No More Picky Eaters!

Back in the old days, I used to be one of the ones who catered to my kids’ eating habits…whatever the little ones wanted, they got. You know, cooking two meals at dinner, stocking the freezer full of chicken nuggets…that kind of thing. I finally realized this was teaching them nothing about life, plus it set them up for a lifetime of the “gimmes” and continuing issues with food.

I finally solved it, or at least put a huge dent in it by following the tips below.

• There will be ONE meal cooked for dinner; do allow the kids to pick some of their favorites they want you to cook throughout the week, but by no means have them run the show

• If there is something they don’t like or don’t want to try, they MUST try one bite (that goes for all the adults too); if not, they will sit there til bedtime (reheat it if you have to in the microwave) and if they are still sitting there, they get a privilege taken away
  

• Do not force the “clean your plate” routine, as it can set a kid up on the path of eating disorders; give them a reasonable amount of food for their age (seconds are okay) and expect them to eat most of it

• If they didn’t eat their meal to your satisfaction, there will be no dessert and more importantly, no bowl of cereal or snack before bed; my kids only had to do this twice with an aching belly to get over this bad habit

My kids DO have their favorites, and there ARE times where they whine about what we are having or pick at their food, BUT they do try everything (and have been pleasantly surprised many times). They DO make an effort to eat most of their food. I also try to have at least a bowl of carrots at the table and have them drink milk with their meal. That way, if the meal is totally not to their taste, they can still get something nutritious that isn’t junk….like chicken nuggets.

Do you have idea that works for you?