When the table becomes a battlefield: You against a Picky Eater

When your busy running from activity to activity it can be hard to plan, cook or choose meals that satisfy everyone. Especially if you have the dreaded picky eater. It may be simple and fast to eat fast food everyday but we know that's not healthy for ourselves or our children and when everything else is met with a frown it can get frustrating.

According to Parenthood.com the period of 12 to 21 months of age is a good time to get children ready for a healthy diet. According to the article "Is Your Child a Picky Eater" Toddlers tend to crave adventure and variety so the toddlers should be eating what the rest of the family is eating. This article also says that between the ages of 2 and 3 children develop food cautiousness. The article says to deter the picky behavior don't force children to eat things when they refuse instead let them watch you eat it.

This is great advise for my toddlers and I am using it as much as I can, but what about my 10 year old who is refusing to eat much of what my mother, who is helping me out while I go to school, puts on the table. My mother cooks food from scratch many times. These are foods I grew up eating but as the spoiled youngest never learned to cook. I know it's not the greatest but my meals largely depend on things that come out of a box or the freezer. As a busy single mom if I can microwave it while working on a paper it's a food staple! So now that we are getting some home cooked meals my 10 year old turns up her nose. She would much rather have Bob Evans microwave macaroni and cheese then my mothers homemade Mac & Cheese made with sausage!

MayoClinic.com has an article that has some really good tips for children of all different ages. "Children's nutrition: 10 tips for picky eaters" gives 10 tips for dealing with a picky eater.

10 TIPS FOR DEALING WITH A PICKY EATER

Respect your child's appetite-or lack of one

Stick to the routine

Be patient with new foods

Make it fun

Recruit your child's help

Set a good example

Be sneaky

Minimize distractions

Don't offer dessert as a reward

Don't be a short order cook

I don't fight my 10-year-old anymore, I just offer her one alternative that usually she can make herself and we don't make a big deal of it. I do ask her to at least try it once before she says no.

Super Single Mom Moment:Don't make the dinner table a battle field! Realize your not alone and that their are solutions to the problem of a picky eater.