Picky Eaters: 10 Ideas To Get Them Eating

Life is quite stressful when you have to deal with a picky eater at home. Figuring out what kinds of food to cook and how to get them to eat is a daily headache. The meal battles are no joy either. It is really not uncommon for families with young children to have picky eaters. Many parents share the same predicament. They say most of these children will eventually outgrow it. I'm sure sitting around and waiting for it to end is not the solution you are looking for. So, take a look at some of the ideas below:

1. Ask for their input when planning your meals and get them involved in the grocery shopping. If you give them the chance to write the dinner menu, you increase the likelihood that they will eat it.

2. Monitor their snack habits especially prior to meal time. You can't blame them if they say no to meals when they just had a snack to filled them up. Don't forget the drinks also. Don't underestimate the filling power of juice and milk.

3. Don't pile their plates with too much food. Give smaller portions and if they can eat more, let them have seconds. Doing so, you create opportunities for them to finish their meal and they feel good when they do so.

4. Let them be kitchen helpers when you are cooking. If they helped make it, they'll be proud to eat it. For example, I got my 7 year old daughter to cut up the broccoli and cauliflower for dinner. And you know what? She eagerly put them on her plate and finished it and we're talking about a girl who straight out refused them before.

5. Present to them 2 types of foods to choose. Let them have some say over what they eat. You can ask them if they want spinach or green beans, french toast or scrambled eggs, etc....

6. Make sure your snacks have some nutritional value. Fruits and vegetables comes highly recommended. Prepare them as finger foods like carrot sticks and dip.

7. Point out what other children eat, especially their friends. I'm sure you've learned that with children, other people's food always taste better. Their friends could be eating something they've never had before but they are willing to try. It would seem like a good idea to get your children's friends together for a picnic sort of activity. Of course, make sure you team up with the parents first so there's no junk food.

8. Sometimes it's not the taste that is the problem but rather the texture of the food. If this is the case, prepare the food in a different way; like making bananas into a smoothie, or sneak in carrots into your muffins.

9. Labelling them as a picker eater can be detrimental. If they hear you say it all the time, they may just accept that to be who they are.

10. Never go out of your way to cook them a separate meal. Give them a choice but don't go out of your way to cook them something different from the rest of the family. If you give in to their demands, you'll never get them to expand their list of like-able foods.

Dealing with picky eaters requires much patience. It's not easy but it's vital you stop the meal time battles. Talk to the children about meal time rules and enforce them consistently. It would make your life easier if you had at your fingertips countless easy recipes for picky eaters. It definitely helps to get a little creative in preparing meals.