- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Pre-School and Daycare
Renee070806
member
has anyone used a certain technique to "cure" their picky eater?
Renee070806
member
ive had it! i am so sick of ds being a picky eater!!
he started being picky when he turned two and we havent made any progress in the last year!!!
at 10 months dd is super picky (ds never was) too and the two of them are driving me nuts!!! at least with her i can say "keep offering, it will get better.." but with ds i really am at a loss!
anyone have any success stories? ive heard supernanny has a lot of good ideas but was looking for inspiration from real moms first!
tia 
This discussion has been closed.
Re: has anyone used a certain technique to "cure" their picky eater?
A lot of people are using bento boxes with a lot of little portions of things. I have had luck with divided plates too. I think some people use cupcake trays or the silicone cupcake wrappers.
You can also use cookie cutters to cut things into shapes... anything from animal-shaped sandwiches to crinkle cut apples (if you have the patience for that!).
There is defintiely a lot that can be done with presentation.
Also perhaps experiment with dips. For fruit - caramel or yogurt. Veggies - ranch, etc. I got this new Otria greek yogurt dill dip that the kids loved.
I got my DD to eat a lot of carrots around Christmas ("reindeer food") and around Easter ("carrot food"). There are baby carrots at the grocery store with the "HOP" movie logo on it, so of course DD wanted those
And sometimes they like to copy their peers. Our good friends have had their kids over for a playdate, their kids are super picky, but all of a sudden they want what my DD is haviing.
GL!
Nest Bio ~ ~ Baby Food Blog
It's true that my daughter has always been a good eater. I'm lucky that way. BUT... I am still a big believer in the "that's what's for dinner" mentality. When we serve something she doesn't like (and she has her preferences, believe me) then I usually only ask her to eat three or four bites and I always incorporate something she does like, like peas or fruit or even bread. If you try this method, it's so important to stay strong with it. I have a friend whose daughter is super picky, and I really believe it's due in part to the fact that the parents are always giving in, bargaining with her, offering her favorite foods, etc. Of COURSE she'd rather eat a go-gurt than chicken!! They really won't starve if they don't eat a perfect meal every time. I promise.
Also, we eat with our daughter, and we all eat the same food. That's gone a long way in encouraging her to eat - it's not really a choice, it's what's for dinner for all of us.
Finally, she really likes to help plan our meal. Do we want peas or broccoli for the veggie? Should we have honey or ketchup with her nuggets? Give choices that don't really matter to you, but make your kid feel empowered and involved. Control is a big one for preschoolers.
LOL. This is certainly not the best technique, but we do this often too!
Actually, what works even better w/ DD1 is reverse psychology
We tell her, "you know what, DON"T eat that. I don't want you to eat it, that way I can eat it later". That usually =s her gobbling down her entire plate of food! 
Honestly though, I just hope it gets better soon. DD2 used to be a great eater but I swear she sees her sister not eat and now she's becoming really picky too. It's hard dealing with this!
I try the cute meals, making it fun, including DD1 in cooking or making choices... She gets what she gets and no "second" meals just for her pleasing... I feel like I've tried everything! I guess it's just one of those things where they'll hopefully outgrow it sooner rather then later.
One thing that works great in the summer is having our own vegetable garden. If DD can pick tomatoes or whatever herself, she's all about eating them. In fact, last summer that was the only way she would eat tomatoes.
BFP 5/07 - Kylie born 2/08. BPF 2/09 - Alexandra born 10/09.
TTC since 8/13 - diagnosed difficulty conceiving due to LP defect. Took vitamin B and Vitex Berry to help lengthen.
BFP 2/14 - Missed M/C found at 8.5 weeks. D&C at 9w2d. Partial Molar Pregnancy.
BFP 11/14
My Pregnancy(ies) Blog
I responded to a similar question in this thread:
https://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/50570909.aspx
HTH!
Hang in there - it gets better. I've done a lot of research on this and from everything I read, the pickiness is generally a stage which children grow out of. Of course, reading that a year ago didn't make me feel any better - but now that my son, who is almost 5, is finally trying new things, it's a huge relief.
Until a few months ago, I could count the number of foods that he would eat on my hands. And I know much of it was my fault - but I hated making the dinner table a battle zone, so I usually caved and gave him what he wanted. Now, I always make him eat at least one bite of everything DH and I are having. Sometimes we sit at the table for an hour until he takes that bite! but since we've started doing that I've seen noticable improvement. I still give him "sides" of healthy items which I know he will eat, so that way I feel like he is being fed, but I'm still offering him new items.