The Hot Mess Mom's Guide To Getting Your Kid To Eat
byKristi Pahr
I don't claim to be a parenting expert, but over the last few years, I have come up with some pretty handy tricks. I'm a self-proclaimed disaster-case, what most folks refer to as a hot-mess, so you won't find my tips in any of your fancy-pants parenting books. However, I think my tailor-made hot mess mom's guide to getting your kid to eat should, honestly, be something every soon-to-be or new mom reads. No, this isn't me tooting my own horn, this is me coming from a place of realism and understanding.
I mean, tell me if the following sounds at all familiar:
You've made a healthy and nutritious meal for your family. You're especially proud because it only contains two things you foraged from a box. There may or may not be Red 40 at play, but you don't check the ingredients so you can claim ignorance. The vegetable is from a can, but the lining is BPA free so you know you're not poisoning your mini-me. You plate your creation (after finding and washing a plate from the pile of dirty dishes) and, with a flourish, place it before your hungry child, expecting unending praise and endless gratitude. Instead, you hear, "I'm not eating that!" Preparing something different for your picky eater is not an option, because really, ain't nobody got time for that.
Here's where I come in (well, me and my wondrous hot mess mom guide). You and I, and every other parent on the planet, know that the well-meaning "tips" to getting your kid to eat don't really translate into real life. So, from one hot mess mom to you and yours, here's how to get your kid to eat without losing your mind (or too much energy).