Chef, Rd & mom of 2 Allison Schaaf shares her personal experience with helping her kids learn to love surprising foods, just by giving them the opportunity to try them and avoiding too much commentary or judgment. How to prevent picky eating is an important topic and Allison’s perspective can help you re-think how you feed your kids. “I didn’t think they would go for it.” Are you deciding what your kids will eat before your child even gets their plate? Just because a child didn't like something one night doesn’t mean they won’t like it the next night. They also may just not like a certain preparation. Make sure to give them a food in different ways, even if they’ve said they don’t like it. We recently had a friend kindly cook dinner for our family and she left out the spinach from the pasta because she “didn’t think the kids would go for it.” This is such a common assumption but my kids are so used to having things like spinach and mushrooms in their marinara, they would never question it. Don’t count them out before you let them try something! They pick up on your cues for what you expect them to eat. Swiss Chard Frittata My kids helped make a frittata with swiss chard, green onions, etc. and, maybe because they helped make it, they loved it and were sad when it was gone! Getting kids in the kitchen is one of the best ways to help kids try new things. Commentary Child: “I don’t like this.” My response: “Okay, that’s fine.” The more you can leave out the commentary, the more freedom the child has to change their mind and give something a try. Modeling eating behavior works quite well. This is especially true for toddlers! They are working hard to establish their autonomy and are very sensitive to times adults are trying to influence their opinions. Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777 Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get your free trial at prepdish.com/mpm for two weeks of free meal plans! Asparagus, Bacon & Feta Frittata: https://prepdish.com/recipes/asparagus-bacon-frittata-with-feta-frittata/ There’s No Such Thing as Kid Food: https://prepdish.com/meal-planning/theres-no-such-thing-as-kid-food-what-to-feed-kids/