My daughter is 10 now and I'm thankful that her picky eater days are far behind us. Her picky eating tendances gave me so much stress in her toddler/preschool days. She refused to eat fruit and some vegetables, meat she was fine with. I started to get her a couple "food" related apps so she could see that food was fun. Sago Mini came to the rescue with its cute cast of characters: the cat Jinja, the dog Harvey and the bird, Robin were all happy eating what they were fed.
These games, along with fun food experiments in the kitchen really helped. She loved making smoothies and now can eat oranges, apples and strawberries without wincing! She still won't eat tomatoes (it's ok if it's in sauce) but we are getting there. I still make stuffed tomatoes for dinner every once in a while and I know that one day, she'll eat the whole thing. Please don't think they will not like something forever, you'd be surprised if you keep serving it to them, eventually they will decide to eat it and also love it!
Enjoy this guest post by Sago Mini with some tips on picky eaters.
- Natalie
Get Cookin’: How to inspire picky eaters with culinary creativity
By Sago Mini
We’ve all been there. The airplane/spoon trick. The Broccoli Forest parable. The whole “you’re not leaving this table until every pea is gone” bit. And yet, the Picky Eater remains victorious. They sneakily feed their kale to the dog (who’s now super healthy, by the way). They beg. They scream. They hide their carrots under Fort Mashed Potatoes. You need all the help you can get, so we’re getting creative and sharing our favorite tips for coaxing picky eaters to try something new. (Even when that something new begins with a B and ends with "sprouts".)
Think inside the box
When it comes to getting picky eaters excited about food, getting them involved in the meal prep process is the golden ticket. Try stuffing a cardboard box full of fun, hilarious ingredients (a la Chopped) and asking your kids to help you come up with a meal plan – you could even set a timer!
Looking for something a bit lower maintenance? (Hello weeknight meal prep madness.) Kids subscription boxes are a great way to keep things exciting AND easy. Consider a monthly subscription box that delivers kid-friendly recipes to your door (some include ingredients as well). Picky eaters will love to see what goes into their meals, and might pick up a new skill or two as well!
Digital gets delicious
Life often imitates art – and cooking can too. While watching a show or playing a kids learning game with your resident picky eater, talk to them about the food they see on the screen. For example, in Pet Cafe, ask them about the smoothie maker – what flavors would they pick if they made it for themselves? Or in the toast counting activity, ask them about their favorite wacky ingredient to put on toast.
Next, it’s kitchen bound! Try out a layered smoothie like in Pet Café (peep some inspiration here), or reconstruct their favorite sandwich from Sago Mini Apartment IRL with healthy, fresh ingredients. They’ll love bringing their favorite games to life, and you get a bit of help in the kitchen (and, fingers crossed, with clean up!)
Play with your food
When all else fails, turning mealtime into playtime is a tried-and-true picky eater strategy. Invite the Walk & Play Finger Puppets to the table – have them help harvest veggies for the kids to eat or use a banana as a sweet halfpipe for some skateboard tricks (with the condition that said halfpipe gets eaten afterwards!). And don’t worry – the finger puppets are washable if a food fight happens to break out.
Creating your own drive through with the Vehicle Playsets and Jack’s Diner is another great way to get ‘em excited about food. A little pre-dinner co-play with your kids can get everyone involved (and hungry) for what’s to come.
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