Do you struggle with a picky eater?

At some point as a parent or caregiver, we have dealt with our child(ren) giving us the gears (or even some tears) about eating their meals. Whether it is eating their vegetables at dinner or refusing to sit down at breakfast because in a rush they need to go to the washroom. Kids can be relentless and frustrating when it comes to meal times. 

I can recall my own children at dinnertime sitting at the table. They make faces or push the food around on their plate and give a thousand reasons NOT to eat their dinner. In a perfect world, I would have preferred that my children (all 4 of them) ate their delicious and nourishing food that I slaved to cook for them every single night, BUT we don’t live in a perfect world so I choose to pick my battles with them. Dinnertime became more of a hostage situation than a lovely meal enjoyed with loved ones! LOL!

So if this sounds familiar, I got you…

Here are my tips around picky eaters.

1. Involve your kids in deciding what is for dinner. If they get to choose, then they will be more likely to eat what is staring at them on their plate.

2. Offer a variety of healthy foods for mealtime and snacks. This will encourage them to explore new foods and discover their likes and dislikes.

3. Give them small portions of each food at dinnertime. This way they don’t feel overwhelmed or discouraged if they don’t eat all their food. Sometimes I was dishing out seconds (only if they really liked it). 

4. Serve meal times at the same time everyday. I found it helpful especially once my kids could tell time, they knew dinner was ready around 6pm. Kids thrive on routine and so do their bellies! (I understand that sometimes this is not realistic, we have busy lives and half the time we are running kids all over town to get to their activities, however if you are able to plan a consistent dinnertime schedule 3-4 nights a week…I call that a win for you! 🙂 

5. Provide them with at least one food at every meal that you know they will eat. So if that means giving your daughter strawberries everyday, so be it! Yes, there are lots of other delicious fruits out there but if she loves strawberries then give her the strawberries. In my experience, eventually they get tired of eating the same thing over and over. At that point, it’s an opportunity to introduce something new.

6. Set an example. Most children will follow in your footsteps if they see you eating healthy and nourishing foods. I believe it is important to discuss the difference between a treat ( that is eaten occasionally) and meals that will provide you with the proper fuel for your body.

7. Bring them grocery shopping. I used to have my kids pick out one vegetable and one fruit. This is providing them the confidence to make healthy food choices as they grow up.

I hope these suggestions help you, like I said at the beginning, I decided to choose my battles around food. Being a parent or caregiver is not easy, there was no instruction manual that came with each kid. But what I do know is this… kids will eat if they are hungry and be stubborn when you try to convince them otherwise. 

All we can do is consistently show up with positive support and allow them to embrace what they like and respect what they dislike. 

Check out my book “Don’t All Cats Eat Chicken?” An empowering children’s book that shows how to be your true, authentic, awesome self. Featuring 2 cats with unique tastes... Find out what it means to embrace differences and have the courage to show your genuine self. 

It is available now at Amazon.