My toddler made me feel like that first year of parenthood was the easy year, and I had a colic baby. If you have, or ever had a toddler, then you know exactly what I mean. Your toddler has probably brought you to your breaking point cause well, that’s toddlers. And one of my big breaking points was food. My picky-eating toddler was such a challenge. People say you have to try a new food over 21 times before you like it. At the rate we were moving, my child might like something other than Mac and Cheese by the time she graduates college.
There is nothing more frustrating than preparing meals for your little person and then they refuse to eat any of it!
I finally decided to find someone who could help me. My friend, the expert (also a daycare and preschool teacher for over 30 years), thankfully taught me a genius hack that completely changed what my toddler would try in a matter of days. Not only that, but this simple yet oh-so-smart game somehow made my picky kiddo think that trying new foods was so much fun.
How Do You Play?
Introduce the game at a family meal like dinnertime and be sure to have everyone play it. This way, your kid will be eager to partake by the time their turn rolls around.
Let’s say the new food is to try a piece of cucumber. Give everyone (parents included) a bite-sized piece. By making it the size of one toddler bite, you increase your chances of them actually eating it (and not spitting it back out).
Now, before starting to eat dinner, say, “Now we get to play the taste game.” The key is for you and any other adults to act very excited. Explain that everyone is going to try the same new food. “We are all going to try cucumber and decide what it tastes like.” Have a parent go first. Eat the food, make some funny faces, and describe the taste (cold, kind of crunchy, sour, sweet, etc.).
Related: 4 Things NOT to Say to a Picky Eater
Remember: fun and silly. Kids love to make silly faces and watch you do the same, so use this to your advantage. Ask questions about taste and texture. Is it sour? Is it crunchy? Also, ask silly questions like does the beet taste pinkalicious or purple-y?
Then ask who is next. Your toddler might decide they want to go next. Another tactic that you can use is when you ask, “Who wants to go next?” and have the other parent overly enthusiastic to go next. Then tell the parent they have to wait because it’s (toddler’s name) turn. This will make your toddler feel very special. Additionally, this game gives them positive attention from their parents. You all watch and wait to see what the child decides it tastes like.
Lastly, don’t force it. You might have to play the game a few times to get your toddler to want to partake. Start with foods they will sometimes eat for you and then once they’re really into the game, go for harder ones. If need be, call in the reinforcements. Have the grandparents over and have them play the game with you. If your toddler idolizes an older kid or a friend, then have them come play the game too. It’s amazing what a little peer pressure can do.
Before you know it, they’ll be eating and trying all kinds of foods. They might even remind you to play the game. My toddler now asks at dinner, “What new food are we trying?”
Why Does It Work?
It might seem like just a game but what you’re actually doing is something that you probably do in other aspects of your parenting. With toddlers and little kids, a big part of parenting is helping them understand new experiences and the emotions that come along with them.
This game is the same thing. By playing it with them, you show them that everyone tries new foods. You react in all types of ways by making funny faces. When kids try a new food and aren’t too sure of the taste or texture, you want them to know a range of responses are okay. Instead of only two outcomes—you either like the food or you don’t—you’re teaching them that the right response is whatever they feel.
So simple, but ingenious, because when the goal changes from getting them to like a new food to instead describing it, then it’s okay for it to be anything. Even gross.
