Rewind three years ago when my first born was still slurping up spoonfuls of mush. He was a big eater, at least two jars, maybe more, per meal. I could feed him pretty much anything; sweet potato, squash, sweet peas, and all the first fruits.
Now my son is almost four-years-old. His favorite foods include peanut butter and jelly, pickles, and goldfish. Alright maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, he does eat fruit and a few veggies, but believe me when I say this kid won’t eat anything I make.
I think the most frustrating part of having a picky eater is having to make multiple meals. Dinner, of course, being the worst. I try really hard to make something for the family, and without fail, I am back in the kitchen taking orders like a short-order cook. And half the time, meal #2 is also unacceptable.
I am not a pushover. I am firm when I tell him he needs to eat this now. But at some point “mom guilt” kicks in and I’m like, ok, this kids needs calories, or the next blustery wind is going to sweep him away.
So, here are some things that have helped me deal with my picky eater a little better. I would love to hear your advice if you are in the same situation!
The Dreaded Smoothie
Ok, so I’m sure for most of you, smoothies are your first bit of advice and your first go-to meal for a kid who won’t sit down and eat food. The thing is, I kind of hate making smoothies. I do think it’s a necessary evil in my world though, so here are some things I’ve done to make the smoothie process a little easier.
- Get an immersion blender. If you don’t have a good blender, you can just forget about making smooth smoothies. And cleaning a blender every day is completely annoying, and it winds up sitting in the sink getting crusty. Solution: immersion blender. You can literally blend in a large glass, and throw the stick part in the dishwasher. Side note – perfect for making soup!
- Pre-made smoothie mixes. This is for the mom who has 2 minutes to get a breakfast made, or the mom who likes to take the easy route. Your freezer section at the grocery store is now filled with ready-to-blend smoothie options. If you’re an organized mom, you can get your smoothie ingredients ready the night before and store in the fridge.
The Deconstructed Meal
Any Top Chef fans out there? “Deconstructed” is a cool foodie/chef term, and the concept has actually helped out with my picky eater. This kid would NEVER eat salad. But separate it out in those convenient compartments in kid plates and he does a little better. He’ll eat plain cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, sometimes even lettuce.
Even with hot meals, if I separate out the elements of a casserole, I’ll have better luck serving him that then a big spoonful of something. If I do goop up his plate, I’ll hear “Mommy, I don’t know how to like this.”
Find Your Child’s Achille’s Heal
I’m not saying to break your child down, and I don’t lie to my kids, oh wait, yes I do, I’m just saying find some things that you know your child takes seriously and use that to help them eat their food, and try new food.
- Use your child’s favorite character. Chances are your child has a favorite character, book, doll, etc. I was lucky enough to sit through a Daniel the Tiger episode with my son, and it just happened to be about trying new food! It even has a catchy song that we sing together any time I serve him something new. At least now he gives it a little taste, well, 7 out of 10 times 🙂
- Trick your kid. Just this morning my son would not eat his breakfast. I said, “Oh no, your muscles, they’re gone!” (he’s into muscles, karate, power rangers, he needs muscles to fight the bad guys). This look of serious concern came over his face, he then sat down and ate his cereal, looked at me and asked, “Mom, are my muscles back?” Awwwww, serious mom guilt. But wait, it worked!
What are some tips that have worked for your picky eaters?? Moms of older kids, what is in store for me??
I love the muscles idea! I’ve read that pickiness is their way of asserting control when so much in their life is dictated by others. Great job, momma.
This was an outstanding blog that I’m sure will help many mommy’s..
Great article. I have a hard time getting my son to eat the right things. One thing that helps is giving him a choice in what to fix for dinner as well as getting him to help cook. He still will not eat a lot of it, but he will at least try 60% of what we fix. I hate having to cook a second meal for him.
Great advice! I try and give my son a choice too and he might try it but rarely eats much. I tried some new tips today like making a face with his lunch and it actually worked 🙂 Still needs more calories!
my son is so picky. the only thing that he will actually eat for lunch at school is Lunchables. it makes me look like a lazy mom and I prefer not to spend that much money for crap food but I am just happy that he eats SOMETHING! oh, and I tried to make a “homemade” lunchable once – forget it, he wasn’t interested 🙁
Jenna I feel the same way! My son has a PB&J almost everyday for lunch and I wonder if his teacher thinks I am lazy! it’s just that I know he loves it and that he will eat it so that’s what he’s getting.
Vicky, if PB& J are his “tried and true” I’d say pick your battles at lunch. I know that you feel his teacher might fine you lazy for giving him the same thing everyday . Instead of second guessing yourself feel empowered by your choice. I’m sure you son isn’t going to say ” Hey Mom, can we change this up a bit”. No, he is sitting there happy as a clam with a lunch you know he’ll eat. Save the experimenting with new foods for dinner and implement a one bite rule. Everyone must try at least one bite, this includes mom and dad. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that I was setting a good example for my kids by shoveling down a heaping spoonful of the bland little, green mushy things people call peas. UGH! I even fessed up to my dislike of them and said ” See even mommy eats them even though they’re not my favorite I know they’re good for me”. It also helped to prepare the food item of choice often ( once a week) to get him used to the idea that this issue isn’t going any where so he might want to get comfortable with the idea of eating new foods.