Your top 10 mealtime problems, solved

Your toddler is a huge fan of macaroni and cheese—and practically nothing else. Your preteen sneaks out the door without so much as a bite of breakfast. Your grade schooler has developed an acute case of sandwich phobia.... Sound familiar? Here are some parent-proven solutions to your top biggest mealtime challenges.

1. Now that my baby is no longer eating purées, I don’t know what to feed her. Any suggestions?
You can serve her many of the same foods you’re eating, with a few important exceptions. Avoid foods that pose a significant risk of choking and go slow with foods that pose an allergy risk. See my book Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler or talk to your public health nutritionist or pediatrician about which foods should be avoided by young babies.)
As for what types of entrées babies love, here are a few ideas:
• pasta
• chili (mildly spiced)
• stew
• casseroles
• soups
• soft meats
• sweet potatoes
• fresh or frozen vegetables
• fresh or canned fruits.
Keep your baby’s developmental stage in mind when you’re deciding how finely to chop or mash her foods, but don’t be afraid to challenge her with increasingly complex textures as she is ready. Babies learn by doing, after all.
2. My toddler would be overjoyed if our cupboards were filled with macaroni and cheese and nothing but. He has a fit if we serve him something else. How do other parents deal with this?
You can either try to get him to kick his “habit” cold turkey or you can give him a small serving of macaroni and cheese at dinnertime, alongside whatever else the rest of the family is eating. When the macaroni and cheese is done, it’s done. (No second helpings.) If he’s still hungry, he needs to figure out which of the other foods on the planet he’s going to fill his tummy with until it’s time for his next macaroni and cheese fix.
3. My five-year-old hates vegetables. Any tips on encouraging him to add at least a few varieties to his diet?
Try grilling potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other mild-tasting vegetables on the barbecue. This idea is likely to score points with the child who is a hamburger or hot dog nut. (If it comes off the grill, it’s got to be good.)
Find a dip that appeals to your child and then team it up with the vegetable he hates least. Let him dip to his heart’s content. Don’t limit yourself to things you think of as traditional dips. Some kids are wild about mustard or plum sauce.
4. My three-year-old hates the texture of meat. He chews it for a while and then spits it out on his plate. Yuck.
You can make meat more palatable by sticking to tender cuts of meat, serving meat in broths or sauces, and cooking with ground meats. Don’t forget that there are also tons of protein-rich alternatives to meat, such as chicken, fish, beans, peas, lentils, peanut butter, eggs, and cheese.
5. My five-year old and my six-year old are constantly fighting at the dinner table. It’s so annoying.
Your kids may be tired, hungry, and restless by the time dinnertime rolls around. You may want to put out a healthy snack—perhaps a fruit and veggie platter with dip—so that the kids can won’t be quite as famished (and irritable) by the time everyone sits down to eat.
6. My seven-year-old hates milk. Is it okay to give him chocolate milk as a way to encourage him to drink milk?
Absolutely. Chocolate milk is just a tastier version of regular milk. And it actually contains less sugar than unsweetened fruit juice.
7. My kids eat way too much junk food. How can I get them off the stuff?
Go slow with the menu makeover or you could end up triggering a backlash that will have your kids holing up in the linen closet with a loaf of white bread and a container of chocolate spread. Instead, make one or two changes a week to your kids’ overall menu and you’ll soon see some significant improvements.
8. What kind of lunches can you send to school with a kid who hates sandwiches?
Use Canada’s Food Guide as a starting point. Pick one or more servings from each of the four main food groups—grain products, vegetables and fruit, milk products, and meat and alternatives—and think of ways to combine them in creative and delicious ways: cereal, yogurt, and fresh fruit; a pita slathered in refried beans (or cut into triangles with a container of refried bean dip); soups, stews, and salads; a side serving of bread and cheese alongside a jumbo-sized chef’s salad; etc. For best results, get your child involved in menu planning and grocery shopping. Sandwich-o-phobes are notoriously picky, as you’re all too aware.
9. My preteen skips breakfast most mornings. I don’t know how big a deal to make of the situation.
Hungry kids have a harder time focussing in school, which can lead to academic problems. If your child is rushing out the door because she’s in a hurry or she’s suddenly decided she hates the standard breakfast menu fare, see if you can brainstorm some ideas for some almost-instant breakfasts (like a healthy and yummy fruit-and-yogurt smoothie).
Here’s another point to keep in mind: Sometimes preteens skip breakfast in the mistaken belief that doing so will help them to lose weight. That, in turn, tends to lead to poorer food choices later in the day, which can set up a cycle of unhealthy eating.
10. How many times should I ask my child to try a food that he “hates” before I finally give up on that food?
Researchers say that it can take 15 to 20 exposures to the same food for a child to accept it. Don’t serve it the same way 15 nights in a row if your child gives it a thumbs down the first night. Serve it in slightly different way every couple of weeks. Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error to crack the code of your child’s food likes and dislikes!
Ann Douglas is the author of Mealtime Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler (Wiley, 2006). Find more of her tips at www.motherofallblogs.com