My daughter Maddie has literally been a picky eater since she ate her first bite of food at 6 months old! She can be so picky that I can’t even get her to lick a cupcake or treat that most kids would jump at! She has however grown her palette by leaps and bounds over the years, and she even eats beef and chicken without complaint!

If you have a picky eater- I feel you! However, it does and can get better with a little work! Here are five tried and true ways to help a picky eater explore more options:

1. Be consistent. Being consistent with meal and snack times will make sure your children bellies are hungry for real food when it’s time to eat.

2. Make meal time more relaxed and fun. Pressure to do something is never a good catalyst for change, especially when it comes to children. Creating an environment that opens their minds to try new things is much better than force feeding every time. Our rule with Maddie is she has to take three bites of something before saying she doesn’t like it, but we try to make it seem exploratory and fun rather than punishment.

3. Always keep something they enjoy on the plate. When kids sit down and take an overview of their plate, often times they look to see if there is something they recognize and enjoy. This makes the meal seem more approachable to start. I like to add one or two new things at a time, and encourage Maddie to take at least one bite before she says she doesnt like something, which is always much easier than approaching a whole new meal!

4. Don't give up! I know, easier said than done, but this is where I majorly went wrong with Maddie, and am now learning from my mistakes. When she turned two she started rejecting foods she had previously eaten one by one. And guess what, I let her! I stopped giving her foods she no longer "liked" because I figured, "whats the point!?" Until I realized that kids are always changing their minds, and that means they make hate something one day, and like it the next. I started giving Maddie foods she said she didn't like again, and guess what, she now loves them!

5. Get kids involved. Whether it be in planing the meals for the week, grocery shopping, and/or cooking, getting your kids involved in the process of meals can be incredibly helpful when trying to win over a picky eater. Giving kids choices allows them to feel in control, which means their gaurd will be down and they will be more apt to trying new things.

I have many more tips that have helped Maddie over the years, but these are just a few I have found are easy to implement at the start! Hope it helps another momma out there! Xo Katie