Making Mealtime Fun for Even the Pickiest Eaters

As a busy parent of two young children, I know just how difficult it can be to get them to try new things, and even more difficult to get them to agree to eat healthy food! But it doesn’t have to be so hard - with a little creativity, you can make mealtime fun for even the pickiest of eaters.

The first step is to involve your children in the cooking process. I like to let my two boys help out in the kitchen, from measuring ingredients to mixing and stirring. I find that if they have a part in making the meal, they’re far more likely to try it - and even if they don’t like it they’ll be proud of their contribution to the meal!

I also think it’s important to serve meals in an exciting and attractive way. One of my favourite methods is to make faces or shapes on the plate - it’s amazing how something simple can capture your child’s interest so quickly and transform their attitude towards food.

Finally, don’t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to mealtime. Not all children enjoy the same foods - some may prefer to have smaller portions, while others may prefer a more substantial meal. It can be fun to mix and match flavours, or turn traditional dishes into something more exciting - like turning a salad into a fun rainbow bowl, or turning a stuffed pepper into a pizza. Getting creative with mealtime can be a great way to get your children eating healthy, and help to make mealtime fun for everyone.

At Toddler Recipes Australia, we understand just how hard it can be to get your picky eaters to try new things. That’s why we’ve taken the time to develop recipes specifically designed with picky eaters in mind - full of fun flavours and exciting presentation. So why not give some of our recipes a try and make mealtime fun for even the pickiest of eaters?

Introduction: Tips and Tricks for Picky Eaters

If you’re a parent of a fussy eater, you know the daily struggle of trying to get your child to try new foods. As a mum of two myself, I know how difficult it can be, and I’m here to share a few of my tips and tricks that I’ve used to get my picky eaters to try new foods and make mealtime fun.

My eldest son is picky, but two year old loves to try anything. One of the strategies I adopted was to ask my eldest to help me in the kitchen. He loves to follow the recipes and measure out the ingredients. This has increased his interest in cooking, and helps to encourage him to try new things.

My other tips include setting a good example by showing your child that you’re eating the same meal, even if you don’t like a particular food as well. This encourages your little one to open up their minds and try something new.

Additionally, I’ve found that if I involve children in the process of preparing and cooking their meals, they’re much more enthusiastic about the meal. I have the kids help me cut up the vegetables, stir together sauces, and measure out ingredients. This way they don’t just see the finished product and get scared off, they’re a part of the process and get to see how the process works.

In this article, I’ll be discussing these tips, as well as offering a few more tricks for getting even the pickiest eaters excited about their meals. Read on for more information about how to make mealtime fun even for the pickiest eaters.

2. Involve Kids in Meal Planning

Meal planning is a great way to include your children in the cooking process and ensure they eat healthy and nutritious meals. Plus, it’s a fun activity that can bring your family closer together.

Here are some tips for making meal planning with your kids fun and easy:

• Talk about what your kids like to eat. Before planning a menu, talk about your children’s favourite foods and try to find recipes that include their favourite ingredients.
• Let them pick a recipe from a book or website. Together, look at cookbooks and websites for ideas and let your kids pick a recipe they would like to make.
• Make grocery lists together. After deciding on a few recipes, make a grocery list with your kids and take them shopping to get the ingredients.
• Have your kids help in the kitchen. Let the kids get hands-on with tasks like stirring, chopping and measuring. Having kids help in the kitchen can make the food more appealing and also teaches them valuable lessons about nutrition.
• Get creative with presentation. If you’re serving a dish that your children typically don’t like, try using cookie cutters to cut the food into fun shapes or let them decorate the plate themselves.

The possibilities for making meal times fun and interesting are endless! By involving your kids in meal planning and cooking, you can create meals that your entire family enjoys.

Utilize Creative Serving Ideas

When it comes to making mealtime fit and fun, getting creative with the way your dishes are served can go a long way. Presenting food to kids in fun and interesting ways can turn a simple meal into a fun and engaging experience. Here are a few ideas you can use to make even the pickiest eaters excited about mealtime:

• Decorations – Let the children decorate their plate with fun shapes and pictures either drawn on with marker or made out of food items like like grapes, tomatoes, and cheese.

