How to Deal With Picky Finicky Kids

Are you your kid's slaves? Do you find yourself cooking several different meals for several finicky, picky kids who will not eat what is put in front of them?
Here are some clues as to how to get your kids to sit down and eat together. This is crucial as tiptoeing around several kids and cooking several 'made-to-order' meals in expensive and time-consuming.

You need to establish rules for a sit-down meal. . Turn the television off. Focus on conversation that includes everyone. Don't use dinner time to nag or punish your child for behaviors that aren’t related to mealtime. A kid that associates meals with getting punished ends up with eating disorders or worse – a lack of weight gain due to being too upset to eat.

Make it clear that at mealtime nobody leaves the table until you say so. He or she must stay seated and there must be decorum. No throwing of food, silverware, making funny faces or any of that.

You can reinforce good behavior at the table by complimenting your child whenever he or she does something right.

Finicky eaters might respond well to a time limit. Limit dinner to a half an hour. Make the kid eat everything during that time. If he or she does not finish by the end of the thirty minutes the plate is removed. This prevents the kid from dawdling while eating.

Don't let kids think that you are a short order cook. You can plan your menus in advance. Include your picky eater by letting him or her help plan the family menu, encouraging them to try something new. Children’s cookbooks are available to help with meal planning. Once you have created a menu, stick to your plan.

Denying a kid that won't eat dessert is far. Desserts or snacks should only be given if your kid finishes the previous meal.

Finally, make an attempt to make your children their favorite foods. This will encourage them to eat and also make them look forward to dinner. Encourage talk about food at dinner about why they like certain foods and not others. You can use dinner time to teach them about eating well, cooking and shopping.

Of course, not all picky eaters are control-freaks. If you suspect that a health problem is behind your child's picky eating then be sure to take him or her to a doctor for a check up.

Even More Free Ways to Have Fun with Kids

In the last few blogs we have been discussing ways to have fun with kids without spending money; interestingly many of these types of activities are very healthy for your relationship with your child as they are also very bonding. They also require more creativity then just sitting in front of the television.

One way to entertain very young children is to simply mix up some bubble solution and blow bubbles. Young children also love playing with clay or play dough. You can make your own play dough out of flour and water.

Most kids are old enough to understand the principles behind scrap booking. Give them a subject and ask them to create a scrapbook devoted to it. Teach them how to press flowers and make simple cards and book marks.

You can also get them to decorate their own T-shirts or other clothing using markers, glitter and fabric paints. Creative kids really enjoy making collages and jeweler out of macaroni. Spray paint it gold to make it extra glamorous for the kids to work with.

Another great project for kids is to decorate the front sidewalks with chalk drawings or to decorate the side of flowerpots with paints. You can also teach them how to grow rudimentary plant cuttings or how to grow an avocado from scratch in water.

Many cities and towns have free concerts in their towns and parks. Going out to socialize with others and listen to free performances is a very good thing to do with any child of any age.

If health is a concern then consider going to Yoga class with your child. Many kids also really enjoy being taken to the beach or on a stroll through the forest. Many local parks have real hikes that have educational postings for children.

Washing the family car together can turn into a fun project, especially if you can turn the whole venture into a water fight.

If you have a kid who is less physically oriented then consider teaching him or her different card games or playing Scrabble or Yahtzee together. Hanged man is also a good game for this type of child to learn.

An older child might be interested in helping to design a family website. There are many templates online that make this quite easy. If your teen is old enough help him or her put together a great facebook or myspace page.