How to Get Finicky Kids to Eat Fast!

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My job is to help people get more done and have more fun.  If this tip helps you zip through breakfast…then you’ll love my tips for professionals.

You cook a beautiful, healthy meal and serve it to your kids.  Scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice for breakfast.  You think they will say “Yum!” but instead they say, “Yuck! I don’t like this!”

As an efficiency expert, I cringe.  We wasted food, time, money, and everyone is unhappy.  Not a very productive morning.

Forcing kids to eat is a bad idea.  Explaining the nutritional merits of whole wheat bread usually results in rolling eyes and a continued hunger protest by your pint-sized prisoners.

A far better idea is to “Brand” your breakfast.  This means you trick — errr I mean sell your kids on eating healthy. You’ll be amazed at what a little marketing can do.

So what “sells” with kids?  Try the following four strategies.  If they work, then consider having your team attend one of our Get Control! classes.  We can help your team change behavior, improve time management, and get more done!  Try these branded food ideas today:

1.  Cheesy Eggs Mini-Sandwiches!  OK.  Many kids hate to eat scrambled eggs.  To them, it looks like someone’s brains.  They like things small and zippy.  Try this instead.  Scramble the eggs and mix in a slice of American Cheese.  Then toast and butter two slices of wheat bread. Next, cut the sandwich into 6 miniature bite-size sandwiches.  For super finicky kids…cut off the crust.  These bite size chunks are fun for kids to pop in their mouths.  Now, announce that you have something NEW for breakfast – Cheesy Eggs Mini-Sandwiches!

2.  Happy Shakes!  Many kids dislike fruits and vegetables and as a result bananas, carrots, and lots of other stuff goes bad and gets thrown out.  What picky eaters do like is consistency.  They like things to be one color and texture.  So instead of trying to get them to eat their veggies, announce that today you are making Happy Shakes. Toss bananas, carrots, anything that is about to go bad into your freezer the night before.  Then, in the morning add milk, a cup of yogurt, a little OJ, frozen bananas, strawberries, carrots, etc. into a blender and blast it.  Your kids will be happy and so will you.

3.  Cheesy Toasters!  Some breakfast ideas are so simple – we forget about them.  Butter some toast and put one slice of American cheese on each slice and pop them in the oven on low broil.  Cook them until they start to expand like a bubble and turn light brown.  Watch them carefully – they burn easily.  Kids love to watch them turn into a crunchy, brown, gooey mess.  Pop them out and serve them hot.  Kids eat them and that’s what counts.

4.  Glop!  One night, my kids wanted desert and we had nothing to eat.  The natives were getting restless.  I melted some baker’s chocolate, mixed in some leftover coconut, butter, and brown sugar and Voila!  I had made some kind of chocolate thingy that didn’t seem lethal — actually it kind of tasted good.  My kids looked skeptical until I pronounced that this was a new desert called, “Glop!”  They laughed at the name and soon — they were snarfing it down and asking for more.  Never underestimate the power of a name: The goofier the better.

The next time your kids say “No!” to food.  Ask yourself if you can’t create a brand of your own.  Pick a fun name and see if you can’t get them to love eating healthy.

Mike Song  1/22/2014[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]