3 Helpful Tips For Parents of Picky Eaters

Getting your picky eaters to eat their meals can be frustrating. In this post, I share 3 helpful tips for parents of picky eaters and a simple and nutritious recipe that you can cook with your child any day. Invite your kids to participate in meal prep and allow them to play with their food to make mealtime fun.

This post is sponsored by Yummy Dino Buddies. All opinions are my own.

As a child, I remember my mom playing “Avioncito”  with me during feeding time to ensure I would eat my food (I was a big picky eater). Avioncito is the game parents play with their toddlers where they swing the spoon around as if it was a plane. This game works for babies and toddlers but as they grow a bit older, parents need to get more creative with the ways we get our picky eaters to eat their food.  

Now that my picky eaters are older, the struggle is real. But I have found a few ways to get them interested in eating what’s on their plate like incorporating a food item that they really enjoy such as Yummy Dino Buddies. These 100% natural chicken nuggets come in Dinosaur-shaped and Alphabet-shaped options which opens up endless possibilities for mealtime eating adventures.

Let me share more of the things that have helped me with my own kids. Here are some helpful tips to try with your picky eaters. 

3 Helpful Tips to Get Your Picky Eater to Eat Their Lunch. 

1- Make food fun. Children are especially open to trying foods arranged in eye-catching, creative ways. Find fun and appealing ways to arrange or package your kids’ lunch and let them play with their food! 

Finger foods like Yummy Dino Buddies are usually a hit with picky eaters, and they already come in fun dinosaur and alphabet shapes that incite play. It’s like a playground on their plate. They can eat with their hands and spell their names, make Dino tacos, or a whole prehistoric Dino landscape. 

This is my son’s new favorite food and I love it because they aren’t just fun and delicious, but also nutritious. They’re made with boneless, skinless white chicken breast meat and are packed with protein and Omega-3s. And, since they’ll go from the freezer to the dinner table in minutes, Dino Buddies make mealtime less stressful – and a lot more fun. 

2- Introduce new foods slowly. As much as I would want my kids to be the kind of kid that loves vegetables and eat them with no problem, I have to honestly say that is not the case. I struggle with getting my kids to eat vegetables. 

So to ensure that they get a nutritious meal on a daily basis, I introduce new foods and vegetables in their meals slowly and always pair it with some other foods that I know they will enjoy. 

3- Get the kids involved in meal planning and cooking. One of the most important things that you can do with children to expand their interest in food is to get them involved in choosing meals, shopping and cooking. 

Every week, my kids and I sit down to discuss and write down our weekly meal plan. We then head out to the grocery store together to shop for the items we need for the week. And every other day I have them join me in the kitchen to prepare a meal. They love this and I noticed that they are more open to trying new foods when they have helped prepare it. 

How to Make a Quick, Fun and Healthy Lunch With Your Kids

Making a quick, and nutritious meal that your picky eater will love is super simple. Allow them to help you make this dish by letting them complete tasks that are safe and appropriate for their age. 

Here’s how to prepare this Yummy Dino Buddies with roasted vegetables recipe:

1. First, allow your kids to pick which Dino Shapes will be on their plates – is today’s lunch going to be all Brontos or some Pterodactyls too? 
2. Lay the Yummy Dino Buddies in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 
3. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, broccoli and carrots. Drizzle avocado oil, salt and pepper, and fold with a spatula until all vegetables are coated. Transfer to a roasting pan. Kids are great at drizzling & mixing, let them help arrange the pan. 
4. Cook at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. 
5. Once it cools, allow your kids to transfer the food to a plate and arrange in a fun and playful way. Perhaps they’d set up a field of Broccoli trees and a carrot path leading to a dinosaur pool of yummy ketchup or their favorite dipping sauce.  

That is all. Let your kids have fun and they’ll be sure to enjoy and eat all their food. 

What about you? Do you have any helpful tips you can share? Leave them in the comments below. 

For more info about Yummy Dino Buddies and to find a store near you, check out their website. 

Yummy Dino Buddies with Roasted Vegetables

Author: Vanessa

Make a simple and nutritious meal that you can cook with your child any day. Perfect lunch for picky eaters.

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 3 servings

Calories 680 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 12 Yummy Dino Buddies nuggets
• ▢ 8 small potatoes, halved
• ▢ 2 cups broccoli
• ▢ 1 large carrot, sliced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• ▢ 1/3 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven at 425 degrees. Lay the Yummy Dino Buddies nuggets in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
• In a large bowl, combine potatoes, broccoli and carrots. Drizzle avocado oil, salt and pepper, and fold with a spatula until all vegetables are coated. Transfer to a roasting pan and cook at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.
• Once it cools, allow your kids to transfer the food to a plate and arrange in a fun and playful way. Perhaps they’d set up a field of Broccoli trees and a carrot path leading to a dinosaur pool of yummy ketchup or their favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

1. Allow your kids to pick which Dino Shapes will be on their plates – is today’s lunch going to be all Brontos or some Pterodactyls too?
2. Kids are great at drizzling & mixing, let them help arrange the pan.
3. You can also get alphabet-shaped Yummy Dino Buddies and let your kids spell different words on their plates.

Nutrition

Calories: 680kcalCarbohydrates: 110gProtein: 21gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 755mgPotassium: 2841mgFiber: 12gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 3815IUVitamin C: 104mgCalcium: 127mgIron: 5mg

The nutritional information of this recipe and all recipes on mydominicankitchen.com is only an estimate. The accuracy of any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Keywordeasy lunch for kids, How to make an easy lunch for kids

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