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Do you have a picky eater? Picky eaters begin their careers early, but there are solutions that may help. So, check out our picky eater tips. My grandson is a picky eater, and my granddaughter is even worst. Needless to say, meal time can be a struggle. His mother, my daughter, was a picky eater too. Lets add in the fact that she couldn’t stand for her food to touch. If it did, I had to fix another plate if I wanted to get some nourishment into her.
As a result of my picky eaters, I had to come up with a plan to get my children to eat. So, I thought I would share tips that I used for my picky eaters:
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- Get your child involved in the meal preparation. Kids love to help, so why not let them help with preparing the meal. They’re more likely to eat what they’ve helped prepare.
- Incorporate 1 – 2 items that you know they will eat into the daily meal plan.
- Serve fruits and veggies for snacks instead of chips and cookies. I serve apple slices and peanut butter or ranch dip and celery or carrots. My grandson loves to dip things and my granddaughter loves peanut butter. Also, I invested in a vegetable cutter that will make crinkles in vegetables. Carrots, cucumbers and celery are perfect for crinkle cutting.
- Kids love animals or alphabet shaped foods. Additionally, cutting foods into various shapes and patterns is more exciting than regular food and vegetables. I now have a cabinet full of molds for pancakes and waffles. What kid doesn’t want a cow, pig, dinosaur or zoo animal on their breakfast plate. If you want breakfast to be fun and delicious, purchase the Zoo Animal Waffle Maker. There is also an Animal Pancake Maker available.
- If your child is a pasta lover use wagon wheels, corks, or spaghetti. I remove the green from cucumbers and finely chop them before placing them in the pasta. My grandchildren love pasta with Zesty Italian dressing. Get creative with the pasta. I get a “Happy Plate” every time I serve it.
- Make zucchini or banana bread and muffins instead of cakes and cupcakes. I invested in Top with a little whipped cream. I purchase Nordic cake and muffin pan. This is my latest purchase Nordic Ware Sweet Rides Classic Car Pan
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- Invest in sandwich cutters for P & J or grilled cheese sandwiches. Kids love interesting foods.
- Limit snacks before meals.
- Make eating out and fast foods a treat rather than the norm.
- Eat meals together rather than placing your child in front of the TV. They’ll see you eating and may be willing to try something new.
- Encourage your child to try new things. Start with getting them to taste rather than forcing them to eat anything. After all, they are picky eaters.
- Make fresh fruit smoothies together using Almond milk. My grandchildren love Almond milk.
.Praise, praise, praise your children when they eat a good portion of their meal. Children need and love encouragement in all areas of their life. When my grandchildren eat all of their meal, I shout “Happy Plate.” They giggle with joy. What tips do you use for your picky eater? We would love to hear from you.
@Cascia Talbert – I like your idea of involving them in grocery shopping. Xavier is doing better in the eating department. Funny, his sister loves to eat. No picky eater there.
Those are all great tips! I also get my kids involved in the grocery shopping. I have them pick out a strange or unusual item from the produce department and then I involve them in preparing it. They love this game! Glad to hear you are getting your picky eater to eat better. Have a great day!