Tuesday Tip for Picky Eaters: Encourage samples

This week’s Tuesday Tip for Picky Eaters: Encourage samples.

Who doesn't love grocery store samples? The tiny bite-sized portions are so enticing you just have to try them out. They are a fun, no-pressure way for kids to taste a new food without committing to a big serving.

There are two ways to embrace samples with your kids.

Henry tries out an apple slice at the grocery store.

Your first option is to take them grocery shopping with you and encourage them to try out new foods at the store. We visit during Henry's usual snack time so that sampling does not interfere with a meal.

Luckily, we have two grocery stores nearby that offer samples of nutritious whole foods. The first reliably sets out samples of fresh seasonal produce, including slices of apples and oranges. The second always has a wide selection of cheese samples on offer, from aged Parmesan to soft goat cheese. If you don't see good options at your local supermarket, talk with the produce manager or even the checkout clerk to ask them about featuring samples of local, organic and seasonal foods.

Henry samples cheeses at the grocery store.

Your second option is to offer samples at home. Think of it like a tapas bar with small plates of several different foods. If the thought of cooking a bunch of little dishes seems overwhelming, start by setting out three easy no-cook options for your child's afternoon snack. Here are a few to try:

Offer a few crackers smeared with cream cheese or hummus and each topped with a different vegetable, maybe an olive, a cucumber slice, a cherry tomato, and a small piece of bell pepper.
Serve small cubes of cheese and fruit skewered with tooth picks. Delicious combinations include cheddar/apple, parmesan/pear, feta/watermelon, goat cheese/strawberry, and blue cheese/papaya.
Plate a variety of finger sandwiches on white, wheat and rye breads. Some of my favorites are chicken salad with grapes, turkey with cranberry, vegetable cream cheese, and cucumber tea sandwiches.

Use salad plates or small bowls to serve the samples. Remember to keep it fun and don't worry if your child doesn't want to try everything.

Comments

The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook

UPDATE (10/2/12): Unfortunately, I did not hear back from our original winner. Congratulations to our alternate winner for "The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook" -- Robin Pfefer. UPDATE (9/29/12): I am happy to announce that Kashia Clopper is the winner of "The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook". When I was first thinking about using the Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) model for Henry, I was unsure about whether it would really work. I was excited about BLW’s claims of less stressful meals that the whole family could share together. Plus, I was all for encouraging Henry to gain new skills by learning about the shapes, textures, colors, smells and flavors of food. This sounded ideal in theory, but would it work in practice? After some fun but ineffective attempts at letting Henry feed himself, I went in search of resources to learn more about BLW. I needed to learn how to prepare meals for our family in which Henry could participate. That’s when I found “ The Baby-Led

Do Your Kids Eat Everything?

UPDATE (3/15/2013): Congratulations to Kia as the random drawing winner in this giveaway! Thank you to all those who entered this contest. Before we began our food adventure with Henry, Daddy and I had many conversations about how to encourage Henry to become “a good eater.” After watching other parents constantly struggle with their toddlers, we wanted to know if there was anything we could do from the start to prevent picky eating. That’s when we read “ French Kids Eat Everything ” by Karen Le Billon . The book is an easy and enjoyable read about the year that Karen’s family spent in France and how it changed the way her family eats. The heart of the book explores the 10 French Food Rules for raising happy, healthy eaters. “French Kids Eat Everything” sparked numerous discussions at our dinner table about how our family eats. We have become more conscious of our assumptions about food and how that will influence Henry’s understanding of mealtimes. In addition, the

What to do about dairy?

Last week I took Henry to the pediatrician. He was diagnosed with yet another ear infection. This is his fifth serious ear infection over the past seven months. The pediatrician gave us another round of antibiotics and was concerned enough to refer us to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist for an evaluation. Henry's usually bubbly personality changes for the worse when he gets an ear infection. When Henry is sick his usually bubbly and outgoing personality changes to clingy and cranky. He has trouble sleeping for more than a few hours at a time, without crying out for comfort. It's rough on the whole family when he does not sleep well because his ears are hurting. I am tired of giving Henry multiple antibiotics and I am worried that his hearing and speech development are being affected. Ear infections are fairly common in young children and there is a lot of conflicting advice about how to treat them. The most common treatment for recurring ear infections are ear tub

How to Feed a Henry

Search This Blog