Tips for Cooking for Fussy Eaters
Cookbook Suggestions and Ideas for Mealtimes with Children
Jan 13, 2008
There are some useful and practical cookbooks about kids nutrition available for frustrated parents looking to improve the range of healthy foods that their children eat. With some general tips and patience, it is possible to encourage children to try new foods and maintain a healthy diet.
General Tips for Fussy Eaters
- Don’t snack close to meals. Snacks or large drinks close to meal times discourage children from eating their meal.
- Make desserts or sweet treats conditional on meals being eaten and new foods at least sampled.
- Allow children to serve themselves from dishes placed in the centre of the table. Children love to be involved in food preparation and by serving themselves they feel in control of the food on their plate. Make appropriate rules, eg a small amount of all dishes must be served; all food served onto the plate must be eaten – after all the child has chosen that amount themselves.
- Allow children to be involved in age-appropriate aspects of food preparation. Rinsing vegetables, mashing potatoes, getting ingredients for a salad and setting the table are all tasks that can be accomplished by children.
- Place an ‘entree’ of raw vegetables or fruit salad on the table before mealtimes if children are whining about hunger pains. If children only eat a small serving of the main meal afterwards, they have at least had something nutritious beforehand rather than biscuits or other less nutritious snacks.
Cookbooks with Recipes for Children
Australian Baby and Toddler Meals by Robin Barker (MacMillan, 1998)
A qualified nurse, midwife, lactation consultant and bestselling author of Baby Love and The Mighty Toddler, Barker provides information on the developing nutritional needs of babies and tips on food preparation and allergies/intolerances. The book is divided into developmental stages, with many of the meals in the later sections suitable for general family use. Suggestions for finger foods and a basic meal plan for a toddler are also included.
Australian Women’s Weekly – Babies and Toddlers Good Food (ACP Publishing, 1999)
Family Circle – Feeding Babies & Toddlers (Murdoch Books, 1990)
Both of these books provide a range of meals for children including breakfast and lunch ideas, healthy kids snacks and finger foods, main meals and desserts. There is also information on nutritional needs for children and party food ideas including number birthday cakes.
Written in the easy to read format familiar to users of other Women’s Weekly and Family Circle recipe books, these books are suitable for even a novice cook.
Baby and Toddler Food (Murdoch, 2005)
this book contains recipes suitable for babies and toddlers, with many that can be enjoyed by the whole family. There is information on sources of basic nutrients, foods that should be avoided by young children and general kids nutrition. A chapter on meal ideas for children with food allergies and intolerances provides egg, dairy, gluten, nut and/or soy free recipes.
Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld (Collins, 2007)
There has been some controversy regarding this book, with The Sneaky Chef author Missy Chase Lapine publishing a similar book also in 2007. Others have objected to the ‘deceptive’ nature of the recipes where pureed vegetables such as cauliflower, pumpkin and beets are ‘hidden’ in everyday dishes including chicken nuggets, meatball soup and chocolate cake.
All issues aside, this book is one way of increasing a child’s intake of fresh fruit and vegetables and contains a variety of tips for encouraging fussy eaters to approach healthy food with a better attitude.
By patiently encouraging good eating habits and using child-friendly recipes and cookbooks, even fussy eaters can be persuaded to join in at meal times.
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