Let’s face it, Thanksgiving done right can look like a highlight reel of favorite foods . . . for adults and children without food aversions. If not planned for, helping your picky eater on Thanksgiving can look like the film left on the cutting room floor.
With the Thanksgiving holiday in plain sight, it’s not uncommon for our mouths to water for that traditional tender turkey, Grandma’s special casserole, those fluffy mashed potatoes, and that piece of pumpkin pie complete with a dollop of whipped cream.
Sound delicious? If not, you know what does the trick for you. And you also know where the Peloton is afterward.
However, when you have a picky eater yet to fully embrace the Thanksgiving meal, helping them gradually ease into the festivity of food doesn’t have to prove impossible.
Play Up the Special Event
It doesn’t hurt to play up the “special event” aspect of Thanksgiving. Certainly, the Pilgrims and their Indian friends made it a point to try new foods out of respect. You might speak to the adventure, bravery, or even kindness of trying new things.
Sometimes it can be as simple to state, “I would like for you to try this.” Sometimes children are afraid of trying new things because they don’t know what will happen when there is no result in their comfort zone. But parents should remember that not everyone likes every single food item offered on the table – I know I don’t! It takes courage and willingness to explore outside your boundaries- especially if we’ve never done so before.
Prepare to Bring It
By now, you most likely have a handful of winning foods your child enjoys. Instead of turning against what works completely, make sure to bring or offer one food you know your child will like for Turkey Day. This way you are guaranteeing him/her eating something during the meal and it shows how much care about they like when planning meals with family members.
If traveling or at home, you can even have your child help plan for it.
Present Common Ground
There’s no time like the present to teach your child how to expand his or her palate. This doesn’t have to look like stark expansion. You can certainly introduce the familiar, albeit, different.
To do this, find similarly colored foods that are also beloved by the little one like mashed sweet potatoes for example instead of those mashed potatoes they already enjoy.
Here’s hoping that you’ll find that a bit of preparation will go a long way when it comes to making certain your picky eater also gets to enjoy the Thanksgiving meal.
You may find an extra dose of gratitude from the little one(s) too.
