veggies :(. Honestly- I think the biggest issue is laziness on the parents part. Kids go through phases where they spit everything out and instead of working with it, parents eventually give up (usually too fast!) and start offering the bland foods or foods their kids will actually eat. Then the kid gets used to it and trying to introduce new foods is EVEN harder. I am guilty of this and now I am cometely regretting it. I should have worked harder with her...I am trying to now, now that I'm realizing that her pickiness has gotten even worse. But yes, parents laziness and our convenience driven culture has definitely lead to how kids eat these days, and it's really sad :(. Parents should be using more baby-led weaning approaches and offering kids a wide variety of foods, and continuing to do so. It's just not happening. Parents really need to step it up and be an example to their kids in how they eat and what foods are available in their homes.
Grace says
Our 5 year old daughter always wanted to order something off the kids menu, mainly because it seems cool to have something just for you. We slowly noticed though that she barely ate anything when we were out. At first we figured that she was just distracted but after talking to her realized she didn't like the food. She told us it didn't have any flavor. Now we order off the adult menu for her or I share my entree with her depending on the situation. If we share she gets to help me decide. Her decision usually involves shrimp :)
helo says
I don't have kids but I have always wondered this question of why kids only eat these junk foods. I think I have come up with the hypothesis that could be the reason. Kids at a very young age have very sensitive taste buds that are being developed. In America we don't think twice to start giving our kids foods that are high in sugar and salt at a young age. So their taste buds change really quickly to want this flavor profile only. The amount of dopamine surges in their little brains and this becomes their palate early on. If you give your kid only fruit as their sugar source and then one day give them a candy bar instead, their developing taste buds will change and say to hell with fruit I want that. Normal food to them will become to taste bland and gross compared to the sugar and sodium filled foods most kids are eating. Even most commercial baby food is laced with high amounts of sodium and sugar. I'm not sure of this is the reason why most kids in America eat like crap and are "picky eaters" but to me this makes the most sense. Your thoughts?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
We agree. Have you read Salt, Sugar, Fat? That book pretty much sums it up.
Shelly says
When my youngest was a toddler, she went through a phase where she wouldn't sit at the table and eat during meal time. She'd take a few bites and want down. Luckily it was a short lived phase. During that time she would be hungry between meals and I wouldn't want to her to fill up on junk food, so I made up what I called a "snack plate" I put bite size pieces of meat, cheese, veggies, and fruits on a plate and would leave it sitting on the edge of the table. As she was busy running around and playing, she was able to grab bites of food on the run. As she got older, she LOVED snack plates and learned to sit at the table with the rest of us and eat them. Now she's 7 and still loves snack plates. I make them for her on a regular basis. I always try to add a few bites of new foods regularly, sometimes she will eat them and sometimes not.
If we go to restraunts that have salad bar, she will opt for a plate at the salad bar over most anything else that's on the menu. I just have to be sure to place the food on it in "snack plate" form which means individual plies of veggies, cheese, fruit and meat, or what ever foods are offered at the salad bar. She can be very picky when it comes to eating a lot of cooked foods, like casseroles and etc, but I'm not complaining because she's always willing to eat a "snack plate" full of fresh veggies, fruits, meat and cheese.
Tracey H. says
I don't think there is just one answer to that question. I think a combination of things created today's picky eaters (many of whom are also obese). Parenting styles changed drastically during the late 70's and early 80's. Kids were no longer asked to obey, they were given choices. I personally think there is a happy medium with that somewhere but I know a lot of parents don't. Processed foods became more readily available and marketing to kids became more profitable. More families had two parents working outside of the home and ready-made foods because quicker and easier. Parents started enrolling their kids in EVERYTHING, thereby were not home for dinner and drive-thru fast food became routine. Somewhere in all of that, parents started making separate dinners at home for kids. If mom and dad had chicken breasts, the kids were still fed mac and cheese (it's "kid food" after all). I was absolutely guilty of this with my first child. I even fed him earlier than my husband and I ate. He had his "kid food" an hour or more before we sat down and enjoyed a real meal. Looking back, I can't even explain that. Now we have 4 children, ages 7,9,9,12. I cook a healthy meal every night and eating it is not optional. I don't do family style at the table, I plate their food in the kitchen. We get some push back occasionally about certain vegetables but they would much rather try it and gag then go hungry the rest of the evening. We have one "picky eater", two kids who will try anything and are polite about things they don't enjoy, and one child who is overweight and will eat absolutely anything you put in front of her (a whole other kind of struggle). My advice for the parents of picky eaters: limiting snacks has worked well for us. Yes, they are starving after school, but if you are very selective about what they have, they WILL eat what you prepare for dinner. I avoid giving them carbs or processed food for after school snacks and that has really helped our picky one. I guess that was a very long winded way of saying that I think kids are picky because we as parents allow them to be.
