Quote:
Originally Posted by Detroitdad
Our rule is that kids always have to try the stuff parents are eating. Even if they already have tried it before and they didn't like it. I read a few articles that said that it may take as many as a dozen exposures to a food before the child starts to like it. This has shown itself to be true for us, with our daughter learning to love tomatoes, curry (Indian and Thai), Edam cheese, artichokes, and so on after multiple exposures. Consequently, we basically never have to eat kid food since she has really come to have an expanded palette.
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Amen to that. Our boys have been pretty good sports about new foods but our daughter has been the toughest. A few years ago she had yellow squash for the first time and absolutely hated it. We like it and were growing it in our garden so we ate it several times a week. We insisted that she eat some each time, even if it was just a small amount. At first it was a major ordeal for her and she came close to throwing up on the table (she has a strong gag reflex) a few times. It seemed a bit cruel at times, but it is something we feel strongly about. After a few weeks it was no big deal and she will happily eat a normal serving now.
Bottom line, don't cater to the whining and don't adjust your menu to boring kid-foods. Cook what you like and they will quickly learn to like it.