A universal complaint of parents is how to deal with picky eaters. A more positive approach to this issue is to ask the question: how to I get my kid to be a bit more adventurous when it comes to food? The simple answer is play with your food, give choices and get cooking!

Play With Your Food

Kids learn a lot from playing. It helps them try on various "roles" -in this case, being a chef, running a restaurant and even perhaps "trying" something they'd never touch in real life. So, whether you have a girl or boy, a toy kitchen is a must! Stock it with the foods you want your child to eat more of, as well as more adventurous ethnic foods. I have fond memories of both my sons bringing me "breakfast" in bed, and requesting special foods not on the "menu"!

Moving onto real food, lots of fun can be had building animals with food and making up silly food combinations. A great rainy day activity is to gather a variety of vegetables with unique shapes, like potatoes, ginger, bell peppers, and eggplant. Then, bring out raisins, dried cranberries, grapes, and some toothpicks, and see what fun-looking animals you can make. Kid-safe knives can be used to turn an eggplant into a penguin or carve a hat out of a bell pepper. A peeler makes it easy to make hair from carrots.

Good Choices:

Many picky eating habits can be explained by a toddler's growing need for independence. Your child is learning that saying no is kinda fun, and it gets a lot of attention from Mom and Dad! Help your child be independent in a controlled fashion by giving him choices when it comes to food (or anything else). "Should we have carrots or peas tonight?" "Do you want orange or apple slices for a snack?" Giving your child limited options underscores the fact that while he has a say in the matter, you're still in charge!

Get Cooking

Kids are more likely to eat what they help make. So get kids cooking early! Kids as young as two can help, even if they only play a small role, such as putting blueberries in the pancake batter or helping to pour sauce over the pasta! Cooking together is quality family time and also encourages more adventurous eating habits. It can also help you understand why your daughter gags at the sight of broccoli. With the pressure off, you may find that your daughter is actually a super taster. So while broccoli and turnips are no-go's, she is open to the milder taste of cooked cabbage. Get your kids involved from the planning to the clean up-it builds confidence, and prepares them to be independent adults-which is the goal, after all! Turn meal planning into a game where you draw foods out of a hat to decide what to eat, or at the store have your child pick out a new food to try. There are many ways to get kids involved that will make meal preparation more fun for you and hopefully broaden your child's eating horizons.