Do you have a picky eater? Trying to get children to eat something they don’t like is difficult. As a parent I have always refused to stoop to the strategy that would probably be most effective – bribery. I never wanted to make dessert a reward for eating dinner, so I tried other, more subtle, (and therefore ineffective) methods of appeasing picky eaters.
Unfortunately, it turns out my children have a sixth sense which warns them when I am trying to get something by them. Books have been written on how to disguise food to make it more appealing to children, but those tactics never worked for me. I tried adding minced kale to my spaghetti sauce, but no one believed it was parsley. And every time I added protein powder to smoothies they rejected the resulting drink.
All the experts say if kids help shop for and prepare a meal they will eat it. Well not my kids. They are perfectly happy to dirty every pan in the kitchen making something they have no intention of eating. Making a mess is fun, eating healthy food is not.
Finally we settled on requiring a “No Thank You” helping from each child. This is a small token serving of the offending part of the meal, which has to be eaten no matter what. Once we instituted this rule most of our arguments with picky eaters stopped. Not because the kids were eating better, but because they were much, much sneakier than me. This rule allowed my children perfect the art of hiding vegetables and making me think they ate them. Here are some of their most successful strategies.
- Food art – Mush up the food, mix it all together and spread it out on the plate so it looks like some has been eaten.
- Separate bowls – Pretend that you can’t stand having your food touch other food. Get a separate bowl to keep food isolated, place the bowl on the plate , and hide vegetables underneath. Then after dinner volunteer to clear the table, thus hiding the evidence and getting appreciation for being helpful all at the same time.
- Drop food to the dog – always a favorite of children everywhere. According to my daughter the key to this technique is to wait until conversations are going on, so that the sound of food hitting the floor will be hidden. My son confessed he used to cleverly kick food over toward his sister, so she would get the blame if caught.
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- But after years of these futile techniques I have finally discovered the secret that works – puberty. Once my kids hit about 12 years old they get
hungry. All the time.
- And when there is a limited amount of junk food they are forced to eat what is available. So at thirteen my oldest discovered that Caesar Salad tastes delicious. Now I buy bananas, apples and tangerines and they disappear. When we go out the eat the problem isn’t finding something they like, it is keeping them from ordering the most expensive and exotic food on the menu. OK, broccoli is still not a favorite, but baked potatoes are eaten, and every time I send my son out to harvest tomatoes he eats more than he brings in to the kitchen. So if you are struggling with picky eaters there is hope!
When I give my children variety and make food look pretty, they eat much better!
You forgot the hiding food in napkins tactic, I used that one all the time!
I am so glad my kids were not picky eaters!
we have the same picky eaters in our family and I lvoe that you tell it like it is. It doesn’t matter if it looks pretty or placed on a special fun plate .. if they don’t like they won’t eat it! PERIOD.
I acutally cook 3 meals almost every night just to make sure my children get full bellys. They are all veriation of what I am cooking so it’s not too much trouble
Example
Speghetti… Some like it with sauce, some like them with butter no sauce, 1 likes it with the noodles with sauce and the meat on the side.
EVERYONe EATS but it’s like BURGER KING here YOU GET IT your way LOL
my picky eater is more apt to eat if she’s been involved in the meal. We make our own pizza and let her put the cheese on, or we make tacos and let her build her own at the table…for taco toppings we use shredded carrot, cucumber match sticks etc. She loves it!
Those methods are hilarious and so true! Hm, I think our most memorable meal would be the first time I fed my 3-year-old spaghetti. There were noodles everywhere including in her hair! Then of course there are the memorable diapers… ew. LOL
My almost two year old ALWAYS drops food for the dog! So annoying, lol!!
I have one picky eater left in the house – i put cheese on everything to get him to eat it!
With a grandchild as a vegetarian, I have long since learned to modify menus. Thanksgicving dinner includes stuffing with and without sausage, mac and cheese plus nut breads and whatever else I can think of. It was not always that way. Memorable mealtime? the worst was the Thanksgiving Dinner when my sister-in-law announced-as she walked thru the door-that she was now a vegetarian. As I recall, she ended up with mashed potato and some celery sticks. And the rest of the family felt guilty.
Christmas at our house is always a memorable family meal. Everyone is together and enjoys the company and the food.
I was never picky growing up – hoping my children are the same!! oh no! lol
That cracks me up! I am lucky that my 2 kiddos eat just about anything. I was the picky one when I was little. lol
I have 6 kids…some picky…some NOT! I use whatever it takes to get them to eat a healthy, balanced diet. And when that doesn’t work, I use the bribery thing! LOL!
I have a picky eater, I think my son is not going to be so picky, he is 10 months and he eats/likes everything we have given him, including most veggies, fruits and meats.
I have to trick myself sometimes 🙂 I used to cheek food and excuse myself to the bathroom to spit it out.
We hide our veggies in pasta sauce, rice and even veggie cakes.The kiddos love ’em!!
Levi isn’t a picky eater so far, but my husband is. I flat out lie to him about stuff. I once told him a piece of calamari was fried chicken just to get him to taste it.
I really like strategy #2. It’s original, and they get brownie points for helping clean up. Why didn’t I think of that when I was kid? 😉
Both of my girls are very picky, and we always require a no thank you bite. We do not make them eat their food, however. They can have an alternative, as long as they taste everything on their plate first. Often times, they find out that they love it and continue to eat it. Great post!
I have 4 kids and 3 of them tend to be picky! I try to enforce the “must eat your veggies” rule and for the most part, they understand. My youngest I sometimes have to hide the vegetables within other food.