Savvy mum shares genius trick to get picky toddlers to try new food – and all you need is a muffin tray
IT’S no secret that kids can be picky eaters and getting them to try new foods can be a bit of a chore.
But instead of hopefully adding vegetables to her kids’ plates or spending ages peas and carrots in recipes, this mum came up with an easy way to get her little ones to try new grub.
Mum-of-three Ariel Shearer used a kitchen staple to serve her kids’ meals on rather than a normal plate.
Sharing her hack on Instagram, Ariel showed how she adds a little bit of different foods to each section of a muffin tray before giving it to her toddlers.
Not only is the method perfect for getting picky eaters to try new food, but you can add foods you know they love in there too.
For her toddler, Ariel added some grapes, tomatoes, dry cereals, sausage, sandwiches, meat and other veggies, only having a very small portion of each.
She said: “Perfect night to just throw whatever you have in the fridge or pantry into muffin tins for their very own charcuterie boards!”
Other parents loved the idea and couldn’t wait to try it with their kids.
One said: “Great idea and fun. My son had a plate with six sections. He loved it.”
A second agreed: “Great idea!! You are a clever mom, by setting the food in those cupcake tins, they feel they are making the decisions on what they are eating. Good job mom!”
And another commented: “This is actually super beneficial for kids. The large amount of food available to choose from without the pressure to finish their plate.
“Sounds like you are teaching them how to listen to their bodies! Love this idea so much.”
Emma Hubbard, a Paediatric occupational therapist, previously revealed the major mistakes parents always make when dealing with picky eaters.
She said: “Picky eating can be an extremely stressful experience for both you and your little one.
“When they simply refuse to eat anything but the smallest selection of foods, it’s common to simply run out of ideas for what to try next.”
She added: “Picky eating is a normal part of development and all children will go through it to some degree, even the best eaters eventually go through a period of fussiness and food refusal.”
And if your kids don’t like something at first, don’t give up hope, according to the parenting expert it can 10-20 times of being shown the same food before toddlers decide to eat it.
And as for hiding vegetables in their food, don’t even bother, Emma said.
New food should never be hidden in your child’s favourite food,” Emma said.
She explained that your tot will almost always notice that something is different with their favourite grub and might reject the new food as well as their favourite food.
“They also learn that they can no longer trust you, any food that you give them might have hidden food in it that they don’t want to eat.
“You run the risk that they’re not going to want to eat any food that you give them,” She explained.