Jen says
I'm open to any and all advice. My son ate EVERYTHING up until 9-12 months. Salmon, shrimp, asparagus, I have pictures of him sucking on a mussel shell. It was my biggest accomplishment. Right around a year, he became extremely picky.... only bland, boring, beige foods. Lots of noodles and carbs and fruit and yogurt. Dinner was very frustrating because he refused most of what we offered him and often I resulted in giving him a pouch or yogurt so I had piece of mind he wasn't going to bed hungry and I didn't run the risk of him waking up in the middle of the night. We are SLOWLY coming around. He is offered what we eat. Some days are better than others. Some days he surprises us, as salmon is still a hit most days. But I'd like to introduce the "no thank you bite rule", and at 2.3 months old, I don't know how you can make a toddler take a bite of anything he doesn't want to. So many times I'm CONVINCED he would like something if he would only TRY it and he refuses. I don't want the dinner table to become a battle ground. So I offer it and strongly encourage it, but don't have the tools or skills to MAKE him do anything. Last night he had a peanut butter & jelly sandwich right before bed because he barely ate any dinner. I want a good, well rounded eater. And if he doesn't like something after he tries it, well, that's one thing.
Erika says
My son is 11. He is a very picky eater! And sad to say he will chose not to eat over eating something he thinks he does't like. I am the mother of 4 children. He is the only picky eater we have. I am just now beginning to change our eating habits as a family, and trying to go more natural and unprocessed. One small step at a time. I am willing to listen to any advice I can get about this. The last time I made him eat what I prepared and not offer him "what he liked" He lost 6 lbs that month:( He was 6 years old. He is one of the smallest children in his 6th grade class.
Caitlin says
I know this is an older post - but I just recently came across an article that does suggest the bland baby food we feed to infants can cause them to be picky eaters in the future.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_baby-food-revolution-new-rules-for-feeding-your-baby_10320504.bc
So interesting!
Nancy says
I live in France with my husband (who is French) and it is quite different over here. Children have a natural tendency to start avoiding new flavors or foods when they start walking...it is one of our genetic "living in the forest" protections so that they would not eat something poisonous. They also tend to gravitate toward sweet things, as sweet things were typically not poisonous. That being said, here in France, every parent knows that a child must try something 7 times before saying they don't like it. At school for our daughter who is 2.5 years old, it is required that she tries everything on her plate. They can not have more servings of meat, but can ask for more servings of fruit and vegetables. The school will not serve sugary sweets/desserts more than 1x a week on the menu. Alas, the entire culture here in France supports "food education" and thus your efforts at home are not thwarted by your child going to school or to play at another child's home. Additionally, French children are only allowed one snack a day at 4pm in the afternoon...far different than American kids who walk around with plastic baggies filled with crackers all day long. Because children can't snack, they eat what is on their plate for meals. All that being said, we still have to have patience with our daughter at meal times and constantly teach her to eat all kinds of food. It is work! But just like teaching our children to read, it is something that is essential for their health and future!
Mel says
I have found that it is about the parent giving in to the children - something I don't usually do, but when it comes to food, they got me. My older son (now 7) went from eating everything to beyond picky at 13 months (like only eating rice and crackers.) In my inexperience, I gave in, because I was afraid he would starve. It's been a very slow process of building up from there, but his food repertoire has expanded a bit. My younger son (now 5) is less picky - he would grab handfuls of food of my plate as a 6 month old and was gumming steak - we just skipped the purees with him. However, he still has his weird quirks. Unfortunately, the likes and dislikes don't really overlap very much, which makes it difficult to prepare dinner. After short order cooking for a time, I decided enough was enough - HOWEVER, I don't always have the energy to deal with backlash from child A or child B regarding a food I am serving or a component of food I am serving. I've found myself cooking things I know we will ALL eat to save money, energy, and sanity. That's not the perfect way at all, I became so bored. So now I'm mixing it up again, with uneven results. Last night's soup went over beautifully with child B (who will eat anything in soup form) but child A had to have leftover pasta because he won't touch soup with a 10 foot pole. Sigh. So tired....
edyta says
When our son doesn't like something we tell him to try it at least. We say: "try it you may like it, you can't say you don't like it if you never tasted it." Very often turns that he likes it. Kids need to be also tricked sometimes. Our son didn't want to eat spinach, but we made up some game and eating spinach turned to be fun. other time he didn't want to eat spinach again so I told him about the cartoon about Popeye and how strong he was. He immediately started eating it cause he wants to be a strong boy. Sometimes he is very picky though.
