With some kids there comes a time when food is just not important to them. Either they don’t realize they are hungry or they just don’t care for the available options. My daughter was a chubby baby and toddler but then all of a sudden she got taller and taller but not wider. The next thing I knew, I had a very skinny child.

We visited her pediatrician who told me to relax.  It’s not that children are trying to be difficult, rebellious or spiteful.  It’s just a phase that some go through.

Instead of bribing kids, its better to involve them. I found that my daughter was so much more willing to eat her food when she helped make it. Eddy Murphy once joked that his mother’s version of Mc Donald’s was nothing like the original but my child seems to love our home-made chicken nuggets.

Homemade Chicken Nugget “Value” Meal With Fresh Corn

Instead of buying packaged corn, I buy fresh corn and let my child peel the husk.   Set the corn aside to cook just before the rest of the meal is ready.  (You can micro-wave or boil the corn 1-2 minutes, do not overcook).

Chicken Nugget Ingredients:

-Chicken breast

-Flour

-Seasoned salt

-Sealable container

1) Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put in a sealable container.

2) Add flour. I let her shake in the seasoning.

3) She then shakes the container until all the pieces are thoroughly covered.

4) I then deep fry the nuggets. Just before the nuggets are ready micro-wave or boil the corn, 2 – 3 minutes (do not overcook).

5) Enjoy! I can usually expect her to ask for seconds.

The trick is to take the food items your child enjoys and involve them in the process, even if that means you are cooking them the same meal for a few days.  Be happy they are eating.  Don’t forget their daily children’s multivitamin.

Another trick to getting smaller kids to eat when they really don’t want to is to give them snack-sized portions to go. You would be surprised how much more kids will eat when given a zip-lock bag of fruits, veggies, dry cereal or cheese to snack on while they play instead of pulling them away and making them sit at the table.