“Oh, no, not dinner!!!” I can’t tell you how many times a week I here this very phrase.
Ahhh!!!! The dreaded mealtime with the PICKY EATER!
It can be nothing short of TORTUROUS!
For some kids picky eating is a phase and for others it is a way of life. I grew up a very picky eater (I still am to a certain extent), and, as punishment, I had a child who is also quite picky.
Doctors will tell you all the time, “Don’t worry, you’re kid is not going to let himself starve.” Well, that may very well be the case. However, while he won’t starve, that doesn’t mean he is being properly nourished. When Big Brother started eating table foods it all went downhill from there. He’d eat cheese, yogurt, fruit, peas, and berries; but give him broccoli, beans, meat, or bread and you’d have thought we’d given him poison. –He’s a very dramatic child– And don’t even get me started about what happened when we started feeding him the dinner that The Husband and I ate.
I have to say, though, that at almost 4 1/2 not only does Big Brother eat a well balanced diet, but he will also sit down at the dinner table and eat at least a little of what we’re eating.
So, what’s the trick to getting even the pickiest of eaters to try things???
Well, everyone has got a weakness. (insert sinister smile)
Big Brother’s weakness? Superheroes. Everyone in his family knows it, and we, his parents, capitalized on it.
The foods he rejected suddenly all had super powers. If he ate these super foods he would grow STRONG MUSCLES like Superman and be able to RUN SUPER FAST like Dash from The Incredibles. His “broccoli trees” have special vitamins that give him super strong bones, make his brain really smart, and give him super vision. His meat had protein to give him big muscles like all his favorite superheros. After dinner he’d show off his “bulging biceps” by picking up small pieces of furniture and then do laps through the house showing off the new powers he had courtesy of his super food.
I’ve really been quite surprised at how long the “super food” tactic has worked for. We’ve been using this for over two years now, and it still works like a charm.
Most families have at least one picky eater so let’s have it. What do you do to move mountains…err…I mean, to get your picky eater to eat?
About Amy @ Oh So Savvy Mom
Here in Japan some people say that leftovers attract ghosts. If you don’t want ghosts to come then you’d better eat everything on your plate!
I loved when Brady was little how you told him that tomatoes were tomatillos. It’s amazing how changing the name makes all the difference!! =D I think that involving kids in the food prep might help them get excited to eat it. If they are able to see something that they made, gives them a sense of pride and also takes away the “What is that?!” reaction.
I use a trick that I grew up with, and for some reason it just works. If one (or all!) of our kids aren’t eating enough, they need to eat as many bites as they are old. So if they are 5, they would need to eat 5 big bites of their meal. Also, I’m a mean mom in that whatever I make, that’s what they get. I have two meals, Take it, or Leave it!
(but we also say the raw broccoli is trees and to ‘eat the birdies’. So weird and kind of inhumane, but it works every time!)
Oh, and my kids also help (a VERY loose term, here!) where they can in meal prep, so it’s kind of like they get to enjoy their finished product
Yes, I have a pick eater, for sure. It’s been difficult, so we supplement with vitamins. I’ve tried some recipes, but nothing works. He could eat french fries non-stop if I let him. LOL!
We Hide a Lot of veggies in sauces, it works about half the time
Put everything in a shell
Ha, I love the face in the photo, hee hee.
Love your article, gave me some great tips for my grandkids! Thank you!
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I think you just have to mix it up, finger foods..
love to cook for kids
kids love to eat!!
This is Not my strong suit, I have a very picky eater as a husband and a very picky first born daughter and I have worked around them as much as possible. For the sake of their health I have over the years slowly switched white flour to whole grain (in pasta and breads), white rice to brown – but that is just about the extent of it. I am currently working on watering down their juice….I’m hoping to over time work my way into Just Water. Sorry I’m not much help, as I said, this is not my strong suit!
I have alot of picky eaters in my family! I wish there was a pill I could give them to change there taste buds! I just keep putting it on there plate hoping that one day it will be gone!
picky eaters at my house is a common site! I just keep putting it on there plates hoping that one day it will be gone!
I never out grew being a picky eater so I can’t help you. I still do just a basic no salt, no veggie kinda diet but I turned out okay so I guess I’m saying that kids will eat when they are hungry, quit trying so hard.
