Picky eating is one of the most common complaints of parents of small children. In order to cook foods that your kids will eat, you need to understand why they become picky eaters. According to William Sears, M.D., a combination of factors contributes to poor eating habits. After the first year of life, children gain weight more slowly and need less food. Active children do not like to sit still, even for food. The trick is to select nutritious food in the proper quantities, make it appealing and serve it with creativity.
Step 1
Offer a variety of nutritious finger foods in a divided tray. Use a muffin tin, ice cube tray or other dish with compartments filled with bite-sized foods such as cut up fruits and vegetables, cheese and whole grain cereal. Place the tray where your child can reach it and allow her to nibble throughout the course of a few hours.
Step 2
Create healthy dips, spreads and sauces and encourage your child to have fun and make a mess by dunking her bread, fruit and vegetables. Great dips and spreads include guacamole, cottage cheese, cream cheese, low-sugar preserves, peanut butter, yogurt and pureed vegetables and fruits. Cheese sauce makes a great camouflage for vegetables.
Step 3
Blend delicious smoothies with milk, yogurt and fruit. Pour the smoothies into a colorful cup and insert a straw for a complete meal in a glass.
Step 4
Hide diced or grated vegetables in your child's favorite foods. Grated carrots and diced red peppers make delicious accents for macaroni and cheese or hamburgers. Whip up vegetable-based versions of her favorite foods like carrot muffins or zucchini pancakes.
Step 5
Control portions by remembering that a child's stomach is approximately the size of her fist. Serve small portions and offer more as she requests it. Try making miniature versions of your dishes, such as mini-muffins or mini-bagels. Sears states that this approach has the added benefit of stabilizing blood sugar levels and, therefore, mood swings.
Step 6
Present food in kid-friendly ways. Cut pancakes, sandwiches, pizza and waffles into fun shapes with cookie cutters. Serve in unexpected, whimsical serving dishes or toy plates. Add "eyes," a "nose" and "mouth" using cut-up vegetables. Let your child put olives on his fingers for edible finger puppets.
Step 7
Switch things up by preparing breakfast foods at dinnertime and vice versa. If your child wants to eat leftovers for breakfast and pancakes for dinner, let him. Small children do not necessarily understand adult ideas about which foods are appropriate at different times during the day.
Step 8
Ask your child to help you cook. She may be more likely to eat her own creation. Children like to wash vegetables, tear lettuce, scrub potatoes and stir batter.
Tips and Warnings
- Resist the temptation to offer sugary foods to encourage your child to eat. You do not want to cultivate his sweet tooth.
Things You'll Need
- Tray with compartments
- Blender
- Small cookie cutters
- Dishes designed for children
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