Another Solution For Picky Eaters: Check Out These FREE Online Videos of Kids Cooking!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007 at 11:45AM As you may remember, my 6-year-old-son is a recovering picky eater. There were many, many months when I could count the number of foods he would eat on my fingers (no toes needed). Even classic advice like "get him involved in making dinner" didn't work. He was the only kid I know who would get involved in making a dish, enjoy the mixing and cooking, and then NOT want to take a bite of what he made! UGH! SO FRUSTRATING...
What finally helped?
Well, I did use several tips and tricks that I already posted here -- but I think what helped most is:
1) Giving up the power struggle -- I gave up the power struggle, let him eat only what he wanted (it was all pretty healthy, just not much variety) and after about 3-4 months, he started trying new things.
2) Time -- the more time goes by, the more he wiling to try (but I think that's because I don't force him, he knows it won't be a battle)
3) The cooking videos at http://www.spatulatta.com/! At spatulatta.com, kids teach kids how to cook through online videos. It is so much fun watching these with my kids, and then trying the recipes! I never thought I would get my son to like tacos - or soymeat - but he sure did like the Tacos-To-Go that I made with the soymeat. YES! A thousand blessings on the heads of the family that made this site! Their kids are great role models for ours!
If you've got a picky eater at home, surf on over to http://www.spatulatta.com with your kids and get them excited about cooking! Also check out my other picky eater solutions here.
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend
Reader Comments (2)
I remember what it was like to absolutely despise many foods, and thankfully nobody hassled me too much about it, because I grew out of my pickiness on my own! Yes, it took a looong time, but it happened. Remembering this helps me stay out of power struggles with my own kids.
I know that when I was a kid, I would have rather skipped 1000 desserts or just sat at the table and go hungry rather than eat 3-bean salad or liver and onions or beets or about a million other things.
And actually to this day I eat none of those things!
But I do eat dozens of foods I didn't used to, and most people who know me now have no idea that I was a very picky eater.
It's boring and a bit annoying working with my kids' limited food preferences, but there's not much I can do except keep offering a variety of nutritious foods and have faith that their repertoire will expand gradually. And thankfully both are healthy and are growing well.
The funny thing is, my gut always said "Leave the kid alone - he'll try new things when he's ready" but it was my in-laws who would make me feel like a bad mother for not pressuring him to eat more or saying "No dessert unless you eat more." That was always the rule in their house and it seems to make perfect sense right? Well, I saw the logic in it, but I didn't think it would help. I always felt it was better to not make a big deal of it...
When I followed my own instinct everything worked out. Like I said, he started trying new foods in about 3-4 months of me giving up the power struggle and he is slowly trying new foods. He knows I won't pressure him...
There are many ways to be a good mother. In most cases, I find that following my insticts works just fine.