Dealing with Picky Eaters

My soon-to-be three year old daughter has always been a very picky eater. She practically lives on hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, buttered toast and fruit, along with a couple of other foods. My doctor has been saying that it's just a phase and that she will grow out of it, but I don't see that happening very soon. Fortunately I have picked up a few tricks that make me feel a little better about her eating habits. Hopefully these tips help you deal with your picker eater too!

Be sneaky. Mix in pureed or shredded food into your kid's favorite dishes. My daughter absolutely refuses to eat any kind meat besides hotdogs and an occasional slice of ham on her sandwich. Little does she know that I mix in finely diced chicken almost every time she eats rice. I also try to sneak in a little bit of pureed carrots into her mac and cheese and cauliflower into mashed potatoes. If your child enjoys dishes like pizza or spaghetti, you are in luck because you can mix in all sorts of pureed vegetables into the tomato sauce.

Reward their effort. Every time she tries a new food on her plate, she gets a sticker. Some people may frown upon this habit or call it bribery, but I say if all it takes is a sticker to get her to try broccoli or peas...it's well worth it. Make sure they actually earn the reward though, and that other family members are aware of the reward system.

Presentation is key. Apparently things taste much better when they come in fun shapes, especially sandwiches. A set of cookie cutters in various shapes is a good investment if you have a picky eater. My daughter also enjoys it when I dice things up into small pieces and let her eat them with a couple frilly toothpicks instead of a fork. You can buy a large box of fancy toothpicks at your local party store for about $2. One box of toothpicks should last you a couple months— just make sure to watch your child as they eat with them.

Cover it in sauce. Ranch dressing, chocolate syrup and shredded cheese have become staples in our household. They may not be very nutritious, but I rather she eat broccoli smothered in cheese than no broccoli at all. Some of her other favorites are "orange fries with white sauce" (carrots diced into matchsticks with ranch dressing) and banana slices that she gets to dip into chocolate syrup.

Don't tell them what they are really eating. I'm a picky eater myself and can not stand seafood. My husband has gotten me to try fish in the past by simply not telling me its fish and letting me think it was chicken (I have to admit it was not bad). Along the same lines, simply let your children think that chocolate chip zucchini muffins are just "muffins" and whole wheat bread is simply "bread."

Gummy-style vitamins. I seriously have to keep these on a high shelf to make she she doesn't eat the whole jar. They are a little more expensive then the regular kids vitamins, but well worth it in my opinion. No matter how little she ate a particular day, at least I know she got a good amount of vitamins and minerals from her daily vitamin.

Do you have a picky eater at home? Any tips or favorite recipes you can share?

Remember to check out our new recipes section on CoolSavings which is full of easy family-friendly recipes. Who knows, maybe your picky eater will learn to like something new!