Picky Eaters. We all have little ones that are picky to some degree. Here are some quick tips that have worked for me in getting my kiddos to eat.
Play with Your Food
Even though we don’t encourage it on the regular, it’s okay to get creative with the presentation of your kids meals. Here I made a funny face with Cheerios, Bananas, Apples, Asparagus and Cuties. My daughter said “A silly face!” She zeroed in on the Asparagus right away. I said she didn’t have to eat the eyes if she didn’t want to. She consumed the whole thing. And my son followed right along.
Mince Mince Mince…And Mince Some More
If they can’t see it they can’t complain. Here I minced Salmon and Asparagus into the EVER POPULAR Mac n’ Cheese. If your child is SUPER picky I would likely use a blender and probably sprinkle it in when making the sauce.
Another “Play With Your Food Tip” try and add food by making it a game. Here I added Olives as the O’s and made little X’s in Apples for a Tic Tac Toe game while eating. This will also help take the focus off the extra ingredients added in their Mac n’ Cheese.
Fun Plates!
Ways you can persuade them to eat more food is to use plates, flatware, cups, straws and napkins….no joke my daughter has commented and even specifically requested Frozen napkins we had leftover from a birthday party. My kids LOVE these plates that they painted themselves at As You Wish. It’s NEVER a hassle to get them to eat when I place it on their Grilled Cheese plates.
Another tip is to use character plates and encourage them to uncover the faces by gobbling up all their food.
EXTRA Verbal Tips
- We always say Baby Trees instead of Broccoli!
- Fast Food = Greens/Veggies/Etc because they will make you run fast!
- Praise them when they are eating well. At our house we tell them “I can see you growing.”
There are so many ways to encourage good eating…even with the pickiest of eaters. You can also try Pinterest for ideas. Most of all I suggest getting creative with food presentation and carefully word things when talking food to littles. Good luck!
Great tips and photos! Especially love the mincing technique ๐