š½ļøFor parents of picky eaters, putting new foods on their plate feels like a waste and itās hard to grasp the importance of frequent exposures for a variety of reasons:
šš¼1. Food is expensive!
šš¼2. They think arenāt going to eat it and more likelyā¦
šš¼3. They are going to raise a ruckus over it!
š©¶But, itās the first thing I often address when helping families turn picky eating around.
šš¼Hi, Iām Melanie, author of 6 books on the topic of feeding kids, especially how to raise adventurous eaters from the very first bite of solid foods! Thanks for following me and adding me to your favorites so you get daily tips!
ā¤ļøšŖš¼ā¤ļøTo help, I need to know what the child CAN do. Can they tolerate the foods in a serving dish on the table? Can they tolerate it on a small plate next to theirs? Can they tolerate new foods as long they donāt touch the preferred foods? So many questions! Each child is unique. Iām never going to make them do anything, but I am going to build confidence so they can tolerate things that they hadnāt in the past, when they are ready to take that step.
š„°Typically, I start with food play away from mealtimes to determine how easy it is for kiddos to interact with new foods. My book, Adventures in Veggieland, emphasizes my philosophy of the Three Eās ā Expose, Explore and Expand to Veggie Love.
š Exposures are everything. Start with the tiniest amount so we donāt overwhelm them. A teaspoon of a new food is enough, and then, we arenāt wasting food because itās being used for a purpose.
šš¼Itās ok to put that little sample back in the fridge to revisit the plate tomorrow too.
š§Keep small samples of leftovers that can be frozen in an ice cube tray. Just pop out a cube and defrost while making dinner.
šRemember, eating comes much laterā¦it starts with making friends with foods that keep showing up at mealtimes. Repeated exposures ā thatās the key.
šš¼Got questions, drop them in the comments!
ā¤ļøMelanie
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