1. Take Just One Bite
The one-bite rule (one bite is required of every food) is ineffective. Studies show children react negatively when parents pressure them to eat foods, even if the pressure offers a reward. The one bite rule translates to a child that ”some food is so YUCKY only one bite is required.” The issue is compounded when parents offer a reward, such as watching a video or offering a sweet dessert, for tasting a refused food. Bribing kids to eat certain foods teaches children that holding out will prove to be beneficial. Food should never be offered as a reward for behavior.

Aaron takes one bite.
Aaron’s mom is a professional photographer.
You can see her work at Mary Beth Graff Photography: http://www.mbgpics.com/

2. Sending Kids Out of the Kitchen
You’re busy and kids need supervision in the kitchen. They can and get in the way of getting the meal on the table in time. Although, when children are involved with food preparation, it’s more likely they will eat what’s been prepared. Of course, all food preparation should be parent-supervised. Kids shouldn’t get too close to hot stoves, boiling water, and knives. Meal preparation is an important first step in getting picky eaters to try new foods. The older your picky eater is, the more he should be involved in food preparation. Even a toddler can help wash fruit and veggies, peel a banana, mix ingredient, etc. You will soon find that you have a budding chef in your midst, instead of a picky eater. To read the “10 Commandments for Kitchen Safety” Click Here.

3. Permitting Snacking Before Mealtimes
Parents often sabotage their best efforts when they allow snacking before mealtimes. Snacking on junk foods or even nutritious munchies too close to mealtimes is guaranteed to dull the appetite. You’ll never convince a child to eat a refused food, if he’s had a snack thirty minutes beforehand. Snacks should be timed two hours before a meal. You are in charge of the kitchen and the kitchen should be closed before meals. If your toddler’s tiny tummy can’t wait until dinnertime, then prepare a mini-meal including veggies, not a cookies or crackers, and then don’t expect too much at dinnertime.

There’s more: Click Here for ”Three Steps to a Healthy Eater.”

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For a synopsis of Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater, Click Here.