The Picky Eater Dilemma

There is one in every family, a very picky eater that throws off mom and dad at every meal of the day. It can be very frustrating for any parent when you spend time, love and energy into making delicious meals for their family and their picky eater refuses to eat. Fret not; most children go through lengths of time when they want nothing to do with certain foods, so you are definitely not alone. Read on as we offer some tips and tricks for dealing with the picky eater dilemma.

Keep it Positive

It is very important for parents to have a positive attitude during meal times. Make sure that you don't show your children when you get frustrated about their pickiness even if it means ignoring some of their bad behavior at times. Try to focus on the positive and celebrate the small milestones when they try new things.

Continue to Introduce New Foods

Be organized in your weekly menus and continue to introduce new foods so your children can develop a familiarity with new foods. Even if they have no desire to try them at first, when they see the rest of the family eating different foods, they will learn to be more accepting of these new meals.

Setup a Reward System

Children love rewards. Setup a reward system to encourage your children to try new things with the outlook of a nice reward at the end of the week. Although some parents can find it difficult to budge in rewarding children who are not cooperating, this method can have a very positive outcome in the long run.

Know When to Introduce New Foods

There are certain times in the day when children are very hungry and are more likely to try new things. Have certain snacks and foods such as fresh veggies or fruits ready to go for these small windows of willingness.

Make it Look Fun

If food looks fun and delicious, children are more likely to try it. Sometimes going the extra mile in making fun looking food in smaller portions, can encourage children to give certain foods a try.

Get Them Involved

What better way to get children into food than getting them involved in making it? There are many ways to involve children in the cooking process. If they can see how it's made and be part of the cooking process, then they will be more excited to try the foods that they "cooked themselves". (wink-wink)