Tricks to Get Your Children to Eat the Food You Make Them

As a parent, you often have a battle with your children about eating. Having a toddler is a nightmare when they are in their moods. Couple that with trying to feed them, and you have a disaster on your hands. My son was not picky at all until he hit about 20 months. At this point, you have to get creative and work with what you are being dealt. There are so many ways to get your child to eat what you want them to, especially when you get sneaky. These are some tricks I use to get my son to eat what we make for dinner without having to cook something separate for him.

My secret weapon: Ranch dressing

Let me start off by saying my child loves Ranch dressing. If I put it on the plate for him, he will eat it alone. When I discovered this, I had an epiphany. I decided to place the dressing as his dipping sauce for any and all finger foods. Things like chicken and pork that he would not eat suddenly became two of his favorite foods. He will literally eat anything as long as there is Ranch on there. Also, I can buy the off-brand dressing and he still enjoys it. This is great for the pocketbook, especially with how much we use it in this house.

The enforcer: You will eat what we have or you won’t eat at all

Growing up, we were not given the option of another meal. We were told to eat what was put in front of us, or we went to bed hungry. My son is just under two years old, so this technique had to be tweaked a little. I try to make things I know he will at least attempt to eat. This means that green peas and mashed potatoes are out of the question. When my son decides to refuse eating, I simply remove his bowl. He is now sitting at the table where his father and I are, and watching us eat. Sometimes this helps, and other times he sticks to being a pill. If he is not eating when we are finished, his bowl goes into the microwave. I will offer him food again later, and most often he will eat it. I have never sent him to bed without food, and this technique has worked 95% of the time for me.

Sneaky mommy: I make sauces thicker and creamier to hide veggies

I know a lot of children that refuse to eat their vegetables. My son is only picky about peas and green beans. I have learned to get creative with those and a few other things that my son is back and forth with. Soup is a great dish to be able to jazz up. You can add virtually anything to it, and if done correctly, you can hide the flavor of certain things. I tend to make creamier chicken soups, and when I hide those vegetables, my son does not notice.

If you can avoid having to make separate meals for your children, it will be better for you in the long run. Picky eaters are developed from parents allowing their kids to choose what they will and won’t eat. So far, my son is pretty versatile, but I am preparing for the next few years. It is way easier to nip the problem now rather than later.

More from this contributor
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