“On Thanksgiving we talk about being thankful, but really the discussion and the main show is the food, the food, the food,” says\u00a0Kristin Kirkpatrick, former lead dietitian at Cleveland Clinic and founder of KAK Consulting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The amount of food alone may be visually overwhelming, and there are a handful of things \u2014 like a whole turkey and cranberry sauce, for example \u2014 that are not usually on your dinner table.<\/p>\n
There is \u201ca lot of commotion and a lot of expectation\u201d around the meal, says Arielle \u201cDani\u201d Lebovitz, food parenting expert and creator of\u00a0Kid Food Explorers. \u201cSo even if you have a child who is normally not particular about food, (they) might feel very different around the holidays \u2014 and it\u2019s for a good reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lebovitz says that although parents tend to zero in on their kids’ issues with food, the problem may not be about the food at all. Kids can have a hard time dealing with new smells, unfamiliar people, lots of movement and holiday tension in the air.<\/p>\n
She urges parents to consider the environment and the people in addition to the food. Consider bringing headphones to muffle the sound of football, review photos of guests in advance so they know who to expect or bring familiar plates and utensils for the meal.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving some familiar foods on the plate can make kids more comfortable and decrease the stress around mealtime,\u201d says Dr. Katie Lockwood, pediatrician at Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia. \u201cKnowing that there is something they will definitely eat means that they can participate in the social aspects of the Thanksgiving meal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kirkpatrick says that the \u201csafe\u201d food doesn\u2019t necessarily have to fit the Thanksgiving theme, but you could try deconstructing some holiday favorites in advance.<\/p>\n
For example, she calls stuffing \u201cthe perfect storm for a picky eater\u201d because of its varied textures, colors and flavors. Start early by introducing your child to a \u201cstuffing\u201d that is simply toast and butter. Then perhaps add a carrot. And on Thanksgiving Day, create a version of stuffing that works for your child even if it\u2019s different than the stuffing on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn study after study after study, involving kids in the process of making food typically helps with a little bit more openness to try foods, or to eat foods that they disliked in the past,\u201d says Kirkpatrick.<\/p>\n
You can take kids grocery shopping, ask them to wash or chop ingredients or help prepare their \u201csafe\u201d food. You can also challenge kids to eat as many different colors as they can find.<\/p>\n
\u201cColor is a direct association with the nutrient density, and color only comes from plants. So it it\u2019s a roundabout way of saying, \u2018Eat all your vegetables,\u2019\u201d Kirkpatrick tells TODAY.com.<\/p>\n
Lebovitz, a mom of three, tends to feed her kids their favorite \u201cnutrient dense\u201d meals early in the day when she knows they\u2019ll be going to a holiday dinner later.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are their best selves when they arrive with happy tummies, so they can be present and enjoy the parts of the holiday beyond the meal \u2014 and that\u2019s making memories and spending time with friends and family,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n
Plus, you may be able to avoid hunger-induced meltdowns.<\/p>\n
Lockwood adds, \u201cI also love a glass of milk, which offers protein and fat, as a complement to a nutrient-limited meal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forget about offering dessert\u00a0only\u00a0if your child eats a particular food or requiring them to join the \u201cclean plate club.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kirkpatrick points out that\u00a0studies\u00a0suggest that rules, bribes and punishments don’t work. Positive reinforcement does.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your kid was able to try one thing on the table say, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m really proud of you. That that was awesome.\u2019 Positive reinforcement tends to keep kids more calm and in a more stress-free mindset,\u201d says Kirkpatrick.<\/p>\n
It can be extremely complicated to deal with family members who do not know \u2014 or care \u2014 about food struggles your child may be having.<\/p>\n
Lebovitz calls these relatives \u201cfood pushers.\u201d<\/p>\n
If someone insists that your child try \u201cjust one bite,\u201d she suggests saying, \u201cWe\u2019re going to let our child eat whatever she wants, and she can help herself, and she can eat what order she wants to eat in. We don\u2019t require bites or talk about what she has or hasn\u2019t eaten. We just let her be in charge of her own body.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lockwood urges steering the conversation from food to your child\u2019s strengths: \u201cFor example, when Auntie says, \u2018Why doesn\u2019t she eat anything?\u2019 you can say, \u201cDid you know what a great artist she is? Why don\u2019t I show you her latest creation?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Older kids may be able to answer some of these comments themselves, Kirkpatrick notes. So if great-grandma Marge asks your 9-year-old to try her famous Jell-O casserole, you can coach your child to say, \u201cNo, thank you\u201d and move on.<\/p>\n
All three of our experts say that if kids only eat bread and butter for Thanksgiving dinner, it isn’t a tragedy. Holidays are a tough time to encourage your kids to try new things.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember that Thanksgiving dinner is\u00a0one\u00a0meal \u2014 if your child regularly eats a balanced diet, it\u2019s OK if Thanksgiving is all carbs or 90% pie,\u201d says Lockwood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With these tips, you can help make Thanksgiving a more enjoyable and stress-free experience for your picky eater. Remember to be patient, understanding, and positive, and don’t be afraid to let your child make their own choices when it comes to food.<\/p>\n
Q: What if my child refuses to eat anything?<\/strong> Q: How can I get my child to try new foods?<\/strong> Q: What if my family is judgmental about my child’s eating habits?<\/strong> A Thanksgiving Survival Guide for Parents of Picky Eaters Acknowledge that the stakes are high “On Thanksgiving we talk about being thankful, but really the discussion and the main show is the food, the food, the food,” says\u00a0Kristin Kirkpatrick, former lead dietitian at Cleveland Clinic and founder of KAK Consulting.\u00a0 The amount of food alone […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6468","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/media.nbcchicago.com\/2024\/11\/GettyImages-1203433733.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=1200%2C675&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6468"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6468"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6470,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6468\/revisions\/6470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nA: It’s okay! Holidays are a tough time to encourage kids to try new things. Just make sure they’re eating a balanced diet regularly and don’t stress too much about it.<\/p>\n
\nA: Involve your child in the cooking process, start with small amounts, and make it fun! You can also try deconstructing holiday favorites in advance to make them more appealing.<\/p>\n
\nA: Remember that it’s okay to set boundaries and prioritize your child’s feelings. You can say, “We’re going to let our child eat whatever she wants, and she can help herself…”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"