• Build it – Give the kids all of the ingredients separately and let them “build” their own meal. For example, with tacos provide them with the protein, such as grilled chicken, a soft or hard shell, grated cheese and whatever other condiments they might like, like salsa and sour cream.

• Use ‘em UP – You don’t have to make an entirely new meal every time. Take whatever leftovers or foods the kids don’t particularly like and put them into a frittata or omelette.

• Incorporate Fun – Use cookie cutters to make shapes out of sandwiches and let kids dip veggies or fruit into different flavored yogurts or dressings.

• Make it Mini - Mini sized food can often look more enticing to kids and are fun to eat! Try making mini-meatloaves, mini burgers, or even mini pizzas.

Mealtime is an important part of our lives, and it deserves more than boring, everyday meals. Get creative with the way your foods are presented, and you’ll be sure to make even the pickiest eaters enjoy mealtime more!

4. Experiment With Flavourful Ingredients

The key to getting your toddler to eat healthily and enjoy it, is to make meals both nutritious and full of flavour. Experimenting with some interesting ingredients can help to make mealtime entertaining. For example, if your toddler is avoiding vegetables, consider adding a hint of flavour as this may entice them to give it a try. A great way to do this is to add a drizzle of olive oil and grind of ginger, or sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

An easy way to spice up your toddler’s mealtime is to include fresh herbs. My boys love when I add a sprinkle of fresh basil, oregano, chives or parsley. You can also grow your own herbs in a pot which makes it more interesting for your toddler, and it keeps them occupied for a good amount of time!

To really inject some flavour into a meal, adding complimentary spices to a dish can really transform it into something more exciting for a picky eater. Spices such as turmeric, coriander, cumin, paprika and cinnamon all add a wonderful aroma and help increase their appetite. One of our go-to family favourites is a blend of cumin, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, which works wonderfully as a marinade for chicken or tempeh.

If your toddler is allergic to certain spices or herbs, don’t be afraid to experiment with things that they do like. Fresh fruit and vegetables can be inviting to them, as can a range of non-traditional condiments such as hummus, tahini or guacamole. It’s all about finding the right combinations that your toddler enjoys!

Creating meals that are flavoursome and nutritious can make mealtime fun for even the pickiest eaters. Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with some interesting ingredients now and then. You might just be surprised by the results!

6. Put Foods Together in Fun Combinations

Fussy eaters can be frustrating to feed, but they can be turned into little chefs by putting meals together in fun and creative ways. As a parent with two children, I understand how challenging it can be to make mealtime enjoyable, but with a little creativity, even the pickiest eater can be enticed to finish their dinner.

There are a multitude of combinations that can be made to make meals fun and interesting. Here are just a few examples to help get you started:

• Create fun faces with different food items. Create an upside down smiley face using banana slices for eyes, a carrot for a nose and a piece of toast for a smile.
• Make a plate in the shape of a rainbow using fruit and vegetables. Start with orange carrots, then yellow peppers, followed by red tomatoes and green beans. Finish the plate with a purple cabbage.
• Make a plate of finger food. Things like mini wraps, vegetable pieces, cubes of cheese and crackers are all easy to pick up.
• Make a “pizza” by using an English muffin or a piece of pita bread as the base and then add roasted vegetables, cheese and other toppings your child likes such as olives or ham.

No matter what combination you come up with, the most important thing is to make it fun and engaging. When my boys assist in the kitchen, they enjoy putting their food together and consequently always finish their meals. Plus, it’s a great way to teach them about food, colours and shapes.

I hope these ideas give you some inspiration the next time you’re making meals for your picky eater. Happy eating!

