Fun Solutions for Picky Eaters

Farmers' markets, picnics on the kitchen floor, and more surprising ways to please your little foodie!

By Kim Laehle

Being a picky eater goes hand in hand with being a toddler. Developmentally, your child is actually right on track if she gets pickier with her food choices somewhere between ages one and three. Because their growth is slower than babies', toddlers don't need as much food. And because activity and movement are so important to the developing toddler, sitting down for a meal may seem impossible at times. The good news is that your child’s eating habits will change. Picky eating generally tends to get better around age 4 or 5. The important thing to remember is that whether it takes a month or a year, this behavior is a phase, and it, too, shall pass.

In the meantime, you can try one of these strategies:

• Wait until they’re hungry to offer something new.
• Cut things up in different shapes.
• Offer some sort of dip with their fruits and veggies (like hummus, peanut butter, or soft cheese).
• Involve your child in picking out produce, planning meals, and preparation in the kitchen. (Kids are less likely to refuse something they helped make.)

Sometimes another person introducing the food in a completely new way can make a difference. When a good friend of mine from the Bay Area came for a visit with an ice chest full of food, my son, JJ, (then three) couldn’t wait to see what Auntie M.E. had brought. As she began to unpack the items, JJ walked over to the dining room table and pulled down his Thomas the Train placemat. He then opened a drawer and got a placemat for Auntie M.E. The next thing I knew, he was searching for our picnic blanket. Once he found that, it was laid out on the kitchen floor, complete with placemats and napkins.

Auntie M.E. pulled out hummus (which he already likes), crackers and then the piece de resistance—purple cauliflower. JJ had never been willing to try white cauliflower, but this purple stuff just did the trick! He began munching on pieces, asking for more, and sharing it with his Dad and me. He looked inside the ice chest for more goodies and soon was tackling pomegranates and beets! They sat on the floor for nearly an hour, talking and eating and tasting new foods.
Now whenever JJ knows Auntie M.E. is coming, he asks if they can have a picnic on the floor. Her new food treats aren’t always a hit, but there is a special moment when the possibility of trying something new is there.

A few weeks after the picnic on the floor, we visited our local Farmers' Market. JJ walked up to one of the booths and saw not only purple cauliflower, but orange as well. He let fly with a whoop that turned several shoppers’ heads. “Mommy! They have orange AND purple cauliflower here! Please, please, please, will you buy me some?” The looks on the faces of the other shoppers were priceless, especially since there were cookies and cinnamon rolls on display right next door. So, of course, we bought some, and there we were at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning, snacking on raw cauliflower at the Farmers’ Market! Weeks later when the same farmer had some heirloom Italian cauliflower, we were some of the first in line to buy it and munch on it while walking around.

The picky eating phase can be frustrating for moms and dads, but as with so many parenting challenges, it pays to remain calm. Avoid a power struggle; instead, try something new. The novelty of a new seat or eating outdoors along with different food may be enough to get a little spark going. And you never know, that spark might last all the way to the Farmers’ Market—and beyond!

Kim Laehle is a freelance writer and mom of two. She shops her local Farmers' Markets in the Auburn area, where she lives with her husband and their two-year-old and four-year-old cauliflower connoisseurs.

Explore The Farmers’ Market
Bring your little foodies along to savor the flavors of summer and enjoy outdoor entertainment!

(Note: This is just a sampling of Greater Sacramento’s many offerings; for a full guide to local Farmers’ Markets, check out The Source Book 2009 (pages 20-22), available free at your local library, courtesy of Sacramento Parent and our sponsors.)

AUBURN (Old Town Courthouse Parking Lot at Auburn Folsom Road & Lincoln Way)
8am-12noon Saturdays (year-round)

DAVIS (Central Park – 4th Street and C Street)
Picnic in the Park: 4:30pm-8:30pm Wednesdays (March-October)
Features live music, International Food Faire, bouncing bungalows, pony rides, rock-climbing wall, and more.
Saturday Market: 8am-1pm Saturdays (year-round)
(530) 756-1695

ELK GROVE (Elk Grove Regional Park)
CSD Farmers’ Market: 4pm-8pm Wednesdays (May-August)
Features themed kids’ activities. Swap Meet held afterward on the first Wednesday of each month.

GRANITE BAY (Auburn Folsom Road & Douglas Boulevard)
9am-1pm Thursdays (May-December)

GRANITE BAY (Quarry Ponds Town Center on Douglas Boulevard)
Foothill Farmers’ Market: 10:30am-2pm Sundays (May-December)

PLACERVILLE (Downtown Placerville’s Historic Main Street)
5pm-dusk Wednesdays (through September)
(530) 647-0744

ROSEVILLE (Whole Foods’ Parking Lot in the Fountains Shopping Center)
8:30am-1pm every Tuesday
(916) 781-5300

SACRAMENTO – ARDEN-ARCADE (Country Club Plaza parking lot)
Country Club Plaza Certified Farmers’ Market: 8am-12noon, Saturdays

SACRAMENTO – MIDTOWN (State Parking Lot at 8th & W)
Midtown Farmers' Market: 8am-12noon Sundays (year-round)

SACRAMENTO – DOWNTOWN (Near City Hall at 10th & J)
Chavez Plaza Farmer’s Market: 10am-2pm Wednesdays (May-October)