04.24.07

Dealing with Picky Eaters: Helping Our Kids Eat Better

Posted in Dawn's Life at 5:52 pm by Dawn Miller

Dealing with picky eaters is a logistical challenge moms and stepmoms alike are familiar with. When I first became a stepmom a few years ago, I got my very own picky eater - my middle stepson, who is now 19.

This kid won’t eat spaghetti, lasagna or anything in a casserole. He eats lettuce, ranch dressing, pizza, hamburgers, chicken, steak, french fries, a particular flavor of ramen noodle, bread, pancakes, bacon, candy, potato chips, ice cream, cookies, and cake. He recently added mashed potatoes to his repertoire. Forget the fancy veggies, fruit, seafood of any variety, or funky salads.

I’ve developed a repertoire of menus that I can cook and generally keep everyone happy, but because of our picky eater, certain things just aren’t cooked the nights he is over for dinner. And I know he’s not getting the right mix of foods in his diet. So what’s a stepmom to do - other than nag?

I’ve gotten him to try one or two new things - but I don’t think I’ve done enough to encourage healthy eating with my stepchildren. And I’m not alone. The Washington Post’s Sally Squires wrote today about efforts to help children eat healthier food. She mentioned several efforts by school districts to clear the junk food off the menu.

The Kids Health website offers doctor-approved advice on all sorts of children’s health issues, including fitness and nutrition. There’s also recipes for kids who are home alone afterschool, and for kids who have celiac disease, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, or lactose intolerance. The federal government in the U.S. revised the trusty food pyramid, and the pyramid website offers advice on what we should be eating through a personalized plan. For younger kids, the site also includes a simplified pyramid flier and poster.

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3 Comments »

Stephanie said,

April 24, 2007 at 10:37 pm

My husband is a fantastic chef, so my son and stepchildren have all been exposed to all kinds of foods since they were little. They don’t know how to be picky. They’ve never had the opportunity! Our one nod to pickiness is to allow them to make themselves a PB&J if they don’t like what’s on the menu.
Carly said,

May 13, 2007 at 12:00 pm

My biggest concern is one that involves food, school, clothing, safety — all of the areas we are most obsessed over with our children. As a stepmom, I try to read up on parenting tools, advocate for safety first, allow the children to choose their clothing (but offer tacit advice when necessary), and try to make sure the children eat healthy, balanced meals. The girls have absolutely no problem with this.
However, I know that their bio mom allows a lot of leeway on these issues (doesn’t push them to wear helmets, allows them to dress in swimsuits during winter, has a ‘junk’ cupboard they can raid at will). Am I stepping on her toes to pursue more rigid rules at my house? My partner and I both believe in a stricter style of parenting but the girls’ mom is the custodial parent.
Dawn Miller said,

May 13, 2007 at 10:20 pm

I think it is always hard to set a balance between households. Each household influences the other. As you know, kids can be flexible and adjust to different rules - and it sounds like they don’t mind the way you do things at your house, which is great. If you think something is important, it is ok to be different. You are not stepping on their mom’s toes to insist on things like healthy meals or to offer input on clothing when the kids are at your home. Children need some guidelines, and without them they can (and will) push things as far as possible to see how far they can go. It sounds like you are trying to set some reasonable boundaries in your home.

TheStepfamilyLife - The Blended Family Blog

04.24.07

Dealing with Picky Eaters: Helping Our Kids Eat Better

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