ParentingSEP 1, 2022

35 Times Stubborn Kids Proved That Their Parents Can’t Make Them Eat Anything They Don’t Want To

Mindaugas Balčiauskas and Adelaide May Ross

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Here comes the soup train! Chugga chugga chugga chugga choo choo!

These aren’t regular slices of cucumber, they’re stars! Much more exciting than boring old circles, and they taste better. See?

No, no, that’s not spinach! It’s just some green food coloring because I know green is your favorite color!

If you’re a parent, you know the struggles that can come along with trying to convince a picky eater to try even one bite of the meal you so lovingly prepared. But sometimes the frustrating task of trying to get kids to eat is hindered less by pickiness and more by confusing or unrealistic expectations. Writer Lucy Huber recently tweeted about an experience she had with her two-year-old where he called all the shots when preparing dinner then somehow still refused to eat it…

Lucy’s tweet inspired dozens of other parents to share similar stories of when trying to get their kids to eat made them want to rip their hair out, so we’ve gathered the most hilarious ones down below, as well as an interview with Sarah Remmer's lead counselling dietician Lesley Langille, MS, RD. Be sure to upvote all the tweets that you find painfully relatable, whether you’re a parent, you’ve worked with kids, or you remember being the same way as a child, and then let us know in the comments if you have any personal stories to share proving that we can’t ever get kids to eat anything they don’t want to. And then if you’re interested in reading another article from Bored Panda featuring creative reasons kids have come up with for refusing food, check out this hilarious story next.

After this mom tweeted about her recent struggle getting her two-year-old to eat dinner, she inspired dozens of other parents to share similar stories

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35 Times Stubborn Kids Proved That Their Parents Can’t Make Them Eat Anything They Don’t Want To

Mattfanter

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89points

On her blog, Katie also recommends appealing to your child’s specific interests when preparing food for them. For example, her son loves geography, so she convinced him to try Canadian bacon by focusing on the Canada aspect. This can be a great way to get kids to try foods they have seen in their favorite films or meals from different cultures as well. They don’t have to love it immediately, but if they have a reason to be excited about it, they might be more inclined to take a bite. Even using fun names for foods that kids may be less interested in can help. For example, a green smoothie can be “monster juice” and broccoli can be “baby trees”, Katie explains. Whatever you can do to pique your child’s interest, it will be worth it when you get through meal time without a meltdown.

#22

ChiknLiz

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87points

#23

Barb_Drummond

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87points

#24

AlexaBeaute7

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82points

Finding new ways to serve foods can help kids become interested as well. For example, fruit on a plate might not be touched, but if a child gets to eat fruit off a stick, they might be more willing to try it and eat all of the pieces, rather than grabbing one at a time off a plate. And although none of these tips are full-proof, some parents also recommend involving your kids in menu planning. Ask them a few days before what they would like to eat that week and present them with options. Then remind them every day what is on the menu for the week, so they are prepared and there are no surprises. You can show them photos of what you are making if they are curious, but use discretion, as this can also backfire if your presentation is not exactly the same as what they have seen.

#25

damselflygal

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76points

#26

ThePracticalEsc

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76points

#27

kim_kazur

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75points

At the end of the day, you never know exactly how a child will react to being presented with a new food, or even an old food that they loved the day before! We hope you’re getting a kick out of this list whether you are an exhausted parent tired of begging your toddler to eat or you don’t have kids and you have absolutely no plans of having any after reading these tweets. Keep upvoting your favorite posts, and then let us know in the comments if you have any experience with extremely fickle eaters.