Picky eaters: 9 tips to get them eating!

Making meals shouldn't feel like prepping for a battle. If you have tiny mouths that won't open when your kids are sitting at the table, test out some of these ideas from parents like you.

Plus, watch our video about how to deal with picky eaters>

I blend up veggies and add it to the food!
— Ashley Pischiutta, Moncton, NB

My little man started school this year, and his lunches were coming home untouched. So I bought little plastic toothpick swords and started to cut up his food into little cubes so he could jab them. He loves it!
— Shawna Tremblay, Dundas, ONT.

In our house, our best bet is anything that can be made to look like an animal. I make mice-shaped sandwiches, and I use cheese and apple halves to make ladybugs.
— Candice Martey, Mississauga, ONT.

I've started paying my son to try new things. Imagine, a quarter to find out he actually likes shepherd's pie!
— Mandi Blundell, Penetanguishene, ONT.

My secret weapon is popsicles! I make my daughter smoothie popsicles out of milk, plain yogurt and different fruit. Plus, for extra protein, we add cottage cheese and beans (kidney, chickpea or black beans). I purée it all up and pour it into popsicle moulds, then pop them in the freezer.
— Anne-Marie Crotty, Gananoque, ONT.

I find that if I let my picky eater help me cook, she's way more willing to eat it, no matter what it is. Fun names help, too, like "roast beast" and "smashed totatoes."
— Nicole Torbet, Abbotsford, BC

I get veggies into my picky eater by shaving up carrots and adding them to meat patties and sauces. I've found shepherd's pie is great for added vegetables since it's all mixed together, and he loves it. On his really stubborn days, I just blend it all up, but I try to make sure there are vegetables in every meal.
— Carla Vegnaduzzo, Hamilton, ONT.

To encourage my daughter to eat, I make mealtime playtime. She's allowed to bring her stuffed animals to the table, and I pretend to feed a spoonful of her food to the stuffies, too.
— Jessica Johnson, Victoria

We try to get the kids involved with the meal prep by washing or cutting veggies, or setting the table, so they know what is being served. We try to plan our week's dinners on the weekend, and the kids pick out something to cook from the flyers and often help with the shopping.
— Jennifer Tobin, Whitby, ONT.