If your child is a “naturally good eater”, congratulations — you’re living in a parenting universe the rest of us can only dream of. Our reality is more like you give your three‑year‑old a strawberry, his favorite fruit, and he won’t eat it. “Why not, honey?” You ask in your sweetest mommy voice, and he replies, “cause it has seeds”. You tell him that’s okay, but he says, ‘No, Mommy, seeds make strawberries grow in your tummy.” Gotta love that kid logic. Oh great, another healthy food he won’t eat.
Maybe dinner feels more like hosting a world‑class food critic? He won’t eat the meat because it touched the gravy from the mashed potatoes. He doesn’t like the potatoes because they’re both too lumpy and too mushy at the same time. If that sounds like fun, try serving him a sandwich without the crust cut off and watch the meltdown begin. And veggies? That’s a whole other battle, one that often requires an unreasonable amount of cheese.
Then, as you near the end of your treasured family meal, he transforms into a highly skilled negotiator who knows all your weaknesses. The hold‑out knows that if he sits there long enough, you’ll bargain, and bargain, and eventually wear you down to “two more bites and you can have dessert.” My favorite tactic is when he sweetly asks, “Mommy, you like chippies? You want some?” You tell him, yes, Mommy likes chippies, but not until after dinner. Completely ignoring the ‘after dinner’ part, he counters with, “If you don’t have them, can I have them? I like chippies.” And back to square one, someone get me off this merry-go-round ride.
While getting your child to eat healthy may seem like an unwinnable battle; the animal learning network believes it’s one worth fighting. Kids learn by examples and can’t understand “lifetime benefits or consequences.” Gracie the goat teaches kids what happens when they eat poorly in a way they can understand.
Here are some things we found helpful in developing healthy habits. Portion control, too much food can be intimidating, plus you can always give more. Be firm on them eating what you think is healthy but let them decide on how. For example, do you want your chicken plain or with dippy sauce? Broccoli with or without cheese? My best advice is to be firm but fair. No treats, until they eat their food, which can always be wrapped up and saved for later when their hunger outweighs their stubbornness. Until then, stick to your guns and be safe out there.