Every parent wants to know the secret – how do you make kids want to eat nutritious foods? How can you make food interesting for kids? And how can you help picky eaters eat better? Here are some tips to make mealtime easier and more enjoyable for your family!
How to Encourage Picky Kids to Eat
First things first, you can’t force picky kids to eat. Imagine how you would feel if someone made you eat something you didn’t want – not so great, right? But don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to help your picky eater:
- Remove the Stress: Kids eat better when they feel relaxed and not pressured. If you’re less worried about how much they’re eating, they’re more likely to eat willingly. Make mealtime enjoyable by talking about fun topics like your day, favorite books, or upcoming family activities.
- Offer Choices: Serve meals with different components so your child can pick what they like. For example, serve chicken with rice and broccoli. It’s okay if they don’t try everything right away. It often takes 8-10 tries before a child accepts a new food.
- Accept Changing Tastes: Just like adults, kids’ tastes change over time. Keep offering healthy foods without pressure, and they might surprise you by trying them someday.
How to Make Food Fun and Interesting for Kids
- DIY Meals: Let your child personalize their meals. Set up a taco bar or offer toppings on the side for dishes like pasta or baked potatoes. Giving them control makes eating more fun!
- This or That Choices: Involve your child by letting them pick between two options, like choosing the shape of pasta or the topping for their oatmeal. Small choices make them feel more in control and excited about mealtime.
- Fun Shapes: Use cookie cutters to transform foods into fun shapes, like star-shaped sandwiches or heart-shaped veggies. If they’re old enough, let them help with the cookie cutters too!
Making Food Appetizing for Kids
Kids eat with their eyes first, just like adults. Here’s how to make meals more appealing:
- Play with Colors: Serve a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to make plates look more inviting.
- Creative Presentation: Use fun plates or arrange food in interesting ways, like making a smiley face with fruits.
- Try Different Cooking Methods: If your child doesn’t like a vegetable, try cooking it differently. For example, roasting vegetables brings out their natural sweetness, which is often more appealing to kids.
Kid-Friendly Dinner Ideas for Picky Eaters
Need some inspiration? Here are a few easy dinner ideas:
- Breakfast for Dinner: Pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit, and sausages make a fun and tasty dinner option.
- Make-Your-Own Pizzas: Use bagels or English muffins as pizza bases, and let your child choose their own toppings.
- Soup and Bread: Serve a hearty soup with bread on the side. If they don’t like the soup, they can still enjoy the bread.
- Fancy Cheese Plate: Arrange cheese, crackers, fruit, and salad on a platter for a fun, mix-and-match dinner.
- Sandwich Bar: Offer different bread, fillings, and toppings, letting your child create their own sandwich masterpiece.
- Let Them Plan: Involve your child by letting them choose a meal from a cookbook or online recipes. Being part of the process makes them more excited to eat.
Supporting Picky Eaters with Multivitamins
If you’re worried that your child isn’t getting enough nutrients from food alone, consider adding a multivitamin. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if a daily vitamin is right for your child.
- L’il Critters Gummy Vites: These delicious gummies support overall health and development with fun flavors like cherry, strawberry, and orange.
- Paw Patrol Daily Multivitamin: Shaped like favorite characters, these gummies provide 11 essential nutrients in yummy blueberry, cherry, and orange flavors.
Picky Eaters? No Problem!
Mealtimes don’t have to be a struggle. By creating a stress-free environment, offering fun and flexible choices, and making food visually appealing, you can help your child explore and enjoy new foods. And if needed, a daily gummy vitamin can fill in any nutritional gaps.
With a little patience and creativity, your picky eater can learn to enjoy a variety of healthy foods!
Brought to you by the Zdravok™ nutrition experts.
