Four Creative Tricks for Getting Picky Eaters to Eat

Have you tried all the tips and tricks out there, and you still can't get your kids to eat what is on their plates? I tried them all and nothing worked for me and my ultra-picky kids. I had to come up with my own tricks for getting my picky eaters to eat.

Get Picky Eaters to Eat: Get Saucy

My son suddenly decided he didn't like chicken nuggets. He had been eating them all his life, but now suddenly, he hated them. My son is such a picky eater, but his sudden hatred for chicken nuggets did not make sense to me.

I tried everything and what finally worked was changing the dipping sauce. I put out little samples of barbecue sauce, sweet n' sour sauce, ranch salad dressing, steak sauce, Miracle Whip, tarter sauce, honey mustard sauce, and ketchup, and let him dunk and taste. He discovered he liked the way the ranch tasted, and now I don't have to fight with him to eat his chicken nuggets. This way he also had some control over his food.

Get Picky Eaters to Eat: Call It Chicken

My three-year-old daughter does not know the difference between pork chops, tuna, and chicken. She loves chicken, but she won't even try a pork chop if I call it a pork chop. But if I call it chicken, my picky eater will eat it happily and ask for more 'chicken'.

This won't always work, and generally it only works on the younger crowd of picky eaters. When they get older and they know it's not chicken, give picky eaters different sauces to dunk it in!

Get Picky Eaters to Eat: Use the Gross-Out Factor

This trick works well with the boys. If your son is a picky eater, try to find a way to get him to try it. For example, my son would not eat beans until I told him they would make him fart! This really does work for getting picky eaters to eat broccoli, beans, and most other gas-producing food.

When my son suffered a bout of constipation, I got him to drink prune juice by calling it 'pooping juice'. Yes, I know it is gross, but if it gets your picky eater to eat, it is worth it!

Get Picky Eaters to Eat: Tasting Spot