Trying to get kids to like more foods is a common struggle parents face. Often, infants who happily accepted every food they were given, grow into toddlers who are aren't interested in anything other than mac and cheese or chicken nuggets. This can leave parents frustrated and unsure how they'll get their kids to eat the foods they need to grow healthfully. So we asked WIC moms their tips for combatting this mealtime issue.
Here's what they had to say:
To get my kids to like more foods, I...
"Have them watch me take a bite first, then let them try."
~ Sophie
"Offer a variety of foods."
~ Kristin
"Let my children help with cooking."
~ Michelle
"Put the food on the plate and keep introducing till they eat it."
~ Allyson
"Allow them to help plan meals."
~ Tineshea
"Offer a variety of small portions of foods to eat at meal times, and encourage that my children eat a little bit of everything."
~ Elizabeth
"Do fun taste test challenges."
~ Melanie
"Try to make food look good and only keep healthy food at their reach."
~ Meranda
"Make it fun. Every other night I make fruit and veggie smoothies and they think it's dessert."
~ Arionna
"Offer new foods, and encourage them to try, or retry, foods they didn't like before."
~ Crystal
"Get creative with them and shape the foods into funny faces."
~ Jade
"I have my children help me with making our grocery shopping list, and during our grocery shopping trip, I spend most of our time in the produce department, teaching them about the different fruits and vegetables and their benefits for our body. This gets them interested and curious about trying new fruits and veggies. "
~ Yola
"Offer the same food, multiple times, maybe in a different form."
~ Melissa
"Find fun recipes to make with my children"
~ Tia
"Mix their favorite foods with other foods."
~ Noemi
"Give every meal a fun name. It gets my kids excited to try it."
~ Nora
"Praise them when they try new foods. Even if it's only a little bit."
~ Iyat
"Teach them the benefit of eating healthy, and tell them fruits and vegetables help them grow stronger and healthier."
~ Beatriz
"Relate foods we're eating to ones they like, or I tell them their favorite celebrity eats it too."
~ Michael
"Serve our meals family-style."
~ Alexandria
"Don't offer other foods than what the family is eating. When they really like something, I make sure to tell them the name of it so they can start remembering the different foods or dishes"
~ Annette
What are your best tips for getting kids to eat more foods?
