April 13, 2010

The One Bite Rule

It's no secret that I have a picky eater. For the longest time, my Sue Sue refused to eat mac and cheese. Seriously... what child doesn't like mac and cheese?! She has, fortunately, outgrown that phase, but getting her to try new foods is no easy task. Her sisters are always willing to experiment, but Sue Sue will clamp her mouth shut and act like I'm torturing her.
On Easter, we went to my in-laws for an early dinner. Before we went, I told the girls some of the things they would be eating: ham, potatoes, bread, etc. No one protested. As we sat down to eat, Sue Sue caught site of the pineapple upside down cake. She wanted it. Now. Fine, but I instituted one rule: she had to take one bite of everything I put on her plate. She didn't have to finish her meal, just take one bite. (I'm not a fan of the "eat everything on your plate" method. They'll eat when they're hungry and if they don't want to eat, then they can wait until the next meal. I offer an "incentive" to finish lunch, usually a piece of candy or a cookie, but it's more to give them a small treat, not to force them to eat. And, yes, there are plenty of times when they willingly give up their treat because they don't feel like eating lunch. Normally I wouldn't let her have cake if she didn't finish her meal, but I saw my window of opportunity and I pounced on it).
OK, so back to my story. One bite. Of everything. She took a bite of ham. Didn't like it. She took a bite of corn. She thought it was OK and actually took a few more bites. She ate her bread. She took a bite of a green bean and one bite of potato. And then? I held up my end of the bargain. She received a piece of pineapple upside down cake. This didn't go over well with the cousins, who were told they had to eat everything on their plate, but different families have different rules, and getting Sue Sue to try new things was a huge accomplishment.
Since Easter, I've been able to cash in on the "One Bite" rule. The other night I made spaghetti. Sue Sue wanted nothing to do with it. "What's the rule?" I asked. "Try one bite" she said. So she did. She ate it all and at the end of the meal declared "I really like kasgetti." She has tried Hummus and lasagna as well. Finally... my picky eater may be changing her ways.
(Don't forget to check out the Spring Sweet Treats giveaway for your chance to win some fun prizes).

8 comments:

Suzy said...

We traveled a lot around the U.S. and South America when I was growing up, and the "one bite rule" was my parents' way of making sure that my brother and I didn't offend our hosts. Great rule ... and congrats on finding a way for Sue Sue to try new things! :)

Sadia said...

The one bite rule works okay with Melody, my picky one. Jess, on the other hand, will try almost anything, but if I force the one bite issue with the few things she refuses, she throws up.

MaryAnne said...

Hooray for Sue Sue trying new things! I also take the "one bite" approach. Emma used to be extremely picky, but she eats most things now. I'm trying to teach her that, if she doesn't like something, she can just leave it on her plate WITHOUT making a big scene about how she doesn't like it!

Quadmama said...

I really pounded in "no thank you" if they don't want something, so it was a bit of a struggle to switch to "one bite." She thought saying "no thank you" would get her out of eating anything new... but at least she's slowly starting to try new things.

Stephanie Barr said...

Clever. Good for you.

reanbean said...

I'll have to file this one away. So far, so good in the willing-to-try-new-foods department, but I realize that may not last forever.

Like you, our kids don't have to finish a meal to get a little dessert. However, dessert comes in a finite quantity. There are no seconds. If you're still hungry, go back to the plate and eat your food!

Quadmama said...

My favorite is when I offer an option for dessert. They'll finish what they chose and they say something along the lines of "I decided I don't like cookies. I would like a piece of candy instead." Makes me laugh every time... even if I don't cave in!

Christina said...

I'm not a finish your plate person either...they can just wait!

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