Does your child have a long list of foods they absolutely will not eat, and a short list of foods they will? If so, you have a picky eater on your hands. And when your child won’t eat anything but bananas, cereal, and macaroni and cheese, you start to worry that they aren’t getting enough of the vitamins and minerals they need to stay healthy. Luckily, there are ways to help a picky eater develop healthy eating habits.

Don’t Prepare Special Meals for Picky Eaters

In most cases, it’s not that a picky eater wouldn’t like some of the foods on their “won’t eat” list. They’ve just gotten used to only having to eat the foods they like. And they have convinced their parents they would choose to starve over eating anything else.

If you’ve gotten into the habit of preparing separate meals for your picky eater, it’s a habit you should break. Instead, give them the same foods you give everyone else in the house. Your child might resist at first, not eating much of what’s on their plate. But, eventually, they’ll understand that they are expected to eat the same thing as everyone else, and they will begin eating, and even enjoying, those meals.

Let Picky Eaters Help with Meals

Your child will be more eager to eat meals that they helped to prepare.

How much your child actually helps will depend on their age. With older children, for example, you can let them use a plastic butter knife to spread peanut butter on the bread for their lunchtime sandwiches. With younger children, simply letting them choose between chicken and spaghetti can be enough for them to feel like they helped cook lunch or dinner.

Make Food More Interesting for Picky Eaters

Sometimes a picky eater will decide they don’t like something before they’ve even tried it. So make trying new foods into an adventure.

Are there any new foods you’ve thought about trying, like some of the exotic fruits you’ve seen at the grocery store? You and your child can try them together. Your enthusiasm to try something new will rub off on them, and make your picky eater more open to trying new things.

While it might take time, patience, and creativity, helping your picky eater develop healthier eating habits is well worth the effort.