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How do you handle picky eaters? I have a 3 yo dcb that immediately will point at his veg or any unfamiliar food and say I don't like that or I don't want that. I always encourage him to try least a bite but he rarely will and when he does he tries to fake me out. I find it very annoying to put food on his plate only to scrape it into the trash. I do give him small portions of everything. And it's not only that, I want to make sure he is eating well, since most of his food for the day comes from me. I try to keep my lunches as kid friendly as possible, but I refuse to serve junk. What do you do to encourage and establish healthy eating habits?
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Serve the food. Kids eats or goes hungry. End of story. -
Get a list of things he eats at home and if it's something you know you can make healthier, use some of those ideas. I find the simpler my meals are, the more likely the dcks will eat. I made swiss steak and scalloped potatoes/ham last week. Kids don't like things that are combined or touch other stuff.
At least not til they get a little older and daring. As far as veggies go, I let them use ranch dressing, hummus, applesauce, even ketchup(ICK) to dip them in if it'll get them to eat them. If they'll eat things like meatballs and spaghetti sauce, or meatloaf, that's a wonderful way to serve up some secret veggies. Same with muffins and quick breads. Will they eat soups?
Cauliflower can be put into so many things without kids knowing. Does he eat mashed potatoes, add some in.
I have a couple dcks who won't touch a veggie if their life depended on it. And their list of acceptable fruits is very small too. But 1 of them loves peas. Some will eat frozen peas right out of the bag. Or fresh green beans off the vine as opposed to cooked.
Smoothies with kale and blueberries.Comment
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I also do the same. I serve healthy kid friendly meals but I can't force anyone to eat. I do not allow kids to say they don't like something or say "ick" or anything derogatory about the food on their plate. Either eat it or don't but I do not allow comments about anything as it seems that if one child says they don't like something, others will chime in and say the same even when I know they do like it. I don't believe kids will starve. I think they just get really good at holding out until someone gives in.Comment
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Okay that is what I do. I don't offer any substitutions and no I don't think he will starve. I guess it is just more of an annoyance than anything!Comment
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Make one pot dishes. Put meat, noodles, and 2 different veges in one pot. Most kids will just eat it. Every once in a while, an extremely picky kid will actually spit out the pieces he/she doesn't like, but typically, even picky eaters will just eat the 'soup'.Comment
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