09/02/2026
🌈 **HOW I’M HELPING PICKY EATERS EAT MORE VARIETY — WITHOUT MAKING MEALTIMES A BATTLE**
If you have a picky eater, you know the struggle. 😅
You probably think the goal is getting them to **eat the new food**.
But lets try something different:
👉 **The goal is exposure, not perfection.**
🍗 **SAFE + STRETCH**
At meals, offer:
• 1 food they already love
• 1 food they're learning to like
• 1 other food
Example:
🍗 Chicken nuggets
🥦 A tiny serving of broccoli
🍓 Strawberries
They don't have to eat the broccoli.
It can simply **exist on their plate.**
And when they're ready, we try a tiny taste.
No forcing.
No “just eat three bites.”
No making them sit at the table forever.
Just:
**“You don't have to like it. You can try it when you're ready.”**
🥕 **USE FOODS THEY ALREADY LOVE AS A BRIDGE**
Love chicken nuggets?
➡️ chicken strips
➡️ grilled chicken
➡️ chicken quesadilla
➡️ chicken tacos
➡️ chicken rice bowls
Love cheese?
➡️ grilled cheese
➡️ ham & cheese
➡️ quesadillas
➡️ cheese + crackers
➡️ cheese + fruit + veggies
We're expanding their food world **one little step at a time.**
🌮 **LET THEM BUILD THEIR OWN MEALS**
Taco night becomes a buffet of choices.
Tortillas.
Meat.
Cheese.
Lettuce.
Tomatoes.
Corn.
Fruit.
They decide what goes in their taco.
They get some control, but **Mom isn't making five different dinners.** 😂
❤️ And probably the biggest reminder:
*** You don't have to like it.
*** You do have to be willing to try.**
We don't have to make food stressful to raise kids who eat a variety of foods.
Sometimes progress looks like eating the broccoli.
Sometimes progress looks like letting the broccoli sit on the plate without crying. 😂
**Both are progress.**
One meal.
One exposure.
One tiny bite at a time. 🌈