Getting Your Picky Child to Eat

When I was a child, I was as picky an eater as they came. However, my mother had one trick that worked on me every time. She purchased a plastic plate with a picture on it of robots battling in space. I loved that plate. My mother didn't serve my meals from that plate every night but saved it for those nights when she was going to pull eggs, fish, or broccoli on me. I still don't like broccoli, but I'll still eat it if it's served off that plate!

You don't have to limit yourself to purchasing silly—or in that case, very cool—dishware. The point is to make meals fun. Kids like variety, whether we are talking about the color, taste, or texture of foods. Why not give your toddler a piece of paper and a crayon to doodle with during dinner? The distraction could be helpful, and he may also be encouraged to draw what he does and doesn't like.

Also, try giving your dishes funny names. Who can resist sparkleberry soup? Let your kids come up with the funny names and make sure you obediently call the dish by the name they bestow upon it. The only rule is that they have to taste the food to name it. Another tip in my mother's bag of tricks on days when she wanted me to try a new food was to not let me snack between lunch and dinner. That way I was hungry enough to eat anything—as long as it was on the right plate!

More on: Healthy Meals for Families

Excerpted from:

From Raising Healthy Eaters: 100 Tips for Parents by Henry Legere, M.D. Copyright © 2004. Used by arrangement with The Perseus Books Group.

To order this book visit perseusbooksgroup.com.