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How Cooking with Your Child Can Help Reduce Picky Eating
A structured overview of what credible sources and parent perspectives commonly say about this topic.
Quick answer
Involving children in age-appropriate cooking tasks—such as washing vegetables or stirring ingredients—can boost their willingness to try new foods by increasing familiarity and engagement. This approach complements strategies like offering a variety of healthy foods repeatedly without pressure and modeling healthy eating as a family.
At a glance
Things to try now
What to do now
- 1Invite your child to help wash or stir ingredients during the next meal preparation.
- 2Serve a new food alongside a familiar food your child already likes.
- 3Avoid pressuring your child to eat and instead offer the food repeatedly over several days.
What to say
- “Would you like to help me wash these carrots? It’s fun to get them ready for dinner!”
- “Here’s some broccoli and your favorite pasta. You can try a little broccoli when you’re ready.”
- “It’s okay if you don’t want to eat this now. You can try it another time when you feel like it.”
What to practice consistently
- Make cooking involvement a regular part of your routine to build familiarity with foods.
- Offer a variety of healthy foods repeatedly without pressure.
- Eat meals together as a family to model trying new foods.
What to avoid
- Pressuring or forcing your child to eat certain foods.
- Using food as a reward or punishment.
- Creating stressful mealtimes with battles over food.
These are common approaches mentioned in sources and by parents. They are informational, not prescriptive.
What this usually involves
- Children participate in simple, age-appropriate food preparation tasks like washing vegetables, stirring ingredients, or setting the table.
- Parents offer a variety of healthy foods repeatedly without forcing the child to eat them.
- Meals include at least one familiar food alongside new or less-preferred items to reduce stress.
- Families model healthy eating by sitting together and trying a variety of foods.
- Avoid using food as a reward or punishment to prevent unhealthy associations.
- Parents follow the division of responsibility approach: parents decide what, when, and where food is served; children decide whether and how much to eat.
Related questions
Research suggests children may need 10 to 15 exposures to a new food before they are willing to try it.
Experts advise against using food as a reward or punishment because it can create unhealthy associations with eating.
Parents decide what, when, and where food is served; children decide whether and how much to eat.
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From around the web
Picky Eating: How to Help Your Child Try New Foods
Guidance on managing picky eating and encouraging healthy eating habits.
American Academy of Pediatrics
Tips to Help Your Child Eat Healthy Foods
Recommendations for involving children in food preparation and promoting healthy diets.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
How to Encourage Healthy Eating Habits in Children
Strategies for creating positive mealtime environments and modeling healthy eating.
Nemours KidsHealth