I just made a post on Facebook about non-picky kids and it got moms talking!
Since people are asking...
what worked for us, so far:
-modeling. I was a grown woman before I knew my Mom did not like green peppers and my Dad did not like beets. They were both served regularly on our table, but neither parent ever said anything about not liking them. If you don't like something, just hush, skip it and move on.
-serve a variety of food ON THEIR PLATE. Yes, you know the kid will probably not eat cole slaw, but he'll definitely never try it if it's not even on his plate. Put tiny taster portions of everything on their plate.
-train them to taste everything on their plate. We have a house rule that you taste everything, this has always been the rule, they now do it without being asked. Tastes change as you grow, and studies show it can take 10 times of tasting to learn to like a new food. Even if they didn't like it yesterday, they still taste it today.
-don't buy kids' meals at restaurants. It trains a kid to always eat chicken nuggets and fries, every restaurant has them. Order from the regular menu, so for example at a Mexican place, get them rice and beans, or order a little extra for yourself and share a plate. It's cheaper too!
-teach gratitude. It goes without saying that there are millions in this world who go to bed hungry each night, yet we complain that there are onions in the casserole. Be thankful you get to eat today and teach that to your children.
-breastfeed your baby. Breastmilk tastes differently each day depending on what mama has eaten, yet formula tastes the same every day.
-indulge preferences, but not demands that change the entire family's plan. For example, SJ likes her milk warm or room temperature. She still gets milk like everyone else, her milk is just warm.
Mealtime is relaxed and easy now that our kids eat what they're given with gratitude. B was difficult to teach between ages 3 and 4, but he's been taught now and eats a good variety without complaint. He even eats sushi! SJ thankfully eats anything except cold food, understandably as she had never had anything cold until 10 months ago. She'll eat things traditionally served cold here in the US, she just waits for it to warm up a little!
6 comments:
Great advice! Eva is a pretty good eater as well. We always serve what we are having but also ensure that atleast one or two items being served for dinner are something that she really loves (like apple sauce or cottage cheese as a side for dinner for everyone). Our girl loves sushi, salad, and steamed broccoli which just blows me away! Her tastes change ALL the time. One day she'll love baked beans and the next week not touch them hardly. I like the idea of making sure that she at least tries each item. We haven't been doing that. I also like the idea of modeling gratitude and just quietly not eating something if you taste it and don't like it. I don't think Eva will do so great at that right now b/c she is almost 3 and pretty vocal about what she doesn't like. BUT, like you said...it will eventually kick in and she'll learn how to be polite about it. Good post friend.
Me again. I meant to add that we don't allow Eva to eat dessert if she hasn't eaten a decent portion of food for dinner. It's a great motivator for her. If she eats a good dinner (and of course we don't force her to eat all of it, just at least like a third of it minimum) then we have a small dessert for dinner.
yes. Josie has the "opportunity" to re-try things she has formed opinions on - carrots are sometimes ok, sometimes gross, etc. It changes daily! And sometimes we still have to count one bite for each year of her age.
Great post, I am taking this under advisement for the future.
Cindy
hi- just popping over from the forum and I love this post. Good ideas all... and, I'll keep reading and peruse your old posts as we begin to consider the potential of adopting again, this time older. Shhhh.
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