Pizza, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and French fries. Does this sound like the majority of your child’s diet? It can be expected for kids to be picky eaters and want to eat the same foods over and over again. As a parent, you may wonder how you can get your child to try new foods and expand their dietary repertoire. Let’s look at some tips on how to introduce new foods to your child.
How Do You Get a Picky Child To Try New Foods?
You can try different hacks to get your child to eat new foods.
- Disguise healthier foods with things they already like. For example, if your child loves cheese, try adding shredded cheese to foods that you want them to eat more of, like broccoli or spinach. You can also disguise veggies in fruits in a tasty smoothie.
- Get your child involved. Let your child help you cook dinner or lunch. They can help wash veggies, mix ingredients, and set the table. This will make them more likely to want to try the foods they helped prepare.
- Change It Up. Kids can become picky eaters if they only eat certain foods. Explore foods with different textures, colors, and tastes. Exposing kids early and often to various foods will help them be less picky as they get older.
- Role Model. Children learn from what they see. If you want your child to try new foods, you must also eat them. Eat the foods in front of your child and let them see you enjoying them. Explain the texture of the food as you’re eating it.
- Be Patient. It can take 10-15 times for a child to accept a new food. So don’t get discouraged if your child doesn’t like green beans the first time. Chances are you didn’t like them at first either! Also, avoid yelling at them, as this will make them more resistant to trying new foods.
- Make a Game. Kids love games, and you can make one out of trying new foods. Offer incentives to your kids for trying new foods or finishing their plates.
The Bottom Line
Remember, it can take a lot of tries before your child eats a new food. Give them lots of opportunities to try new foods, and disregard any facial expressions they make. Soon, your child will be on their way to adopting a healthy and varied diet.