I just keep trying the same things, sometimes different ways, and eventually it seems to click, LOL.
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Straight from Calvin and Hobbes: tell them it’s monster brains. Works like a carm.
*charm
When I got my boys they were 5 and 2. They were used to eating only what Dad would/could fix…usually tv dinners, and ‘frozen ready to eat’ foods, i.e. fish sticks, pizza rolls, pizza, etc. When I made a real meal and tried to feed them veggies you’d have thought I was trying to poison them. Dad backed me up, and made them eat what I cooked. Now, their favorite foods are broccoli and asparagus!
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Oh! I’m following you from Feed Me Friday Blog Hop! Would love to have you stop by and visit me!
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We have a rule about not having “bedtime snack” unless they have eaten well. As for trying new foods, I just try to casually ask because pushing the issue does not work with my guys.
Jessica @FoundtheMarbles recently posted..Are You One in a Million? Taking the Million Moms Challenge
you can grate nearly anything but onions and green pepper into chocolate cake or brownie batter and they’ll never ever know!
ntiveheart aka jayedee recently posted..It’s National Cheeseburger Day!
Oh, my word – this brings back memories! My kids are older now, so our challenge is in ensuring that they continue to eat healthy, more so than the picky eater phase. Both of mine went through that as toddlers. I swear, the year my daughter was three, she tried insisting on eating nothing but cantaloupe. (big Mom groan).
We were very fortunate in that both kids are crazy about fruits and veggies. We always accepted that smaller tummies of active kids work well with smaller amounts more frequently during the day but insisted on limited “treats” to once per day, with healthy choices first. Unlike when I was growing up, with the big, hearty dinners, we focused more on heartier breakfast and lunch, with lighter evening meal.
Our biggest nutritional challenge was getting the kids to try new main courses, especially anything that was all mixed together, like a casserole. I did find that familiarity bred acceptance. The more times they saw it served, the more inclined they were to give it a try. As well, helping make dinner seemed to help as well.
My parents were very strict on clearing your plate. With my children, I didn’t sweat it. Our philosophy was to encourage testing new things, plenty of fruits and veggies, with praise for trying and ignoring up turned noses.
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I am dreading this whole topic! I have a 2 month old and a Daddy who thinks his kid is going to everything Daddy wants him to eat! Oh boy
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This has go to be the cutest thing. I do this at times with my girls…not really going into the whole super power aspect but more of it will grow your hair out REALLY long like in Tangled. More of that line! But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do!
We have been doing healthy smoothies in our house and they are chalked full of healthy things my daughter normally won’t eat well. One of my favorite add ins for her is spinach. It is so good for her.
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My oldest son was always picky and still is all grown. I would say if you don’t want to eat it when he was older there is always a can of chili or a peanut butter sandwich. He always ate salads, celery, fruits, milk etc. So I always had a vegetable dip and salad. He isn’t fat so we have to not make a big deal about things or it gets to be a war and who wants that?
LOL, it sounds like your son and I have a lot in common. I am still fairly picky. Just the other day I made a dinner that I didn’t think tasted very good (my husband liked it just fine, but he’ll eat just about anything). I just couldn’t get myself to eat it.
Sounds like even though he’s picky he still gets a healthy diet. That’s the most important thing.
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Great topic
NOTHING YET !! I will try some of these suggestions ! She is 2, and she eats green beans (from Lee’s Famous Recipe only) bagel, fries, cheese, and yogurt every once in awhile , that is IT. I think she ate meat once and spit it out . Dreaming of the age she can understand a bribe
Hmmm…it’s been a while since my two picky eaters! I tried to make popular, healthy meals and recognized a “clean plate” as a big accomplishment (serving sizes were only what I knew they could eat). And although everyone had the same foods on their plates, the serving size of the “yucky” food on “Picky’s” plate was only a couple of bites. And of course, the yucky food was always left for last. So, I would make a big deal about how close they were to a “clean plate”…you only have two bites left. The last two or three bites sometimes took five minutes, but the looks of “I did it” on their faces at the end made it all worthwhile…at least for me!?!
Mom