There are children out there that will eat pretty much everything. I know this is true because I was one of those children. My own children, well, let’s just say they don’t take after their mother. Because of this, I continue striving to expand their food repertoire. There is no one way that works, and everything is hit or miss.

1) Get the kids involved in the recipe/menu selection process. This allows them to take some ownership in the food preparation process from the very beginning. And, when that inevitable, “I don’t like that,” spews forth, it allows you to ask them why they don’t like it. With my kids, many times those ‘I don’t like it’ items have never actually been tasted. I’m able to get buy-in sometimes, though, when I can list ingredients for this ‘Icky’ recipe that they like. Basically, if you like what’s IN it, you should like IT.

2) Have the kids help you cook. This goes back to the whole ownership thing. If the food is something they made, they’re more likely to be willing to try it. Now, you’ll notice I said ‘more likely’; Alex, Soph and I cook together a lot and they do not eat everything they make. I’ve heard, ‘Mom, we made it for you’ many times. BUT, it has worked on occasion, plus, cooking with the kiddies is fun!

3) Sell it. By sell it, I mean make the food sound so irresistible they WANT to try it. Since I basically like all food, I genuinely feel bad for Alex and Soph when they miss out on foods I know they’d like just because they assume they ‘don’t like it.’ So, I tell them what they’re missing and how delicious it is. And, really, ONE bite, just to see…well isn’t that worth it? This method is more successful when one of the kids is on-board with trying to get the other to try it too. I guess they trust each other’s taste over mine.

4) Bribe them. Yes, I said bribe them, and I’ve advocated for food bribery before, and I’m sure I will again. For as little as 25 cents I’ve not only persuaded Alex and Soph to try food, but also have gotten them to discover that they like it. I say that is excellent ROI.

5). Keep on trying. The important thing, in my experience anyway, is to keep trying. Just like the repetition of practice ‘makes perfect,’ continuing to encourage kids to taste all kinds of food will expand their palette.

Like I said, these are only things that may work. Kids are strange creatures, resisting things that they may actually love based purely on one characteristic that doesn’t fit into their ideal of the moment. Trying new things, food or experiences, help kids learn and figure out what they like, need and want in this world. And I, as a Mom, promise to do my best, be it bribery or marketing, to help them grow.

As I was checking my twitter feed today, I noticed that @CuriousChef had tweeted about a post by Kelly Davis from Oliciouslife.com. Kelly’s post, titled, “Teaching Kids to Clean Up Their Plate: Clean Eating for Kids,” shares some great ideas for getting kids to eat healthier, and also for getting them involved in the food decision making process.

Now, I’m not the best mother when it comes to limiting snacks at my house, but we do have some rules–my biggest rule is Balance. I always tell the kids that a person need to try to achieve some sort of balance to remain healthy. That goes for work and play, exercise and rest as well as healthy vs. snacky foods.

I also like to teach the kids to make healthy decisions by getting them involved in the whole nutrition process. We plan meals together, we grocery shop together and we cook together. We talk about the balance of the meal and why we need to eat certain foods to stay healthy. Because of this, Alex and Soph have the power of knowledge when it comes to eating.

They also enjoy the creativity that cooking their own food allows them. We have a great time coming up with new recipes and/or ways to serve our meals. It seems simple, but sometimes just presenting a food in a different way makes it taste oh-so-delicious

I do believe, however, that parental persistence is a necessity. Consistently encouraging kids to try foods they say they don’t like and insisting on a balance of healthy foods and snack foods helps reinforce your message. My kids, despite as involved as they are with our whole ‘food production’ process are still picky eaters. Alex likes this and not that and Sophie likes that and not this–sometimes I feel like a short order cook. Because of this, I continue my mantra, “how do you know you don’t like it if you don’t try it?” and will even bribe them if necessary.

I guess the point is, food and eating are a hugely important part of life. Teaching our kids about the importance of eating a balanced diet AND teaching them how to buy and cook food provides them with essential skills that will positively affect their lives. Plus, family meals allow kids and their parents time to chat and have fun together, and you can’t beat that.

I know, this probably doesn’t sound very ethical or motherly, but my answer to this question is a resounding, ‘yes!’ And, although I’ve never done a ‘food bribery’ survey of parents, I doubt I’m alone on this. I mean, kids can be highly visually ‘picky’ and it’s not like I pay them $10 to try something they think ‘looks gross’–most of my bribes only involve various numbers of quarters. Plus, these monetary encouragements have proven worthwhile on more than one occasion, expanding my kids eating repertoire one quarter at a time.

The thing is, my kids won’t eat many things I know they’d like just because they don’t like the way the food looks. I could just go with the whole parent, “You have to try one bite or you can’t have dessert,” routine, but that is far less effective. And I don’t always pay them to try food either, but If I really think they’ll like it, it’s worth it to me. With my kids, when I force them to try things, they pre-decide that they don’t like it, just because they’re mad at me. BUT, if I bribe them, it becomes a game that they win either way–if they don’t like, they still get a quarter and if they do, they get a quarter and a new food they’ll eat. And I, the mom, get the joy of knowing that at least they’re trying these foods.

I will have to say, though, that the best 50 cents I ever spent was when they tried chicken livers. Now I love liver of all kinds, so I thought maybe they might too…? (OK, I know that’s stretching it, but you never know, right?) Well, let’s just say they didn’t, but I can still picture the look on their faces and the urgent grasping for milk to get the flavor out of their mouths. Priceless

Please share your thoughts or creative ways for encouraging your kids to try new foods by posting a comment below…maybe there’s something better than monetary bribery???