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).