Laura says
I am so tired of this topic. I had a child who was extremely picky. For YEARS when he was little, I tried all the advice offered here and every advice column/book/website known to man. I have 2 other kids who are not picky so why only the one? People who do not have a highly resistant child do not understand the stress and the parent shaming that are part of this topic. It's no different then always being told you are fat or ugly. If fact, it's like being told you are a bad parent over and over again. Please can we let this topic drop. It seems to come up at least every few days on your facebook and website these days. By the way, my extremely picky eater is now 26 and he eats a wide variety of foods and it's not because I did something different. Thank you.
Cari says
Thank you, Laura! My thoughts exactly! If you haven't had a picky eater, you don't understand how frustrating and stressful it is when your child refuses to eat. The assumption is the parents are only offering them junk so it's their fault their child won't eat healthy foods. This assumption simply isn't true for many families. Some kids are picky and there is not much parents can do beyond offering healthy choices and crossing their fingers.
Lauren says
Fascinating. You could just opt not to read posts on that topic. That's something.
Stephanie says
I have been very blessed. My children are 12 and 9 and picky eating is not something I've had to deal with in my house. Is it because of something I did? Is is because I was blessed with easy eating kids? Not sure. However, my husband and I did decided to not cook special foods for the kids (obviously we did for them as babies!). Ever. If we are having fish and asparagus, so are they. If we are having fajitas with meat and veggies, so are they. My children devour grilled squash, broccolini, and brussels sprouts. If I were to compare this to families I know that do have pick eaters - I see 2 differences. One, already mentioned, the kids eat what we eat. If they don't eat, they don't get a make up meal afterwards. Secondly, I cook at home. Yes, we eat out also - but cooking at home is becoming a lost art. It allows you to introduce foods to your children and get them involved in the shopping, preparations, and cooking. My daughters love to look at recipes and think about new foods.
Kat says
When we made the switch to whole foods, my kids adapted but not without complaint. After a year of new recipes--which included white whole wheat flour and homemade oat flour, dairy and egg free pancakes & waffles--my family asked for "waffles, the way you used to make them." So I thought, I'll give them this one, this one time. I pulled out white flour, white sugar, separated the eggs, added oil and everything else that goes into the old-fashioned waffles. The waffles turned out perfect, just the way you would expect them to be. The best part was, they didn't even like them! After a year of healthy, whole foods, their palates had changed. They missed the oat waffles the way I make them now.
Barbara says
My biggest challenge is that my son is now nearly 16. I have mostly fed our family whole foods at home and for years no backlash. About 3 years ago he started resisting healthy foods in the house. No veggies, little fruit unless it came out of a can. He is beginning to experiment again and choose some healthier options. I have never made a different meal for him, but he talks his dad into buying white tortillas, chips, etc. I am just hoping that all the work we did when he was young will pay off and those tastes he used to like, will return. I think this May be rebellion of sorts for him. I'm not going to force it, he still has college ahead if him. I just keep serving healthy options at home and figuring out ways to make junk food at home.
Denise says
When my children were young, I would take them to the grocery store and let them pick out a new fruit or veggie to try each week. This became a big game to see who could pick the most unique thing. We would prepare it together. Now as adults they eat or try any thing. Children all go through the picky eating stage, but I found that having them choose things on their own makes it more likely they will try new things.
Jennifer says
I just discovered something with my 5 year old who doeesn't do well with veggies. Last night I took mushrooms and onions (previously she refused them) and put them in the food processor until they were basically diced, and then included them in a chicken/wild rice casserole. She totally ate it and had seconds -- while two days ago she picked the same kind of onion out of her salad. And she never will eat mushrooms. So maybe I underestimated the role of texture, or the size of the veggie. If I chop it up tiny enough, maybe it tastes better to her!?
Mel says
I second this! I've taken to chopping nearly all of my salad veggies (and sometimes even my salad greens) into small bits. My younger (age 5a) son will eat salad like this frequently. My older son also seems to think the tiny bits are amusing...
