Feeding picky eaters day to day can be exhausting for parents. So, when the biggest meal of the year is coming up, you may start to feel overwhelmed. Whether you’re cooking at home for your family or heading to another home for a meal, you may feel stressed about striking the balance. You want your child to eat, but you probably don’t want to make them an entirely separate meal when there’s so much food prep already. How do you get through a food-based holiday without a meltdown? Here are 5 tips to make cooking easy with picky kids.
1. Engage your child in meal planning and prep
If you’re worried about the meal itself being a battle, engage your picky child in the meal prep process. Research has shown that children who are more involved in the meal preparation process are more likely to reach for and try that food during dinner.
This can be overwhelming for parents during Thanksgiving, however, because it means having lots of little ones running around the kitchen. Involving your kids in the kitchen doesn’t mean you need to let them do every step from start to finish.
Start with the planning process. Let them know how you plan a Thanksgiving meal. Talk to them about the traditional foods that are served and why they are served in your household. Is it tradition? Are there cultural reasons behind your selections? What about the nutritional factors? Most households should try to offer at least one protein, grain, vegetable, and fruit.
So, map this out and show them how you’re planning to include turkey as a protein and stuffing as a grain because those are the traditional foods that your family serves. However, maybe there’s room for them to help decide on the other food groups. Ask them, “What type of vegetable do you think we should include? What about fruit?”
If you have multiple children (and especially more than one picky eater), you can always make extra vegetables or fruits as side dishes. When Thanksgiving Day comes, they can help you wash, cut, and otherwise prepare the dish. Getting your child more involved in the process will ultimately make them more interested in trying the food. It’s a tried and true tricky for all those picky eater parents!
If you’re traveling for Thanksgiving or being hosted for the holiday, get creative. Offer to bring a dish that you and your child make together or ask if you and your child can help prepare something in the home of your host. It can be a bit more challenging when you aren’t at home, but the same tricks can still work!
2. Serve a preferred food
Traditional Thanksgiving foods will be new foods to the majority of children. Most families don’t serve roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing with onions and celery regularly.
When these items show up on the plate of your picky eater, they may be a bit thrown. Where are the items that they know, love, and consider “safe.” As a parent, you can make this new experience easier by ensuring some of their preferred foods appear on the plate as well. For example, while a bit less traditional, mac and cheese has become a favorite at many Thanksgiving tables in recent years. Additionally, a side of bread is a common addition for most households.
Because your child has foods they love — like mac and cheese and bread, for instance — they’re more likely to branch out and try 1-2 new foods like roast turkey or mashed potatoes even if they don’t eat everything on their plates. And remember, they don’t need to be a member of the clean plate club. Trying new foods can be a difficult process for picky eaters and being forced to clear their plates won’t make them want to try foods again in the future.
If you’re a guest at someone else’s Thanksgiving, offer to bring the preferred items for your child. This will remove the burden on the cook to make specific items and ensure that they’re available for your picky eater.
3. Use food bridges
A food bridge is a food with similar color, flavor, or texture to your picky child’s preference. For instance, if you know your preschooler that’s sensitive to new textures enjoys pumpkin pie, then mashed potatoes may be a good food bridge.
Now, this method isn’t perfect. Your child may look at the mashed potatoes and say “no way!” because they aren’t orange like her preferred pumpkin pie. However, with this knowledge, you could offer the swap of sweet potatoes if they’re on the table or keep those in mind for next Thanksgiving. You may also be surprised about which new foods your child is willing to try.
4. Make food less intimidating
When you think of Thanksgiving, you likely think of big heaping plates that leave you in a drowsy food coma after the meal. Unfortunately, giving your picky eater a heaping plate isn’t likely to make them eat a full meal. In fact, it may do the opposite. When they see all the unfamiliar food they’re expected to eat, they may refuse to eat anything at all. This will result in a lot of frustration for all involved.
Instead, start with just a few small bites of any new foods. Chop or cut any larger pieces into smaller ones to make them easier to approach for children. Sometimes picky eaters won’t eat food that seems difficult to eat, but they may eat it in another form.
Do your best not to get discouraged and don’t call your child out in front of the entire table. While it can be frustrating to work with a picky eater, the best way to get them to eat more in the future isn’t to shame them into doing so.
5. Enjoy mealtime
At the end of the day, both you and your picky child should enjoy mealtime. Mealtime can be stressful for parents if they aren’t sure what to serve their child, but it can also be a source of anxiety for the picky eater. If they’re made to try all new foods or shamed because they won’t, this isn’t a fun experience for anyone.
As a parent, you can only do so much. You likely work with your picky eater every single day on what they will and won’t eat. In that regard, this is just another day. It may go beautifully, or it may go horribly. You can use the tips above to help mitigate some of the tough elements, but you shouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself because you can’t control everything.
Your child will likely pick up this stress and react to it. So, try not to worry about whether your child is eating and what they’re choosing to eat; although, we know that’s easier said than done. In the end, you should enjoy mealtime and feel thankful that you can put the meal on your table.
Final Thoughts
If picky eating has started impacting your child’s growth, weight, mood, and family mealtimes drastically, consider making an appointment with a pediatrician today. Pediatric Care Centers provides friendly care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dr. Benitez and his team of Jacksonville pediatricians work around the clock to provide exceptional pediatric care, including eating behaviors!
