Baby food expert Annabel Karmel shares clever tricks for getting fussy eaters to try new foods
Best-selling baby food author Annabel Karmel shares her top tips for making family mealtimes stress-free.
One of the most common -and frustrating – stages for parents is when their little ones enter the fussy food phase.
Getting them to eat their veggies and try new foods and textures can feel like an endless mealtime battle. That’s where baby food icon Annabel Karmel comes in.
A trusted name in family food for over 25 years, Annabel, a London-born mum of three, has transformed the way families approach feeding their babies and children.
As the UK’s No.1 children’s cookery author, she’s sharing her expert tips in her 51st book, Finger Foods for Babies & Toddlers.
Bounty Parents caught up with Annabel to chat about how to tackle picky eaters and make mealtimes a little easier.
Annabel Karmel’s top tips for mealtime success
How to encourage you fussy toddler to try new foods
Picky eaters at whatever age and stage can certainly test us! However, the golden rule is to keep it casual; hide any frustrations and instead give them lots of praise when they eat well. Yes, this may mean that you have to ignore some challenging behaviour and instead focus your attention on their good behaviour, but by doing this, mealtimes are likely to be less stressful and more enjoyable. They will soon find there’s not much point making a fuss if you don’t react.
Be sure to try new foods yourself. Not only are you setting a good example, but it gives kids an opportunity to ask questions and learn about what you’re eating. You never know, they might even want to try it themselves! And if they don’t like it, then they’ll come round. If not today, another.
Creative ways to introduce a variety of healthy foods
We’ve all been there when they insist on only liking a small handful of failsafe favourites – which are often less than healthy. But you can add healthy twists to these – here are a few to try:
Hidden Veggie Chicken Nuggets – I have a fantastic recipe on my app which contains grated and carrot and courgette.
Sweet Potato Wedges – sweet potatoes are an excellent source of Vitamin A, packed full of goodness and are really versatile. Roast wedges in the oven with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and sage as a healthy alternative to chips.
Cauliflower or Broccoli Pizzas – who would imagine that grated cauliflower and broccoli could make a tasty base for a pizza? Make a quick homemade tomato sauce and then simply add your little one’s favourite pizza toppings to keep the takeaway at bay.
Hidden Veggie Burgers – beef burgers can be a fantastic source of iron but it’s always best to make your own so you know exactly what is going into them. Add some grated apple and carrot – the natural sweetness of the apple will add extra appeal for youngsters and the carrot will help to sneak in some extra veggies. Or why not try anOmega-3 filled fish burger for a tasty all-important dose of the good stuff.
Not so devilish deserts – make a batch of fresh fruit ice lollies from fruit juice and pureed fruits. Alternatively, why not try a fresh fruit banana and strawberry ice cream.
Annabel’s expert advice for fussy eaters
Unfortunately, there is often no rhyme or reason as to why children go through fussy phases. More often than not it’s toddlers who get picky about food and this is because, at around 18 months, but often sooner, they start trying to assert their growing sense of independence. Unfortunately, food is one of the easiest ways for them to take control.
I often say that a hungry child is a less fussy child. If your child refuses the meals that you give them, it’s sometimes not such a bad thing to say, ‘fine you are obviously not hungry’ and let them go and play. Long drawn-out mealtimes where you are constantly looking for something to tempt your child can be stressful and very unenjoyable for everyone.
Babies and toddlers often love to eat with their fingers and will often favour ‘bites’ over a bowl of food. More manageable mouthfuls are also less overwhelming for a small child.
But sometimes you do just want to cook-up a family meal such as a cottage pie! And this is why in my new book Finger Foods for Babies & Toddlers, I’ve created ‘put everything in a blender’ recipes to create twists on classics – such as Cottage Pie Bites, Mini Mac & Cheese muffins and Fishe Pie Bites. These are recipes the whole family can enjoy!
Involve your child in the meal prep process
It’s amazing how being involved in the planning and preparation of a meal can stimulate a child’s appetite. Children of all ages can benefit from spending time in the kitchen. Whether it’s mixing, mashing, stirring or rolling, there are lots of simple tasks for tiny hands.
1. Keep it simple
Children (especially toddlers) have short attention spans, so start with recipes that are extra easy and provide a result reasonably quickly.
The classic fairy cakes and cookies are an obligatory early introduction to cooking for any child but you can also introduce a few healthier, but equally fun foodie choices. Children will love cutting out sandwich shapes and muffins, mini energy balls or frittatas are also great starting points.
2. Embrace food art
Unleash their inner Picasso by getting creative with their edible masterpieces. Task them with creating animal faces on their bowl of morning porridge, with lots of healthy cut up fruit, or my try some monster face pizzas.
3. Offer them the cooking power hour!
Have a shelf with some colourful cookbooks or find some inspiring recipe websites to scroll through with them. Ask your child to pick a few recipes that they like the look of and sound of. Kids are more likely to try something new if they see a picture that looks good to them. Also, by allowing your child to select recipes, they will gain a sense of empowerment from helping you plan a meal and begin to understand the cooking prep and process.
4. Grow your own food
My kids used to get so excited growing cress in egg cups. Growing your own doesn’t require a huge garden or equipment. Get your kids growing their own herbs or sprouting seeds in little pots on window shelves. Doing this can get them really excited about food.
Annabel Karmel’s Salmon & Veggie Stars recipe
Catch a falling star and put it on your plate! Little ones will love the fun factor of these salmon and veggie stars. Fussy eaters love the independence finger foods bring so this recipe is a great one to get little ones eating Omega 3 packed salmon and nutritious veggies.
MAKES: 15 STARS
Suitable for freezing
Ingredients
75g broccoli florets
½ onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
250g salmon fillet, skinned and diced
40g Parmesan cheese, grated (or dairy-free alternative)
30g panko breadcrumbs
Squeeze lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C Fan and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
- Cook the broccoli in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water and roughly chop.
- Put the onion and carrot into a food processor and process for a few seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and process until finely chopped.
- Place a star cutter onto the baking sheet. Add the mixture and press down to fill the cutter. Remove the cutter and repeat to make 15 stars.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until lightly golden and cooked through.
