Yeah. It can be difficult to please our children, especially when they hit the dreaded "terrible two's". But who the hell am I kidding? We all know the "terrible two's" begin far before they actually turn 2. And probably last just as long as well.
Recently, I wrote an article for newparent.com (which is a very awesome resource for parents of young children) about this very topic: picky eating.
What do you do about your picky eater? What are your tips for getting your children to eat their food?
laborious amounts of ketchup and ranch dressing? smiles.
ReplyDeleteOne way we have been able to get our son to eat lately is to let him play with his Fridge Farm toy...while he puts the magnetic animals in/out, we are able to give him bites of food. In a way, I hate instilling the habit of playing while eating....but it helps get the food eaten! He is a pretty good eater most of the time, but this helps on "those days".
ReplyDeleteI feed them the same foods we eat, and just keep on doing it and hope eventually they will learn to like it. I try not to make it into a big battle, which just stresses everyone out, but sometimes we do have the "how many bites do I have to eat..." conversations. Usually when there is something sweet to eat after. And like Brian I find that fun dipping sauces help too. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness my 4 year old is a nightmare! She will sit there and throw a fit, I don't like that, I want this.... but give her something with sugar downs that sucker in 10 secs flat.. ahuh.... a nightmare!
ReplyDeleteHaha... I'm not there yet (my little one is 9 months old) but I can see it on the horizon!!
ReplyDeleteIm your newest follower.... stop by some time!
http://blogginmommadrama.blogspot.com
I know it sounds like a silly madhouse, but whatever we are eating we become. Special bites of chicken make him bawk, silly noodles make him giggle, beef makes him moo when it hits his belly. And the very last bite makes him run around the room giggling!
ReplyDeleteMy kids are pretty good now but only after a lot of hard work. Bot my kids went through a phase where they would only eat 5 things. It made going out so difficult and it was becoming so wasteful whenever I would buy and make something new and they wouldn't even try it. We implemented a rule that you have to try at least 5 bites of something new before you declare you don't like it. Also, if there is any crying or complaining about dinner they go in timeout. If they're not going to eat, they can sit there politely while the rest of us do. This usually works really well because they do get hungry enough sitting there that they actually eat. Thanks for sharing the article too - I liked it!
ReplyDeleteAwesome ideas!
ReplyDeleteBrian-
we do the same exact thing! ketchup on everything seems to work wonders.
Tesa-
good idea for putting a rule into place where the kids have to sit there if they aren't going to eat in the hopes of them at least trying what's on their plate. I like the five bite rule too!
hey, whatever works, right ladies (and gents) lol
Hello! Found you on tmc, and I am now following your blog! I have a picky toddler, and my only trick is to cut back on the milk a little (or give meals BEFORE milk) Then they don't fill up on liquids. Also, I try to give less juice and more water. Even at that, I still have a picky eater. It does help though!
ReplyDeleteMy son is now 7 and is still a picky eater. My husband is 45 and the exact same way. Somehow I don't see the hope for change in my house. I hope others are more fortunate (-:
ReplyDeleteHeather-
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you! That's what I do with my son also. Works like a charm, doesn't it?
Mrsblogalot-
as most men are!
I found that a successful way to address this is to eat the food yourself first. Once my daughters see me eating the food, they dig in. It's that simple for me. They want anything that I have.
ReplyDeleteOh, BTW, coming to you via Theta Mom Community. Nice to "meet" you!
Not sure if I welcomed you yet, but so glad you joined TMC! Following you!
ReplyDeleteI just go with the flow - eventually they come around. However, if they chose to not eat dinner, then they don't eat and no snacks to make up for not eating!
ReplyDeleteOMG! You wrote that article!? That is so awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Wannabe WAHM
Ketchup and cheese-if they cover it, the kids will eat it.
ReplyDeleteHi, visiting you from TMC. Nice blog! Have an amazing evening, Jamie
ReplyDeleteI lucked out.... My son is not a picky eater... And he eats what we eat.... MY wife and I don't have a wide array of foods that we eat, but he's always willing to try something new.
ReplyDeleteI Think It's Interesting
I'm so glad Alyssa has always been a great eater and doesn't like candy that much. I'm very lucky!
ReplyDeletehi Following you from MBC...hope you can also follow me ..thanks
ReplyDeleteI am so happy that my 5year old is not a picky eater..she eats vegetables and she don't munch on chocolates that much.