Liz says
I wish restaurants would start offering some kind of kids taste tester plate on kids' menus - my two year old's dinners always include small tastes of whatever new food we're having plus small amounts of a few foods I know she already likes - that way I can encourage her to try new things but also know she won't be freaked out by a plate of unfamiliar food. Your suggestion of ordering healthy sides is tough for us with just one toddler - I want her to have more than just one food for dinner, but she's tiny and doesn't need more than a few bites of anything. Feeding her from our meals isn't always optimal either. Wouldn't it be awesome if restaurants actually got on board with encouraging kids to eat grown-up food? Make a big deal about them being taste testers, give them some piece of paper to rank their favorites, and provide a smorgasbord of whatever sides, salads, etc. are already prepared in larger quantities! I'm not asking them to take chicken fingers off the menu, just to provide an opportunity for small bodies to eat something that isn't bland junk without having to order a giant, expensive entree for someone who doesn't eat more than a dessert plate worth of food!
Isabelle says
I have three children (9, 6, and 3). Most of the time they will eat a variety of different foods. However, they all have their picky moments. My rule at home is take it or leave it. I make one meal, and that is what is for supper. They must try something before saying that they don't like it, and I do not make anything else. The older children have a chance to choose one meal (of their liking) for the week. Whether it is pizza or popcorn chicken, the meal is never store bought or from the restaurant.
I often find it difficult when they have friends over for supper, because more often then not the friend is a picky eater. I usually do not change my menu for them, but I feel guilty that they may be hungry. I refuse to be a short order cook.
Yvonne says
I find this really interesting as both my twin girls were fussy with food from being babies. We got stuck between the puree stage and solids and one consisted on a diet of pasta for a very long time. One of my girls turned a corner by herself with food and eating new things at age 2 and a half but the other was 3 and a half before i saw any improvements and i am positive it would have continued if i hadn't massively changed my approach. Rather than keep giving her the favoured foods (and trying to hide veg in them) i just stopped offering them. I didn't do it straight away, first i would put a little something new on the side of her plate and make no big deal about it and then accepted foods ie a new vegetable were given a lot over the next week or so until she was used to them and then i would move on and try something else, gradually i was able to transform her meals. Now i cannot believe we were stuck in such a rut but i think parental attitude and losing the fear in feeding your children helps. I was so worried and stressed all the time about it but once i took the control back and relaxed it fell into place. Now she eats a wide variety of vegetables served in many ways as does her sister. During that time though i stopped unhealthy snacks too and tried as much as possible to get family on board although that hasn't been easy. We talk about the food and how it helps give them energy to grow and be strong and i am always trying new things with them still without forcing and they really do respond. I also like them to choose a new vegetable to try and will prepare it in different ways. Your site has helped me immeasurably. Now if i could just get my husband and parents on board with the sugar issue i would be very happy!
Bonnie says
My boys (5 and 7) enjoy a fairly wide variety of foods. My youngest has always had a more savory palate. My oldest prefers sweet. Lately, though, my youngest has become pickier. So here's our deal at supper:
You have to try a decent sized bite of whatever I made. If you don't like it, then you can sit quietly until EVERYONE ELSE is done eating. Then, I will make you something else (usually peanut butter and honey, or a cheese quesadilla...not perfect, but it's what he likes right now.). I encourage him to try another bite when the rest of us are about half done, explaining that foods usually taste better when we're hungrier. Tonight, he ended up eating most of a baked burrito (which he swore he hated!) so that he wouldn't miss game time after everyone else was done. And you know what? He admitted that he actually liked it by the time he'd finished!
Bonnie says
My boys (5 and 7) enjoy a fairly wide variety of foods. My youngest has always had a more savory palate. My oldest prefers sweet. Lately, though, my youngest has become pickier. So here's our deal at supper:
You have to try a decent sized bite of whatever I made. If you don't like it, then you can sit quietly until EVERYONE ELSE is done eating. Then, I will make you something else (usually peanut butter and honey, or a cheese quesadilla...not perfect, but it's what he likes right now.). I encourage him to try another bite when the rest of us are about half done, explaining that foods usually taste better when we're hungrier. Tonight, he ended up eating most of a baked burrito so that he wouldn't miss game time after everyone else was done. And you know what? He admitted that he actually liked it by the time he'd finished!
