Mom Tips for Dinner...

My boys, like most kids, have picky eating phases.  There are some days when they will eat everything in sight and others when I can't get them to eat anything.  For those days when all they seem to want is macaroni,  I have a couple of tricks.

My favorite trick is DINNER GAMES.  In our kitchen I keep a basket with games that can be played during dinner.  Some nights I ask one of the boys to choose a game.  This gets everyone laughing and engaged during dinner and makes dinner take longer, often encouraging the kids to eat more.  We do break up the game with "time to eat" periods or have "everyone take a bite" between players.

The "NO-THANK-YOU-BITE"  is another favorite.  I read once that it takes up to 15 tastes of a new flavor before it's a preferred flavor.  To make sure my boys get those 15 tastes, I ask them to have a no-thank-you bite of anything they don't really want to eat.  On nights when I am craving a side-dish that I know the boys won't like I make them their own side, but ask them have a bite of mine too.

Finally, we sometimes have THEME MEALS.  These range from one person's favorite meal, to a replication of a favorite restaurant dish to a color theme or a meal based on a book or movie.  Whatever the theme, I have discovered that I can sneak in unfamilar food.  The boys are having so much fun with the theme, they're more likely to give something new a try.  I also know that when the meal is their favorite, chances are great they'll have a full dinner.

What are your favorite tricks for getting kids to eat?
Have a great weekend.  Coming up next week...new craft tutorials, mom-tips for allowance and mom-tips for packing!