Resolving picky eating - taking small, manageable steps

I have just been talking to a mum who bought Creating Confident Eaters for her sister. Her picky eater niece eats a healthy but limited diet, and we all know how difficult it can be when our children can only eat certain foods.

Aunty read through the book before passing it on to her sister and decided to use one of the strategies on the niece, Lily * to see how it worked.

Although this is not specifically from the guide what the aunt has done is used an example and a strategy and applied it to her own situation and that of her niece.

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They were making home-made pizzas so both of them went into the garden to pick a spinach leaf. They washed it, cut it and Lily put it onto her pizza. When the pizza was cooked, she ate it and enjoyed it.

There are so many fabulous lessons that lead to this happy ending!

If you have a child that really struggles around food and green is particularly challenging, then I would not be recommending this, nor does the guide. It’s all about meeting our child where they are at and then taking manageable steps FOR THEM, from that point.

For another child it may be adding a slither of ham or a slightly different cheese.
But what aunty did so well here was:

1. Have Lily involved in the prep. Again, this is not always the best strategy but in this case was perfect.

2. They picked the spinach and gave Lily ownership over what was happening. Choice over how much and which leaf.

3. Lily was able to put the spinach on the pizza herself. She was also in control of the volume.

4. A certain amount of excitement was built over the pizza making and cooking and so the experience itself was all positive. In some ways the eating part was not the focus – which is a good thing.

5. Lily was able to eat the tiny piece of spinach and not have to eat any more.

Go aunty!! Another positive here was also possibly that it was not mum in charge. Our children will often do things for other adults that they would not agree to with us. Sigh.

*name changed for privacy