Julia C says
My 3 1/2 yr old is a foodie! He will eat anything I make which is usually recipes from your blog. He is willing to try new things almost every time I offer. I was very disappointed a few weeks ago when we went to a Panera Bread that had just opened in our town and I looked at the kids menu. PB and J, grilled cheese, and ham or turkey with cheese sandwich. I opted for ham and cheese. Those were the only 2 things on the sandwich and it wasn't even grilled. The cheese looked like kraft singles. My son took a bite of the ham and that was it. A total waste. He ended up eating his dads French Onion soup. Next time I will order a half sandwich from the regular menu. I don't understand why kids menus always have the same boring options.
April says
So I have been blessed with a child that eats pretty much everything except chicken, chicken just isn't well received. That being said, I came from a family that didn't cater to kids very much. When I've watched my girlfriends kids I would just feed them whatever I was eating. I mean I heard that their kids were "picky eaters", but I was able to feed them well balanced meals. Without a fight. I think that if you sit with kids and eat with them they follow suit. But maybe knowing how to cook helps. I mean my Aunt cooked amazing dinners every night so I learned how to cook. I put a lot of value on cooking and have included the kids. I find that a lot of people really don't know how to cook, or make basic food. Which makes feeding kids really hard. But I'm pretty young and only have 3 friends with kids that I've watched so this is a tiny sample.
MCR says
I'm excited to be able to weigh in on this conversation! I think the foods that are being offered to children vs. what they should actually be eating is a very important issue. As a teacher, I see so many incredibly unhealthy lunches being sent to school with very young children. I know it's easier to pack a lunchable than healthy homemade lunches. But I cringe and have to force myself to keep quiet about most of the foods being sent. The sodium, chemicals, sugar and fat content in these meals...it just scares me for these kids. It's going to be much harder for these kids to make healthy food choices as they grow if they're not learning how to eat well as a child. That being said, I was a picky eater and still am in some cases but my parents always tried to force me to try foods so I don't think it was their fault. Some kids just come that way. Strangely, most of my picky food habits were kind of healthy...like I hated white bread, any kind of pork, most fried foods, and shellfish seafood. But I loved white meat poultry, most veggies and fruits, and hearty grain bread. I would have picked salad over pizza on most occasions. I was a weirdo and my siblings thought I was an alien because they liked all the typical "kid foods." As I got older I became more picky about the quality of the foods I would eat as well as becoming a germaphobe and not trusting anyone to wash their hands enough or keep food separated/clean the way I liked it. I was kind of a small kid to begin with (5 feet tall and less than 100 pounds until about a year after I graduated from college) and I would have rather gone hungry than eaten sonething I didn't like so my parents kind of put me in charge of grocery lists with the hopes that I would actually eat. My siblings hated the foods I bought and cooked most of the time but they did eventually start trying them sometimes and several of them have become more open to trying new things now. Two of my sisters are well on their way to being health freaks and one isn't too far behind. I still really try to eat healthy but I've broadened my horizons in the types of foods I'll try. I prefer to cook it myself so I know what's in it, but I'm open to more cultural types of foods like Indian and Asian dishes. So I'd say that's progress. It's just been slow and ever evolving process for all of us. Some foods you try won't work (I still can't eat chicken pot pie even years and years after my mom once forced me to do it) but it's okay to say "Well hey, that didn't work, so maybe next time I'll try something else."
Kerri says
As vegetarians, my kids could never really eat off the kids menu. Also, I've never cooked separate kid food for them. As a result, they've always been fed what everyone else is eating. My 8 year old says everything looks disgusting until she tries it and then she like almost everything. My 14 year old will also try anything and likes most things. They are way more open to most veggies than other kids are and it's awesome!brussel sprouts, beets, and kale are a few favs and giving one kiddo dates is the same as giving her a million dollars.
Kerry says
My son (newly 6) has slowly subtracted foods from his list...not added. He used to eat a variety of foods...BBQ chicken, tomato soup, spaghetti. Now he eats all veggies and all fruits, pretty much no meat, and Monterey Jack cheese...only Monterey Jack. He eats other things, but anything casserole or cooked or dinner type is a no go. I t frustrates me, as our daughter has varied palate. I just tell myself at least he only eats healthy food. (Sigh)
Stephanie says
I read lately that at around 18 months a child's metabolism typically decreases dramatically -- so if a toddler seems to be eating less than before it's not necessarily a problem.
