The Epic Battles

Begging, bribing, patience, punishments, ultimatums … sometimes it seems children would starve before eating the V word (vegetables).  It’s as if eating healthy is some form of torture, or battle of wills that usually ends in the favor of the persistent kids who don’t really care if they eat that day or not.

However, what kids don’t understand is that parents care very, very much!  That’s why books, articles, support groups, eating specialists, etc. exist on the topic.  I’ve desperately done my research and here are some top resources that have actually worked in my home.

The Evil Zucchini

I wrote this poem when I was 8.  Guess what- I still hate zucchini but it’s no longer my mother’s fault.  If you want to take the blame off of yourself, lift a huge weight off your shoulders, and watch your kids actually choose to eat the first meal you make them you must learn these six words that will end picky eating – guaranteed from Scary Mommy.

Geez mom, I’m Hungry for Chips, not Chicken!

This article is from a mom who can relate to the frustration of kids underfoot, begging for cookies and juice, then refusing to eat the healthy home cooked meal you were fixing the whole time they were pestering!  For a holistic approach to turn picky eating around in one week or less without bribing, sneaking, or battling, check out The Picky Eating Solution from Health Home and Happiness.

Does This Seem Familiar?

Unfortunately there is a stigma that kids become picky eaters because they are “spoiled” or because they “run the house” when most of the time this is anything but true.  Still, we worry that others will judge what we pack our kids for school lunches. Day by day, as those warm and rotting healthy lunches come back to you, don’t lose hope!  Here are  4 Sure-Fire Tips to Help Picky Eaters Actually Eat That Healthy School Lunch From Keeper of the Home.

Other Tips and Cool Stuff

• My picky eater daughter came up with a great idea one night.  She wanted us all to take turns rolling a dice at the dinner table. Whatever number we rolled was how many bites of our food we needed to take.  It was fun and she was more interested in the game than what she was actually ingesting!
• Another way to make healthy eating more fun and keep kids from panicking are these great kid-friendly tools from the company Pick-Ease.  A  busy mom with years of experience working with children of all abilities noticed her picky eaters were more likely to eat food off of a stick.  She decided to create a safer, more kid friendly version of a toothpick and viola- Pick-Ease was born! They have generously offered a coupon code for our readers.  Enter the code Friends in their store for 10% off your purchase!
• The Eating A Rainbow Program empowers children to make their own healthy food choices by choosing a food of each color of the rainbow to eat everyday.  Their site also includes fun downloadable charts, games, crafts and recipes!
• When you have a few kid-free minutes check out our Pinterest Board Healthy Happy Kids for some great kid friendly healthy recipes and other informative articles!