This feeding tip actually applies to everyone, even if you’re a picky eater yourself. If at first, your kids do not eat it, try try again. 10 times on 10 different occasions to be precise. There is research out there by Lisa Birch who discovered that the brain takes 10 times on different occasions to decide a preference.
I have to remind myself of this with my own boys. We try to expose them to as many different foods as possible and every now and then there is a particular new food they just refuse to eat. Cooking with egg roll wrappers are the target right now. Chris made vegetable spring rolls about a week ago and they were delicious. The boys played and examined them but did not even try them. This week we made ground chicken with vegetable dumplings, delicious. Second week and the boys took a bite, and ate them!
So when your child doesn’t eat something new RESIST the fighting urge to tell them, “Just try it”. Instead, reassure them that they DO NOT have to eat it. Remember to encourage the small steps it takes to eating, if they touched it, reinforce by saying, “good pushing it off your plate”, “you’re so brave to touch something new”. Talk about it, “what does it look like to you?” and attempt to make it fun and new. If you do, the next time you reintroduce the food, your child may take another step towards eating it. Refer to the steps of eating that should be on your fridge or kitchen wall for constant reference and reassurance. Use the steps as your guide and you will watch as your child advances a step closer every time you reintroduce a new food.
I’ve had to use this method a few times with the girls, and also with my clients (especially the ones that are MR)…..persistence does pay off….eventually. But being sneaky also helps some, thanks to Pinterest I was able to find a huge variety of ways of cooking foods. (as In making certain veggies into muffins…who knew?) I know Pinterest was/is a godsend with picky eaters.