by Robin Tidwell

Created on: April 12, 2008   Last Updated: July 01, 2009

Some kids are just picky eaters, period; some will eat anything in sight or, at least, try it once. For a three-year-old, the "airplane" maneuver works fairly well, but by the time a child is six, his only activity at dinner may be to push the food around on his plate. Some kids just refuse to move beyond the basics of hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, and occasionally spaghetti. A family dinner table is important, so persist in trying to get the kids to at least taste different things.

Your aggravation meter will climb sky high.

Some parents will cater to their kids, making a separate dinner, allowing the kids to fix a peanut butter sandwich, or acquiesce in some other manner. This merely sets the stage for a child-run household and can certainly overflow into other areas as well.

Children should not make the household rules and, as the adults, parents are the bosses. A parent's job is to ensure that his child grows up healthy, happy, and productive - not call the shots. Kids have parents because kids don't possess the experience or knowledge to make sound decisions, and yes, that extends to choosing foods wisely.

Another method, especially as a child grows older, is to require a certain number of bites from his plate; a good rule of thumb is to equate that number with the years of the child's age. Or, you can set a timer and when dinner is over, it's over. Remove the plate and put it in the fridge for the next meal. Picky kids are notorious for stalling.

Will it work? Nope. Not at first - kids can be stubborn, after all. He may eat quite a few unusual breakfasts that first week: barbequed pork sandwich, tuna noodle casserole, and potato soup. Change doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen if you stick to your guns!

If you have a picky eater, you can cater to his tastes or allow him to choose what and when he eats - and set yourself up for a multitude of problems down the road. Or, you can set some guidelines, number of bites or a time limit, and keep trying. Some kids will refuse a certain food for years, then decide, usually at someone else's house, that they actually like it - and leave you completely flummoxed.

Let's face it, if kids liked everything, so would adults. And if kids' tastes never changed, they'd all still be eating blueberry buckle out of that tiny jar. No child has ever starved to death because of good, wholesome food in the house. Eventually he'll eat.

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