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24 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • February 2018 ages & stages WRITTEN BY KERRIE MCLOUGHLIN 10 Strategies to Cure a Picky eater include them in the cooking. Pull up a chair or stool to the kitchen counter and teach those babies how to cook! They will have an investment in the process and be proud to present and try the meal they helped make. Sit down and ask what some of their favorite meals are and put the ingredients on the shopping list. include them in the shopping. Sometimes kids are picky simply because they want to exert their independence. One strategy to help them along this stage is to take them grocery shopping with you and let them choose some new things to try. heck, include them in the growing. Cynthia Hiebert, mom of two, shares, "Planting a garden is a great way to interest kids in partak- ing of the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor! We have a huge garden and my kids will even eat pickled beets … I believe it's because they helped weed the garden, pull up the beets and then can them with their dad." it's all about presentation … and sauces! I know kids love fries so I make sweet potatoes and carrots into long, thin pieces and bake them on a pan in the oven. Sauces and toppings are a must, so offer a variety. Ketchup, steak sauce, sour cream, ranch dip and others make your kids more likely to give something foreign a chance. Presto change-o. Change the fast food chicken nugget into a bread-crumbed, baked version. Courtney Ludwig-Shay, mom of one, says, "We try to take the beloved foods and make them in a healthy version. We make chicken bites instead of nuggets, fruit leathers instead of fruit snacks." Just try it. "I try to provide at least one thing they'll eat at each meal. If they don't finish the rest, they don't get to have a separate meal or snacks later. I also request they at least try each item, even if they 'know' they don't like it," says Annette M. Whipple, mom of three. Want to know how parents of young kids can kick the chicken nugget, fruit snack and mac 'n cheese habit? Check out these tried-and-true strategies to get a picky eater to switch to a healthier way of life. I would say it's a process. Take one meal per day and try to make healthier options..." - Shannon Watkins " 24 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • February 2018 1 5 4 1 2 4 5 6 3