Home Styles Retro Soda Shoppe 5 Piece Dinette Table in Red

My sister was the pickiest eater I knew, until kids came into my life. It seemed she wouldn’t eat anything without some kind of fuss or argument. The only vegetable she would eat without protest was peas (only because she sat across from me at the table and it’s the absolute best food in the world for playing show-and-tell). The only thing my sister would eat with no fuss at all was, of course, dessert. My mother enforced the clean-up-your-plate-or-no-dessert rule, which worked like a charm until my sister became a teenager and was too cool to care about anything, even ice cream.

In my own household, cooking a meal or making lunches has become a test of memory. One child (seven) won’t eat onions, anything remotely related to a salad, bologna, rice and chicken, unless it’s chicken fingers in a restaurant. The other child (10) does like broccoli but for this small blessing I must battle with her to eat anything else. While she enjoys fried foods, I can’t convince to eat, hamburger for example baked in a meatloaf.

Since my children are not allergic to any specific foods, sometimes, when I’m in a hurry, I will resort to grating. If a recipe calls something on the I-won’t-eat-it list, like onions I’ll grate it rather than chop it. I don’t do this often; I’d rather not “trick” my kids as regular coping device.

Over the years, I’ve tried a variety of things with varying degrees of success. One thing that has worked consistently is getting them involved in preparing the meal. I assign them separate tasks; one will peal potatoes, the other will cut bread or butter buns. Both children are responsible for setting the dining table.

I do my part when meal planning and try to serve kid-friendly meals that will appeal to them. I make sure that meals, especially dinner, includes as many colors as possible and that they are presented in an attractive way. I’ll put food on the plate to form pictures, shapes or funny faces; I gave my kids their own table settings; a train theme for my son and unicorns for my daughter; anything I can think of to tempt them to come to the table prepared to eat.

I also involve them in the meal planning process. My son and daughter each have a day in the week where they can pick what everyone will have for dinner. Since his night is Friday, he usually chooses pizza. This has turned into a fun family night because I got the brilliant idea of making homemade pizza using tortillas as the “pie crust” and letting everyone custom design their individual pizza. My daughter usually picks hamburgers – another type of meal that is perfect for group involvement and customization: you can have whatever you want on your hamburger (as long as you eat the whole thing).

I personally have no patience for “I don’t like it” when I know they haven’t even tried it. So in our house, they have to try something first. No making funny faces; no fussing: they have to chew one mouthful. As long as they have tried a new food once, they’ve instantly earned the right to say “No thank you.”

When it comes to meal times and getting kids to eat what’s on their plates, these are a few methods that have worked for me. Naturally, if all else fails, I reserve the right to bribe them with dessert.