Andrea S. says
in my opinion the parents are the biggest contributor to picky eaters. Time and time again I have watched parents feed their children a very "kid friendly" diet because they think their kids just don't like a wide variety. We have 3 girls and they have always eaten what I have made for dinner, I never make a separate kid friendly meal, and they love all kinds of food like fish, brussel sprouts, broccoli, hummus, and sushi.
Meredith says
I got my two and a half year old to eat two bites of salmon, and one bite of mashed cauliflower last night. Is that a win? He also had cheese and oranges. I'm hoping if I continue to expose him to different foods he'll stop being so picky.
Cari says
I really think kids show food preferences very early on. I only gave my son healthy foods as a baby but around a year old he started refusing to eat certain things. Some textures made him gag. We started giving him food I swore I would never give my kids just so he would eat something! I blamed myself for him being picky. Clearly I must have introduced food the "wrong way." Now 3 he is still pretty picky but is eating much more variety. It took a long time and he is still very selective with fruits and veggies.
His sister who is 1, on the other hand, hasn't met a food she doesn't like. Strong flavors and textures don't bother her. Looking at their different reactions to food, I no longer blame myself for my son's pickiness. I think he would have been picky no matter what I did.
I do agree that consistently offering healthy foods helps picky eaters add more foods into their diet. Just be prepared for a lot of refusals before he or she finally starts liking something new.
Ally says
I agree, I'be always wondered why restaurants always offer such crappy food for kids. I do think it's fun for them to get a choice and their own meal when we go out to eat cause in our house they get whatever I cook regardless if they like it or not. My son is a picky eater and even going out to eat can sometimes be tricky. I remember once going to a mall food court and all he wanted a bun with honey but where the heck am I going to get that? We struggle with his fussiness on a daily basis so we have a few rules to help him try new foods. Bottom line in our house is we eat what's prepared, no special meals, and we always have to at least try it one bite.
Rachel says
I have to admit that I'm pretty confused by my son. He's a pretty picky eater who's very brave about trying new foods. He'll even admit it when he didn't expect to like a food but likes it after all, yet there are SO many foods he doesn't eat. I guess we should be thankful he'll always at least take a bite and keep pushing the variety. I was just wondering if anyone else has a child with that type of personality!
phyllis bolsinger says
We hit on something that has been a huge success with grandson. When served something he's unsure about, we suggest he make a bite with something on his plate he likes ( like spinach with pasta). That has helped him overcome texture issues and after a couple of years, he will eat almost anything. He still isn't always eager to try something, but if it can be eaten with something else, he'll usually clean his plate.
denise says
I don't know - I definitely don't offer my kids junk, but they are extremely picky at the sight of things. My son also went through the "must be sem-icircle" mac and cheese phase. (homemade fine, but had to be elbow macaroni)
my almost two year old ate almost everything as a baby and is now pushing his plate away. Instead I offer things like hard boiled eggs, hummus, yogurt, apple sauce -but both my boys eat only certain fruits and vegetables, despite how many times I have offered others. I can't say I did this by offering them "kid food" so, I don't think it's entirely our fault. perhaps most parents do get in a rut and give up.
wendy says
My grandkids have always been offered whatever is being cooked. They grew up loving spicy bbq'd ribs, anything with salsa and most fruits and veges. As they've grown older their palates have changed...they're more picky about their proteins than their fruits and veges.
Marybeth says
At least they offer water to drink. I boycotted a restaurant because it only would serve my kid a "soft drink". No substitutes. But I do totally agree with this article.
Dana @ 3BoysUnprocessed says
I love this point. It makes me so sad to see how widely accepted it is to feed kids junk because "that's what they like." Well they didn't have a burger and fries in the womb so please explain to me how they came to only choose these options?? Lol
Tracey says
I have always cooked one meal for my family and have explained that sometime we have what certain people requested. Sometimes it is my turn, and sometimes it is your turn. I also involve my kids in planning menues and they help in the preparation of the meals even if it means being a garbage runner. When they have ownership and particpation they are more likely to at least give the meal a chance. My kids are now teenagers and eat a wide variety of meals and vegtables including salads. They really don't want pizza or chicken tenders.
Jen says
I was so disappointed when a family mom told her son, "Ick! You don't like sauerkraut!" Turned out, he loved it so much he asked to order another "Reuben making kit to go" for lunch the next day! We sometimes put tastes preferences on our kids without realizing it. I often explain to my kids that their taste buds aren't used to something for at least 17 tries... and they don't keep track! They all go thru phases, tho, I think. So glad we live in a diverse neighborhood where sometimes there are no choices handy but new ones!!