Delicious Dinner Ideas for Picky Eaters

If you’ve ever dealt with a picky eater, you know how draining mealtimes can be. From toddlers flinging food to kids complaining about the dinner menu; it's enough to make you want to scream into a pillow. By 3 p.m., I’m already dreading the wasted food and the struggles that inevitably turn into bedtime battles.

So I turned to pediatric dietitian, Katie Thomson, MS, RDN, Co-founder and CEO of Square Baby. She breaks down the challenges of picky eating. She also shares strategies for fostering healthy eating habits and ideas for kid-friendly meals even the pickiest eaters will enjoy.

Understanding picky eating

Picky eating is a common developmental phase many kids experience, particularly during their toddler and preschool years. During this stage, children assert more independence, develop neophobia (a fear of new things, including unfamiliar foods), and often stick to only foods they feel safe eating.

According to Thomson, 20 to 50 percent of children go through a picky eating phase. While some of this can be attributed to a child's unique temperament and personality, research suggests there’s also a genetic component tied to picky eating.

Although picky eating is common, most children outgrow it—as long as parents implement strategies to address it early on. “The great news is that most children outgrow picky eating in time, with parents' patient modelling and continued exposure to a range of healthy foods,”  Thomson explains.

Picky eating behaviours

Picky eating can show up in a variety of ways. Here are some of the most common behaviours:

• Sensitivity to textures, flavours or certain food colours

• Refuse certain foods or entire food groups

• Favour specific types of food (carbs or dairy)

• Prefer milk over solid foods

• Particular about presentation (insisting different food don’t touch)

Developmental aspects of picky eating

Picky eating is common during the toddler and preschool years thanks to several developmental changes happening during this stage. Thomson highlights a few key factors:

• Skeptical of new foods: Skepticism of new foods is an evolutionary survival instinct—kids are naturally wary of unfamiliar foods as a way to stay safe.
• Need for autonomy: Refusing food is an easy way for toddlers to assert control and explore their newfound independence.
• Changes in growth and appetite: Following a year of rapid growth, a child’s growth slows after their first birthday. This natural shift often leads to a noticeable decrease in appetite.
• Early exposure and food preferences: Early exposure to a variety of flavours and textures can shape children’s long-term preferences. Limited exposure during the first year can lead to a preference for less variety later in life.

Strategies for encouraging healthy eating habits

While picky eating is usually a phase, it’s only short-lived if you actively work on strategies to prevent it and improve food exposure. Thomson shares her top tips for encouraging healthy habits at home:

Make mealtimes enjoyable, not stressful: Approach meals with a positive attitude and encourage light, fun conversation at the table. Avoid pressuring, bribing, or forcing bites, since these tactics can backfire and turn mealtime into a stressful experience for everyone.

Use novel meal accessories: Make mealtimes more engaging by incorporating fun, colourful plates, napkins, and cups. Try unique utensils, like toddler-friendly chopsticks, and cut food into playful shapes to add a touch of excitement and visual appeal.

Embrace family-style meals: Rather than pre-plating your child’s food, set all the dishes on the table and let them serve themselves. Allow your child to decide what and how much to put on their plate. This empowers them with a sense of control and helps them tune into their hunger and fullness cues.

Encourage interaction with new foods: It can take many attempts for kids to develop a preference for new foods. If your child licks, touches or smells the food without tasting it, that’s perfectly okay—it’s still progress and a step in the right direction.

Model the behaviour you want to see: Casually enjoying a variety of foods yourself sets a powerful example for your children. This is why it’s important to implement family meals into your daily routine.

Making meals more appealing to picky eaters

When you’re dealing with a picky eater, getting them to try something new can be a challenge. The good news is that making food fun and visually appealing can work wonders in encouraging even the most selective eaters to take a bite. Here are some of Thomson’s creative ideas:

• Use food cutters to turn sandwiches, cheese slices, melon, carrots or apples into fun shapes.
• Kids love dipping their food because it’s interactive. Serve fruits, veggies and crackers with dips like ranch, ketchup, melted cheese, guacamole or hummus to make mealtime more exciting.
• Arrange food into playful designs like smiley faces, rainbows or animals, which can change your child’s attitude at mealtime.
• Experiment with various cooking methods such as broiling, roasting, air-frying or blanching. Some kids have texture preferences, like crispy versus soft, or may prefer raw veggies over cooked ones. Try different cooking techniques to see which ones they like most.
• Get your kids involved in the kitchen. Let them wash, measure, mix and plate their own food. When kids feel invested in a meal, they’re more willing to try it.

Quick and easy dinner ideas for picky eaters

When it comes to making dinner for your family, the best meals are the ones that are quick, easy to prepare, have minimal steps, and require little cleanup. Thomson shares her top kid dinner ideas that fit the bill and are also picky-eater-approved:

Build-your-own stations: “Whether it's tacos, pizza or rice bowls, putting the elements out separately and letting kids choose their adventure makes it fun and gives them buy-in,” Thomson shares.

Breakfast for dinner: Breakfast for dinner is always a hit. Serve whole grain waffles or pancakes with an assortment of toppings like nuts, nut butter, chia seeds and fresh fruit. You can also mix things up with scrambled eggs, omelets or frittatas, and pair them with toast, tortillas, or buns for a complete meal.

Pasta bar: “Cook up a big pot of noodles and put out a variety of toppings/mix-ins like marinara, pesto, cheese, peas, beans, shredded chicken or turkey meatballs,” Thomson recommends. It’s a simple meal that everyone will enjoy.

Snack plates: Arrange a variety of fruits, veggies, crackers, cheese, hummus and hard-boiled eggs on a large platter, and let your kids create their own snack plates from the selection.

Sheet pan dinners: On a single sheet pan, roast a protein (fish, chicken, or chickpeas), vegetables and potatoes or bread with a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning. It's a simple, one-pan meal that’s easy to clean.

Addressing common nutritional concerns

The reason we’re so focused on addressing picky eating is that we want our kids to grow up enjoying a wide variety of foods, flavours and cuisines. More importantly, we want them to get the nutrition they need for healthy growth and development. they may be at a higher risk for nutritional gaps, including:

• If you have concerns about your child’s diet or picky eating behaviours, consult your child’s pediatrician or a pediatric dietitian for additional guidance and support.
• Insufficient intake of healthy fats, protein, fibre, and essential vitamins and minerals.
• Overreliance on starchy, processed foods.
• Filling up on milk and leaving less room for solid foods. “After age 1, aim to cap milk at 16 oz per day," explains Thompson.
• A lack of calories and nutrients over time can affect growth.

Experts

• Katie Thomson MS, RDN, Co-founder and CEO of Square Baby,