Read “Six Tips for Raising Good Eaters, Part One” to get the first three tips.  We all know a child who is picky.  One that makes everyone miserable at the dinner table whining about what is on his/her plate.  As a young mother many years ago, I knew that I only wanted good eaters.  The following are my tips.

• Involve your children in the kitchen when preparing food. Two years ago before we knew that we were allergic to wheat, I used to make whole wheat bread.  One morning my children announced that they were not going to eat whole wheat bread anymore.  As this was not on anyone’s list, this act would prove to be unpleasant at dinnertime.  I decided to be proactive about their collective revolt.  I had them all take turns grinding the wheat berries into whole wheat flour.  Then they took turns adding all the ingredients to the mixing bowl.  They really like kneading the dough and watching the dough rise.  Amazingly everyone devoured the bread when it was cool enough to slice.  Nobody remembered that they had decided to not eat wheat bread again.  The revolt had been squashed by involving them in the preparation of the food.

When I plan to prepare kimchi, which is a lacto-fermented cabbage dish from Korea.  You can read all about the health benefits in Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions.  Kimchi has a strong smell and flavor.  Knowing this, I predicted that I might have a fight on my hands when it came time to eat it.  So, I enlisted my four oldest children to help me in the kitchen.  They shred the cabbage and other vegetables in the food processor.  They pounded the vegetable mixture until its juices flowed.  We laughed.  We talked.  We had fun.  For four days, we anxiously waited for the kimchi to be ready to try as we saw bubbles forming in the jar.  When it was time to eat the kimchi, excitement was in the air.  I prepared Korean beef, jasmine rice, and some stir-fried vegetables.  Everyone ate the kimchi and liked it.  They still ask for it when we eat rice.

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  Isaac eating. Jake loves to take pictures of the boys with messy faces. Obviously I have good eater; now we just need to work on napkin skills.

  Occasionally reward your family with dessert especially on night when you are fixing a food that potentially might cause any disagreement. Fish is not my children’s favorite source of protein.  However if they know that I made cookies earlier in the day, they devour the fish without a word.  Maybe one day they will notice I make dessert almost every time I prepare fish, but right now they don’t seem to have made the connection.

• Don’t make the assumption that your child won’t like something. Don’t be like Mary’s mom in the first example.  When my children are toddlers and beginning to eat table food, I feed them everything not just typical toddler fare.  He/she will eat salad with different kinds of lettuce, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, etc.  He/she will be served and eat grilled sweet potato, boiled shrimp, broiled fish fillets, and/or coleslaw with homemade dressing.  I do not make the mistake of only giving them hamburgers and French fries.  I do not drown everything in ketchup.  Children need to get used to different flavors, textures, colors, and types of cuisines.  Feed them a variety of foods.

By implementing these six tactics at home, you will enjoy cooking and serving your family’s meals.  Dinners will become memorable times of good conversations, laughter, and enjoyment.  But remember that as soon as you think you have it all figured out and settled, someone will challenge your rules.  You MUST stand your ground.  A few nights of challenges are so much better than a lifetime of picky eating.

Tags: good eaters, parenting tips, picky

This entry was posted on Friday, September 4th, 2009 at 6:07 am and is filed under Food Allergies, Homesteading. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.