Here are the things they will always eat: Bread.
Snacky things, like pretzels, crackers, and yogurt.
A few cheeses and meats.
Notice the conspicuous lack of fruits and vegetables.
First, the books.
(More on that later.)
Let them get hungry before meals.
The kid chooses whether and how much to eat from whats offered.
Emphasize variety, and include treats at regular intervals so those foods dont become forbidden fruit.
Okay, still curious about how many writers can spin whole books about picky eating from 94 words?
If thats your situation, consult your pediatrician.)
The child decideswhetherto eat,whatto eat (from the foods on offer) andhow much.
Kids dont get to ask for anything else.
We dont do the backup in our house; I consider the safe item to be adequate.
(Gonzalez has a particularly disturbing story about a child force-fed a banana by his grandmother.)
(Forcing a child to kiss or lick a food strikes me as rather creepy, anyway.)
The food is on the table, thats all there is, and kids can take it or not.
The conversation turns to other topics.
Manners are important
Its fine not to take any fish.
Its not fine to screamyuckorI dont like it.
Teach kids to serve themselves what they do likewhether its the rice or bread or cottage cheesewithout comment.
If they dont want the first course, they can still sit and chat politely.
Tastes are good.
Dina Rose suggests emphasizing (but not forcing) tasting and talking about the foods youre tryingis it sweet?
We value tasting in our family,taste it, damn it.
The wolf in grandmas nightgown is more convincing; trust me, Ive tried it.
So go slow and consider this to be the beginning of a years-long effort at developing adventurous tasters.
(It helps that I really like beets.)
My kids sometimes dont eat a single bite of dinner.
So if this is you, you have my sympathies, because Im in the same boat.
If its Chicken Chuckles one night and Hot Dogs Supreme another night, so be it.
