Making their own nutritious choices is a skill your child will use for life. You can help your child learn this skill with the following tips:
Let kids learn by themselves
- Let your children choose the plates, bowls, or containers you will use to offer food.
- Let them choose which foods to eat and how much, from the foods you offer.
- Teach them to start with small amounts of food.
- Remind them they can get more if they are still hungry.
- Trust their hunger and fullness cues. (Learn more about these cues below)
Be patient. It works better than pressure
- Kids may not take to new foods right away. Offer new foods many times and in different ways.
- When offering your child a new food, let them choose whether to try it or not.
- Kids are more likely to enjoy a food when eating it is their own choice.
- Accept their choices.
Use encouraging words
- As a parent, what you say has a big impact on kids’ eating habits.
- Gently guide your kids to make healthy choices with positive words.
- Read examples of things to say to support healthy eating.
Let kids help in the kitchen
- Kids like to try foods they help make. It’s a great way to encourage them to try new things.
- Name their dish (for example, Karla’s salad or Liam’s tacos) that they help create.
- Compliment the foods they help make. “Oh, wow. That sandwich looks delicious.”
Deeper Dive
We can also help you learn to recognize your child's hunger and fullness cues