Kid Foods That Kids Should Like?

Picky, Picky
It seems like there are certain foods that kids are prone to like. Peanut butter and jam, macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets and pizza. Both of my boys would eat anything we put in front of them until about 18 months. Then they started to get picky.

Chandler is my meat eater. He loves meat and loves it even more if he has ketchup to dip it in. We go through a huge bottle of ketchup every few weeks because he loves it so much. He also drinks chocolate milk like it’s going out of style and could eat 3 lbs of cookie dough and a quart of ice cream if you let him. Corn dogs – he can eat up to 3 in one sitting, and he’s ONLY 4. He also doesn’t like fruit much unless it’s canned peaches but will eat most any cooked vegetable. Weird, right? He won’t touch peanut butter and jam sandwiches, and isn’t particularly fond of macaroni and cheese. He pushes them away and will gag continuously if you try to get him to eat them. Pizza is another one. He’ll eat it but doesn’t really like it and never asks for it.

Rowan is even more picky but really likes yogurt, oatmeal, chicken nuggets, and get this – black beans. Chicken nuggets are his #1, and he takes after his brother in that he loves ketchup. He also won’t eat peanut butter and jam and we’ve tried various times.

I find it weird what kids gravitate towards as far as food goes. I do think that I try to cook a variety of foods and the kids will eat what we eat. Period. I don’t make them something else for dinner just because they might not like what we are eating. Growing up, I was probably one of the least picky kids you could meet. I love just about everything except water chestnuts, they taste like raw potatoes. Blech.

I’m curious what your kids do and don’t like to eat, especially “kid foods” that kids normally really like. See any trends? How picky are your kids and how do you get them to eat a variety of foods?

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Comments

Sun | 24.01.10

Cindy said:

My kids eat pretty much whatever I put in front of them, since they’ll starve if they don’t. I don’t allow them to worry about whether they “like” the food or not. They are welcome to leave it on their plates, but they can’t make up for it with snacking later, so they learn to eat what they get.

Of course, there are foods they will always eat, and foods they always leave with only a few bites gone. They love chicken nuggets, hotdogs, and “kid” food. They’re not quite so happy about beans. However, they eat as much as they can stand to.
.-= Cindy´s last blog ..Sealy Posturepedic Giveaway =-.

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Sat | 16.01.10

jengd said:

My son wouldn’t touch pasta for months, now it’s a staple. However, it’s hit and miss on meat. He really likes the occasional corn dog but he’s not a fan of PB&J either. There are days where ALL I can get him to eat is cheese, fruit and vegetables. He LOVES veggies- cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, celery and it doesn’t matter if it’s cooked or raw. He actually will take cooked broccoli over chicken nuggets. When he first started on true solids, a lot of times all he would eat was frozen corn kernels and peas. Go figure.

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Sat | 16.01.10

Tamara B. said:

My daughter wouldn’t even dare go near a PB&J let alone a corn dog. She drives me crazy with the chicken nuggets, mac and cheese. She won’t even eat pizza that has the sauce on it. When we order pizza on Fridays I always have to order a pizza without sauce LOL

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Fri | 08.01.10

Lynette Mattke said:

Oh, I could give you a long list of ‘Kid foods” that my son won’t touch. Especially ketchup, mayo or any kind of condiment. It is really a puzzle and a pain. I’ve never catered to his pickiness, but his response is to eat less and less. I know: not good. He was like your kids for the the first 18 months – he’d eat anything.

My other two (older kids) will eat almost anything. My oldest is a vegetarian, so anything that is not meat is ok with her. My middle one, well, if it is slow enough for her to catch it, she’ll eat it.

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Thu | 07.01.10

kasandria said:

My son is picky too. He doesn’t like chocolate or ice cream! So I completely understand lol.
Kas
.-= kasandria´s last blog ..Review and ***Giveaway***: EA SPORTS Active™ More Workouts Wii Fitness =-.

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Thu | 07.01.10

Kasey@All Things Mamma said:

I got lucky and my kids LOVE veggies and fruit! My daughter more than my son, but it’s still their fav thing to eat. I give them the same dinner I make us and always have. Yes, sometimes they’d rather a pb&j – so that’s ok with me!
.-= Kasey@All Things Mamma´s last blog ..It’s A Snow Day! =-.

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Tue | 05.01.10

Clarissa Neiding said:

my kids have never really liked “kids foods” because I never really made them for them. Instead of box mac and cheese I always made homemade and there is no comparison. So when they had the boxed the first time they were in shock! Even things like chicken nuggets I make from chicken pieces cut up, frozen breaded nuggets are not their thing now.

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Mon | 04.01.10

Jamie said:

My kids favorite food is hot dogs and any veggies or fruit. Another favorite snack is frozen peas. They also wont eat peanut butter and jam and my son wont come near pizza.

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Mon | 04.01.10

Beth C said:

My little granddaughter loves vegetables! When we go out to eat she wants brocolli whenever it is available. Also when asked what her favorite food is she usually states corn. I think kids are becoming more aware of what foods are good for them.

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Mon | 04.01.10

Jeralee said:

Moura will eat any vegetable except for peas. She doesn’t like them. She is also not a fan of gottage cheese or bananas. Other than that, she likes all vegetables. Charlise is not a picky eater and will eat pretty much anything. Try grilling your fresh vegetables with seasoning, my girls love that. They love Portabella mushrooms that are grilled on the barbeque. Also, they love, love fresh salsa/pico de gallo with chips. Super healthy and easy to make. Have you tried raw vegetable with hummus? Another yummy thing.

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