7. Incorporate Activity into Eating

One way to get your picky eaters to have a positive attitude to meals is to make mealtime a fun and engaging experience. Incorporate some kind of activity into the meal - this can be something simple like giving each person a pile of vegetables and having them see who can make the biggest stack, or having a game of ‘guess the vegetable’ where they lift a piece of food up and everyone has to guess what it is. My boys especially love making ‘tasty towers’ - I give each of them a plate and they have to stack different pieces of food on top of each other in an effort to create an edible sculpture. It’s a great way to get them to eat something they wouldn’t usually try, plus it’s a fun family activity.

Another great way to make mealtime enjoyable is to involve your children in the preparation and cooking process. Even if your youngest is too young to do something like chop vegetables, they can still help out in some way - my 3 year old loves playing puppet shows with the vegetables, pretending that each one has a little personality and telling stories about them. It’s a great way for them to learn about different foods in a fun and interactive way.

8. Get the Whole Family Involved in the Meal

As a parent, I know the importance of keeping meal-time fun for everyone, even picky eaters. I’m a busy mum of two boys aged 3 and 7 who, like many children, sometimes struggle to enjoy their meals.

I always make sure that family meal-time is a fun and engaging experience for everyone, so I always involve everyone in the meal-making process.

Making meals with my kids is a great way to spend time as a family, and a lot of fun! Not only do my children enjoy helping out in the kitchen, but it sets a great example of healthy cooking habits, and teaches them basic cooking skills.

For example, they can help mix ingredients, learn how to measure and weigh items, scrub vegetables, set the table and even decorate plates with fresh fruits and vegetables. I always make sure to involve the kids when possible, and it’s surprising what they can do!

And it’s a win-win situation! Not only do they learn while doing something they enjoy, but they’re more excited to try new foods when they’ve had a role in making them.

This also helps with portion control - both me and the kids can fill our plates with the same meal and everyone is happy.

So for families with picky eaters, try to involve everyone in the cooking process, so that meal-time can be a fun and rewarding experience for everyone.

Good luck and happy cooking!

10. Myths About Picky Eaters

As parents of picky eaters, we’ve all heard plenty of ideas about how to make mealtime fun for everyone, but more often than not, they just don’t seem to work. So let’s look at some of the most popular myths about picky eaters, and the evidence that suggests they’re untrue.

1. Myth: Picky eaters are incapable of expanding their taste buds.

This is completely untrue! In fact, research shows that picky eaters can learn to enjoy a variety of foods if they’re given the chance. All it takes is patience, creative meal planning, and a commitment to introducing new foods in small amounts.

1. Myth: Picky eaters are only interested in junk food.

This one isn’t true either! Sure, occasional indulgences are perfectly acceptable, but most picky eaters will enjoy a range of healthy foods, too. Try making a compromise, offering up a ‘junk food-inspired’ meal that’s still healthy and delicious.

1. Myth: Picky eaters take forever to finish their meals.

This one depends on the individual! Picky eaters often feel uncomfortable trying new things, or have trouble finishing bigger portions, so emphasising small serves can help. Prepare meals in a way that takes into consideration their comfort level and stick with it - like any behaviour, it will only improve with consistent practice.

Making mealtime enjoyable isn’t just about getting picky eaters to eat - it’s also about bonding and making food enjoyable. Try involving the pickiest eaters in the meal planning process, let them help with cooking, and don’t forget to celebrate small successes.

It may take some time, but if you stick with it, you’re sure to make mealtime fun for even the pickiest eaters.

Conclusion: Making Mealtime Fun for Even the Pickiest Eaters

I’ve come to really enjoy making meals for my two boys who can unfortunately be quite picky when it comes to food. I’ve been able to make mealtime enjoyable for all of us by trying different recipes, taking their feedback into consideration, and involving them in the cooking process. I hope that the tips and ideas I’ve outlined here have been helpful to you - the parent of a picky eater - and that they will help you make mealtime a fun and memorable experience for your family. Thank you for reading and happy cooking!

My family’s favorite recipe from this website is the Classic Macaroni and Cheese. If you try it (or any of the other recipes I’ve mentioned), I’d love to see a photo and hear your thoughts. Feel free to share them in the comments below.

Happy cooking,

Olivia

Web Designer, Toddler Recipes Australia