How to get them to try new foods

I have allowed them to fall into a food rut. I think b/c of Archer's severe egg and dairy allergy (possibly anaphylactic) I have stuck with safe foods and allowed them to narrow it down to the only foods they will eat. Tyson Chicken Nuggets being the top offender. I even tried to switch them to the better for you Bell & Evans Chicken nuggets and they refused.

I have tried putting new foods on their plate but keeping some of the familiar and they just won't even try anything new. I made a really yummy simple soft risotto for them tonight - they wouldn't even touch it.

I am thinking of being a complete hard *** and not buying anymore chicken nuggets. Of just offering them a round of simple new foods. And if they don't it eat it too bad. If they get hungry enough they will right?

The other thing is that they are total Orange juice fiends. I will ask them what they want for dinner and they say "Juice". I think they are filling up on that too much too. So no more juice anymore durring the day. Just water.

I really think I just need to toughen up and put my foot down. Any advice from anyone who has been there and done that?

I really want to cry.

 

I have the same problem with my big girls-they can be very resistant to trying new foods. Some tactics I use are;

• Give VERY small amounts at first (literally one or two bites). I think lots of a new food, even if it's accompanied by something familiar can be overwhelming. Of course this works better for side dishes than for something like risotto that is the main part of the meal.
• Try having new food on your plate, not theirs, and giving them a taste. Maybe you could eat up the risotto for lunch and just put a spoonful on each of their plates
• Only require them to try one bite of the new thing. My rule is they have to take one bite, chew and swallow it. If they don't like it they don't have to have any more.
• When giving something new with favourite foods give only half of what they would usually have, then you can use having more of the favourite food as an incentive. Does that make sense? So if you were serving them chicken nuggets with a new veg and they would normally eat 3 nuggets each then only give them 1 nugget each. Explain that if they want another nugget they need to take one bite of the new veg.
• Start off with introducing food that is as similar as possible-in taste and/or texture-to food they already like. It's easier (for me at least) to put your foot down when you know they don't actually dislike the food. You could maybe try plain cooked chicken as they love nuggets. Then you can incorporate that food into others, so plain chicken with rice and once they will eat that try a chicken risotto.
• Try the same food raw (if possible) or cooked different ways. Alyssa likes raw carrots but won't touch them cooked. They both eat coleslaw but not cooked cabbage. They like roast but not boiled potatoes. I got Alyssa to try raw carrot sticks (she already knew she didn't like cooked) by letting her dip them in hummus.
• Pick the times you introduce new food carefully. I know my girls do a lot better with new things when they are not tired. I made the mistake of trying to give them something new after a busy day just recently. Alyssa was OK but Bryony must have been worn out because she almost had a meltdown over it, I had to back off.
• Get them to help prepare the food. If they are interested/involved they are more likely to try some. As a side story I got them to try sweet peppers by making individual pizzas with them. They were making faces on the pizza and I got out the pepper, cut a couple of tiny bits and said "you could have some pepper." Of course they both went "no" so I said "Oh, I just thought if you tried it and liked it then you could use it for your hair". Straight away they both grabbed a piece, took a bite, and declared they liked it. Me-1 Children-0
• Always thank and praise them if they try something new. Even if they say they don't like it I tell them well done for trying.

I do think that to a certain extent you have to be a hard a**, but I also think you don't want to turn every meal into a battle or a negative experience. Also I think it is best to work up gradually; I should point out that when they were younger and very adversed to trying new food I didn't even make them have one bite, they just had to have the food on their plate without fussing. We worked up to kissing the food (so that it touched their lips) then licking and then taking one bite.
It gets easier as they get older and try more. They know that if they dislike something I won't make them eat it and also if they're being difficult I can bring up the times when they did like things; "Remember the first time you tried mango? You found you really liked it! If you hadn't tried then you wouldn't know." and so on.

Good luck, I know food can be one of the most frustrating areas because there is so much pressure to feed them the 'right' foods and you have so little control over what they actually eat! :hug99:

 

What I do is put whatever is for dinner/lunch on their plate and that's it. I don't comment on what they've eaten or haven't. My three year old goes to bed most nights without eating much of anything. That is his choice. We don't eat strange food! LOL Last night we had pork chops on the grill, corn, and mac and cheese. He actually ate a bit of the mac and cheese, sometimes he won't. I don't give them their milk until part way through the meal as a sort of incentive but I don't make them getting it based on if they eat. They will eventually come around. Food is something I don't want to fight about it. If you are really concerned about nutrition/weight gain, check with your ped about vitamins or other options. GL!

 

For us the trick is have Grandma give it to them . . . unfortunately, we don't see Grandma enough for this to be a real system.

For some reason, when we're at my parents' house they will try pretty much anything as long as Grandma offers it to them, and they like a lot of it and eat it all up. Egg salad? Yum. Chicken? Yum. Soup? Yum.

Then we get home and they won't try the same food when I give it to them. I'm not sure if it would work if we had Grandma come stay for a week and get them really hooked on some new things.

OK, so probably not useful advice, but it's what I have.

Mine generally live on cheese, pasta, bread, and fruit.

-Rachel

 

Wow. Thanks so much everyone, especially Twin Nanny. I wish I could afford a nanny like you!! I am printing out your response. Great advice. Thank thank thank you!

-Dana

 

QUOTE(*Dana* @ Nov 4 2007, 05:28 PM) [snapback]480412[/snapback]
Wow. Thanks so much everyone, especially Twin Nanny. I wish I could afford a nanny like you!! I am printing out your response. Great advice. Thank thank thank you!

-Dana

:blush: You're welcome. I really hope that at least some of it helps you.