4 Creative Ways to Get Picky Eaters to Finish Their Lunches

My kids are picky eaters. They try to negotiate what she would like to eat at meal times and how it should look in order for her to enjoy it. School lunches are the real challenges for her to want to eat. If they had their way, they would have nothing but junk food packed for their lunches every day. Since this will NEVER happen, my other half and I have become creative so they will eat their lunches during the school year. I am sharing with you some of the methods we found successful with our kids, and hopefully, they will help your picky eater want to finish their lunches as well!

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Breaking down meals

With our younger daughter, we found she did not like sandwiches. After scratching our heads as to what to do to get her to like sandwiches, we decided to give her deconstructed sandwiches. Basically, we would give her all of the parts of a sandwich, but we would add it to her lunch container. This way, she could see what she was eating. My daughter would also be able to make her own lunch combinations and eat the rest of it separately.

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Keeping their eye on the prize

Kids are notorious for eating with their eyes. My daughter is no exception. She loves when her meals look bright and fun. There is more of a chance of her trying something new if it looks yummy. We try to do the following things to make her lunches look more inviting and fun:

•  Cut sandwiches, cheese, and veggies into fun shapes your kids like so they are more willing to want to eat it with the help of a    cookie cutter or other shape making tools.
• Find foods that are in their favourite colours and incorporate them into their lunches
• Hide the nutrition into fun-looking foods such as brownies and homemade fruit roll-ups

They make lunches easier for her to eat and it also makes less waste for us to dispose of.

Have them help pick out the menu

When you go to a restaurant, you are rarely told what to eat, so why should it be the same where your children’s lunches are concerned? We ask our daughter to help pick out some options that she will actually eat for her lunches and that we can feel good about. If she is not sure, we then give her some advice.

One option parents can add to their children’s lunches this school year is Mott’s Fruitsations +Veggie fruit flavoured snacks. These yummy “gummie” treats contain fruit and vegetable juice from concentrate. Another great reason why Mott’s fruit flavoured snacks can make a great addition to your child’s lunch is that they do not contain any artificial flavours or colours. Each pouch of these fun snacks is only 80 calories and are available in two delicious flavours: Berry and Assorted. They are fabulous to pack for a lunch snack, to eat after school, or to have on-the-go!

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Take a hands-on approach

We also find that having our girl help prepare her lunch helps her become less of a picky eater. She is so proud of herself for helping with what she has put together and loves showing her friends what she was able to make. This sense of accomplishment makes her lunch choices that much tastier to eat!

These tips are just some of the ways parents can try to get kids to eat their lunches in creative ways. Kids are picky eaters for so many reasons, and trying more than one approach is the best to get kids to actually eat what’s in their lunchbox. These options could also lead to your child becoming more confident in other aspects of their life, wanting to try new things they may have not wanted to in the past. I hope that these tips help your children to become more adventurous with their palettes!

Disclaimer: This post was generously sponsored by Mott’s fruit flavoured snacks.

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