Eat This, Not Chaos
Eat This, Not Chaos
This picky eater list has two parts: 61 foods kids commonly eat, to check off what your kid eats today, and the foods picky eaters most often refuse. Most parents are surprised how many foods are already on the yes list, and those foods are your starting points for new ones.
After the lists, food bridges move from a food your kid already likes to a new one, step by step. You can also get the whole thing as a printable PDF to fill in with a pencil.
Printable PDF
3 pages to print and stick on the fridge: this checklist with Likes, Trying and Not yet boxes, the food bridges, and a family food notes sheet for allergies and safe foods.
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Go through each group and mark what your kid eats today. Anything they already like is a starting point. Anything marked "not yet" is just that, not yet.
If your kid turns these down, you have plenty of company. Picky eaters tend to avoid strong flavors, unpredictable textures and foods that are mixed together. Check the ones that apply to your kid, then look for the bridge: a hidden version, a dip or a deconstructed plate.
Hidden vegetables help with the first group: hidden veggie recipes blend vegetables into sauces and batters kids already like. For mixed dishes, serve the parts side by side and let your kid build their own plate.
A food bridge starts with a food your kid already eats and changes one small thing at a time: the same shape, color or flavor with one difference. Every small change and next step below is a real recipe in the cookbook.
Enter your kid's allergies, dislikes and favorite flavors and see which of our 364 recipes fit them, with a weekly meal planner and shopping list built around what they eat. One-time purchase, $19.99.
Build my kid's cookbookMany picky eaters prefer plain, predictable foods: chicken nuggets, buttered noodles, mac and cheese, bread, crackers, cheese, yogurt, bananas, apples and pizza. Those familiar foods make a good base for food bridges toward new ones.
Foods picky eaters often refuse include leafy greens, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, mixed dishes like casseroles and stews, foods with sauces, spicy food, seafood and anything with lumps or mixed textures. Foods touching on the plate are a common sticking point too.
A safe food is one your child eats reliably and feels comfortable with. Putting one safe food on every plate lowers the pressure, so your child is more willing to look at or try something new nearby.
Start from a food they already like and change one small thing, offer the new food in a tiny portion next to a safe food, let them touch or smell it without pressure and keep offering it over many meals.
There is no exact number, but if your child accepts very few foods (some feeding specialists use about 20 as a rough marker), drops foods they used to eat or shows signs of anxiety or weight loss around eating, talk to your pediatrician.