12 Tips for Your Fussy Eater

Do you need tips to get your fussy eater to eat? Mealtime can be fun family time. But fussy eaters can be aggravating and worrisome for parents. Food is fuel for the human body and good nutrition is necessary for proper growth. When kids won’t eat, it’s downright frustrating.

Try these 12 tips for family meals!

1. Make one meal for the whole family. Becoming a short order cook on the whim of a fussy eater is not beneficial for the child and will leave parents frazzled. Children are not entitled to choose a dinner selection that’s different from the family every night.
2. Have a “One Bite Rule”. Whether a food is new or not a favorite, encourage children to try something novel and to give others a second, third or seventh chance. It may take several times to develop a taste for certain foods.
3. Involve children in meal preparations. Assisting with meal prep encourages children to eat. When a child can say, “I helped!” it’s incentive to take a bite.
4. Choose interesting, colorful foods making meals a feast for the eyes and palate.
5. Vary the preparation. If cooked carrots tend to wrinkle your child’s nose, try serving carrots raw with dip.
6. Plant a garden. Growing and eating what’s harvested is fun for kids.
7. Give foods a new, fun name. Broccoli “trees” are much more interesting.
8. Get in the habit of offering healthy choices for the whole family, parents included. When only healthy choices are available, any option will be a good one. Be a good role model.
9. Serve milk or water. Soda pop is not a good choice for young children. There’s too much sugar, tummies get filled too quickly, calcium and phosphorus are lost, and the risk of dental decay is higher. Limit juice too.
10. Close the kitchen. If snacks are an option before bedtime, children don’t need to eat dinner.
11. Last resort: bread and butter. For those determined kids, bread with butter is a final option. “Breakfast is in the morning” is a reasonable response too. Children will not starve overnight. If they are hungry, they will eat.
12. Enjoy! The dinner table is the best place for family to connect after a busy day.

…for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons,
satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.
Acts 14:17b ESV

© 2023 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.

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