5 Simple Picky Eater Holiday Tips

 

The holidays bring so much! More Family, More Food, More Time Off, More Stuff! And More FOOD!

If you have a picky eater, you know way before a meal is served, or food is offered, that your picky eater won’t be happy. Of course, we all want to avoid meltdowns, let alone mealtime meltdowns on Holidays!

That said, our Feeding Specialists at Chatterboxes have compiled a list of tips and tricks, and some rules you might like to implement this Holiday Season to be sure your picky eater and you have a positive food-related Holiday experience!

Put It On the Plate

Fill their plate with a small sample of a few new offerings.  Let them explore the food (smell, touch, taste or nibble according to where they’re at). The focus is on the sensory experience of the new foods, not on the consumption!

Get Them Involved

Are you baking Grandma’s Sweet Potato Recipe? Share the love of your family’s traditional recipe with your child! Get them involved, talk about the ingredients, how you used to have it growing up as a child. Get them measuring, peeling, mixing and share the experience of making this special recipe together!

Try a Practice Meal

“If you’re serving a new food or dish to your child for the first time, it’s best to do so at a time when there’s minimal stress—and that usually isn’t the case at a holiday meal,” says Annette Bartz, R.D., a clinical dietitian at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio

A Few Favorites

When offering new foods, always be sure there are at least 2 favorite foods, or preferred foods on your child’s plate. Discuss this in advance so your child know his favorites will be offered, as well as some new/traditional foods, if he’s feeling adventurous!

The Old Standbys

Given the heightened stress the holidays can bring, there’s nothing wrong with relying on your child’s usual meals. So break out the Mac’n’ cheese and Chicken Nuggets if it means you and your child will happily enjoy this special time together!

Questions? Visit Us at www.TeamChatterboxes.com; Free Feeding Consults Available! 617-969-8255.

 

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