Bonus points if you have any ideas about how to get him to try new foods...
Grow-your-own veggies and helping to cook are great ideas. Here are a few more which may work sometimes:
- Have him help with grocery shopping and asking what he would like to choose to try this week, or what favorite he would like to have again. There can be natural variations in the flavors of foods, so it may take a few tastings until a person knows range of flavors to expect from a particular food.
- Arrange the foods on the plate in a smiley face, or triangle, or three circles like the outline of Mickey Mouse's head, or some other simple "artwork".
- When he tastes something, ask his opinion/experience of it, such as whether it reminds him of other foods. It can be very validating for a child to know they've been heard and understood, and that their viewpoint is valued.
- If he has a favorite food, help him try variations of that. Some kids love pizza, hot dogs, and macaroni and cheese. Even among these foods there are many varieties of ingredients and differing levels of nutrition.
- Do not require that he finish a new food which he has tasted. Teach a variety of polite responses rather than "YUCK" (such as, "I don't prefer X", "I'm not fond of X", "It's an acquired taste").
- If kids learn what a food should look like, smell like, and taste like, they will know when a food is spoiled and not good to eat. Unfortunately nearly every carton of fresh berries has at least one bad berry; It is good for kids to see what indicates that a food should not be eaten. Other foods such as sour milk or rancid nuts have an odor. Helping kids learn the appropriate descriptions for sour milk, moldy berries, or any other food which may be encountered which is not fresh and should not be consumed, is to their benefit.
