While the idea of feeding your child a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables may sound ideal when you read about it in a magazine, translating your good intentions into a meal that your picky child will actually try is another issue altogether. Having a picky eater can wear on your nerves and make meal time a hassle. By creating a meal plan based on your child's favorites, making improvements and trying new things, you can create a no-fuss meal plan that offers a week of healthy food ideas.
Step 1
Write a list of all of your child's favorite foods and those foods that she'll eat without much fuss. This gives you a base list of those things that you know your child won't complain about or fight you on. These make for good base meals for trying new things. Print a calendar or use a weekly planner and fill in the days with meal ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, making sure that you use her favorites at least once per day.
Step 2
Find ways that you can make your child's old standby favorites more healthy for meals. For instance, if your child likes to eat hamburgers, find ways to sneak in extra protein and fiber, like making them with ground-up beans or chick peas. If your child loves pasta, puree healthy vegetables like squash and tomatoes to add to the sauce.
Step 3
Plan for at least one new healthy food each day. While you can fill your meal plan with old favorites, your picky eater may be more likely to try something new when it's served with a more comfortable and familiar food. Never force your child to try something new, pediatrician Adam Strauss warns "Parenting" readers. It could create a negative experience that makes your child resistant to trying new foods in the future.
Step 4
Shop smart and only bring items into your home that are on the meal plan. It will save you money, and it will also send a message to you picky eater that the food on her plate is all that is being offered. When you want your child to try a new vegetable, yet she knows that her favorite canned pasta is in the cupboard, she may be resistant. Declare your home a healthy-food zone and shop accordingly.
Step 5
Present the food in an enticing way for your picky eater. Serving a tray of finger foods may be a better way to get him to eat, or offering various dips to try, suggests Dr. William Sears, Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. Finding interesting ways to present the food allows you to stick closely with your weekly meal plan, whether you're serving up healthy favorites or new dishes.
Tips and Warnings
- Keep track of the foods that your child tries and enjoys on your calendar so that you can add them to your next week's meal plan.
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