Parents are applauding mom's genius trick for getting her super picky son to eat
She was at wits' end.
A child refusing to eat his salad.
Having a child whoβs a picky eater can be highly frustrating for parents. It can mean cooking meals that go to waste, having to plan ahead when going to someone else's house, and late nights in bed worrying if your child is getting proper nourishment. Popular TikToker Becca Marotta had it up to her neck with her sonβs picky eating habits, so she tried something out of the box, and it worked.
βWelcome to my new series that I just made up, making my picky eater of a son make all of his own food. That sounds a lot meaner than it actually is,β Marotta joked in her video with over 96,000 views. "My son is the pickiest eater on the damn planet. So, I told him start finding videos of food that you think looks good. I'm gonna buy all the ingredients. I'm gonna help you make it and for some reason, it's working cause it's giving him the incentive to eat the food. And today he chose these beefy tacos. They were so good, and I was so proud of him; he ate the entire thing."
@beccamarottaa I think Iβve cracked the code on how to make a picky eat actually eat ππΌ He ate the entire thing, they were SO good and now heβs looking for his next meal to try and cook #fyp #momsoftiktok #momlife #momtok
Parents applauded her efforts because she broke her son off his picky habits and taught him some valuable life skills. βThatβs a really great idea bc then he can see what goes into planning, cooking, and cleaning a meal so maybe he can appreciate it more, try new foods, and learn life skills at the same time. Great job,β one commentator wrote.
βThis will create such a good relationship with food. I wish my mom had done this,β another added. To which Marotta replied: βThatβs actually my goal. I really want him to finally see food isnβt bad and thereβs so much good around cooking and eating.β
How to deal with a child who's a picky eater
Marottaβs bold move to have her son cook his meals may not work for all parentsβespecially those with younger children. Susan Greenberg, a speech pathologist at Childrenβs Hospital Los Angeles who works on βeverything from the neck up,β has some additional advice for parents who want to expand their childrenβs palettes.
βI give my children pouches,β she says. βThey have a place, but you need to also introduce different flavors and textures so children are able to accept foods as they get older. The research tells us that the more flavor and texture exposures you have, the more competent of an eater you're going to be later in life,β she told Childrenβs Hospital of Los Angeles.
Greenberg says that if a child doesnβt like a particular food on the first attempt. Donβt worry. It often takes a few exposures to new flavors and textures before children come around. βIt takes at least 10 times for some of us to decide if we like a food, and some research says even more than that,β she says. βSo we know repeated exposures are important. You have to keep giving that food to kids.β
Dani Lebovitz, a pediatric registered dietitian in Nashville, says we should also avoid labeling kids as picky eaters.
βI donβt believe there is any such thing as a picky eater because we are autonomous people, and we are all entitled to our flavor and texture preferences,β Lebovitz says. βIf a child doesnβt want to eat something or they say they donβt like something, itβs not because theyβre picky. Theyβre learning about their taste buds, their flavor preferences, and texture preferences.β
Children are journeying to find textures and flavors they enjoy, and their taste buds change daily. There are stages people go through when appreciating music or art. Sometimes, we must learn how to enjoy simpler experiences before completely understanding broader artistic expression. The same goes for food. But itβs important to continue exposing kids to new experiences so they can grow to appreciate an abundance of flavors and textures.