COUSIN MOMS â—½ TIPS
Picky eaters. Do you have any in your house? How do you deal with this? Make a separate dinner for each kid? That’s tiring! We asked the questions and we got the answers. And they’re good. Feel free to comment or ask questions, after you read. We hope you find this helpful.
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Charissa
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When it comes to food for our family, one thing we do is – we do NOT cook separate meals for the kiddos. They eat what we eat. I cook a meal and that is something they have to eat. I do know some of their favorite meals, but I also try new recipes and require them to sit and eat. The girls have been pretty good with that policy.
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I have read different ideas of feeding your kids, and I do try to have a side or course they do enjoy, so that there is at least one thing they can eat more of, in case the new meal is not a fave! Another thing we do is change the atmosphere, like putting food in a cupcake tin to put the food in a cool container. Sometimes we take our meal outside, so that the environment is different.
With our oldest daughter, she is learning some more of the cooking process. She found a recipe from one of her cookbooks and she wrote her own list, and we went to the store and got everything. She cooked the whole meal – chicken fried rice – and it was a huge hit. She commented, “This takes a lot of work!” And that realization has helped her respect the process of meal making!
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At the end of the day, there are some evenings where we don’t want to fight the battle, and we say, “Here’s cereal!” But we do try to cook healthy meals for the most part and teach our kids to be grateful for what we have, and eat what’s on their plates!
Kamrin
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When it comes to dinner and food in our house, it’s definitely been an ever changing journey! It’s been interesting, with three, adding in our own preferences and needs regarding all of our stomachs! We’ve had to be able to pivot with each season!
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I have always been of the mindset that I refuse to customize meals. My mom didn’t do it, and I think (no judgment) it wastes my own time and it’s exhausting, making multiple meals for picky eaters. Of course, allergies and health needs require separate meals. My oldest couldn’t have dairy for a while, so yes I catered to his needs. But normally, I want to teach kids to try new foods, to try things at friends’ houses, etc.
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Personally, I try to make buildable dinners: tacos, sandwich bars, soups, etc. One meal. We also enjoy baked potatoes a lot, with different toppings and things like chicken or pulled pork. We have pasta where the kids can use different sauces like lemon and butter, or sauce. I can make the meat and sauce separately, and the kids can create. We always have leftovers, too.
It’s important to me for my kids to try things. When they were little, I insisted on trying 3-4 bites. Sometimes, they whined and sometimes they really didn’t like something. They still don’t eat those things! But introducing new foods is good! We also used sectioned plates when they were little so they could keep the food separated. I do not like casseroles, so we don’t really do those – except maybe lasagna.
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I’ve been working on better eating habits for myself, and I wanted to try some new meals from scratch, etc. The kids were great at trying them and made this change with me, and I was proud of them. But ultimately, doing what is best for your family is great. But I would encourage not catering to each kid, and to be patient with kids’ palettes. My oldest doesn’t love sauces, my daughter doesn’t like meat and the youngest eats everything! However, they are changing and trying new things, now.
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Finally, use Pinterest, find new meals, and save those so you can use them again. If your kids eat at different times due to sports, etc. a crockpot works great.
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Now, eating out is our biggest conflict! It can be a huge deal. They are never in the mood to eat the same thing at the same time. We used to rotate and take turns. Now, my husband and I pick, and they get what we pick. We also know how much we can spend. Sometimes we do give an option, and sometimes we don’t. This works best, when we ourselves decide! However, on their birthdays…they do get to pick!