1 Super Simple Thing That Can Get Your Picky Eater Trying New Foods
If you’re looking for things to try with your picky toddler, this one is a must. And it is very easy to execute. You will know quickly, if your toddler’s interest is piqued by doing this.
With picky eating, to minimize overwhelm and stress, it’s best to think about finding ONE thing that ‘speaks’ to your picky eater, and focus on doing that one thing as consistently as possible.
You can plan to try one new thing each week, until you find what speaks to your child. This way, you feel like you are focusing on the behavior but are not overwhelmed by it or feelings from it.
Keep in mind also, that different things work for different toddlers. So, what your neighbor did, what I do, or what your best friend did, might not work for your family.
In this post, I include strategies that have worked with over 20 toddlers. So it’s fair to say, this can work for many. It hasn’t just worked for ‘me and my children’, it has worked for many of the children I have worked with over the years, from different backgrounds, influences, with varying preferences and personalities (most of whom were ‘picky’.)
Here's What To Try
- Serve your child their food as normal (whatever food you usually serve them for breakfast, lunch or dinner)
- THEN, sit next them, eating a new food you’d like them to try, out of a pot, mixing bowl or cool Tupperware container.
- Let them come to you.
See what happens. Do they come to you?
If you think about it – is your toddler one who comes to you, curious about what you’re eating and wanting some too? Many toddlers do this.
They might come over and point at what you have, or say – “What’s that? What do you have Mom? I want some!” (This can seem especially true when you don’t really want to share what you have, am I right?).
Use this to your advantage.
If your child responds to this – voila! Now you know that you can serve them their food, then sit next to them with something new in a cool container, and they will most likely ask you for some.
If They Do Ask For Some
Here are some examples of what you can say to not scare them off and get them from curious to tasting:
- “This is cold and crunchy! Here, do you think its crunchy?”
- “This has buttery sauce and is so creamy! Feel how soft it is.”
- “This grows on a tall stalk, like this! Let’s look up some pictures while you peel it.”
Try to use food facts when answering questions about the food. Instead of saying ‘it’s yummy asparagus’, try saying – ‘it’s like a green paintbrush! Here, its kind of like a paint brush with a bristle tip, huh?’
By using food facts you will be recognizing characteristics about the food and allowing your child to make their own opinions about it’s smell, flavor etc. When they’re able to make their own decisions, they will feel more comfortable and accepting.
Additional Picky Eater Tips
Here are 3 other things that if done all together, work mealtime magic:
1. Food-focused activities. Do an activity 1x/week for 4 weeks. Some food-focused activities are: Having LO pick fruits, veggies & meats at the store. Let them grab them. Unload them. Put a big bowl of water on their table & have them clean veggies. This creates interest & attention that isn’t forced, & that often times has them taking bites as they clean! Another activity is meal prep together: let them break apart celery, let them crank the handle for zucchini noodles. Let them build their own bowl!
2. Meaningful non-mealtime conversations about food. Discussing where foods come from, how they grow, what they look like & why we eat them, educates your child about foods that they wouldn’t otherwise learn about. Learning builds curiosity and fosters understanding and acceptance.
By talking about these things in a non-mealtime setting, there‘s no pressure. It’s learning & it’s interesting. Say things like, corn grows so tall! Let’s look up some pictures of corn. Chickens are raised on a farm. They give us protein which is so good for our skin & bones! Asparagus is snappy! It kind of looks like a paint brush!
3. Give them a heads up that you‘ll be trying new foods in a couple of days. When toddlers know what to expect, they’re less likely to be out of sorts when change happens. So, before serving any new foods, give them a heads up by saying something like: “Ok, in a couple of days we’re going to try some brand new foods and see if we like them ok? Let’s explore! There are so many foods out there to discover! Some we’ll love and want everyday, and others we won’t like at all! Let’s try some new stuff and see what we like ok?” Give them a heads up and set the expectation.
Once it’s time to serve the food, stay calm, cool and collected and help them get hands on with the food. For ideas on how, check out The Picky Toddler Challenge. It’s a free comprehensive 4-week activity-focused program that’s sent to your email that you follow along at home. We cover strategies for minimizing parental stress around mealtime and talk about specific strategies at and away from the dinner table, that have worked for more than 20 mild to extremely picky toddlers.
