Coping with a Picky Eater: A Guide for the Perplexed Parent

I am a mom of 4 and nana to 2 and I run a daycare. The information in this book is incredible. I learned alot and I have been feeding kids for over 20 years. Even if your kid is not a picky eater yet because they are still young this is a book every mom or grandma could use. I cook for 6 kids, 3 meals a day and it's always a pleasant experience because of what I've learned. Great buy!

I bought this book to prevent my child from becoming a picky eater. I use the general philosophy of the author with my home daycare and have recommended this method to other parents and providers with great success. I had one boy who at almost 3 yrs old came to my daycare literally throwing up at the sight of carrots. His mom read this book after I told her to and both of us implemented the plan. In two weeks time he was eating all food put in front of him and asking for seconds - even on carrots!

We found this book to be tremendously helpful. I was at the point of cooking completely separate meals for my partner and me, and for our boys. Using Dr. Wilcoff's ideas of serving at least one food the kids like, insisting on tiny tastes of new food before they get seconds of the other foods, has made mealtimes far calmer. Our older boy has discovered a taste for salad and for brocolli! Our younger son actually tried his grandfather's salmon pie and liked it! But even when they don't like the new food, life is easier because they can ignore the teaspoonful I put on their plates without my fretting that we are wasting a whole serving of food. Our boys are challenging, with a variety of special needs, and this has worked well for them.

This book has really helped us get clear about a way to cope with our picky 2 1/2 year old son. No, he's still not eating carrots, but our meals are pleasant and calm now (many fewer screaming fits), and he HAS tried a few new foods for the first time in a long time. And perhaps even more important, we, his parents, now feel clearer and less torn about how to respond to his whims. So we aren't doing so much jumping up and down during meals trying desperately to bring out something he'll eat. Wilkoff has the best ideas I've seen about how to impose reasonable rules about eating without becoming heavy-handed; and at the same time, about how to allow the child his needed freedom without just letting him control the whole feeding process.

Excellent source for parents who are frustrated by kids with poor eating habits. Great practical suggestions so you can get your kid on the right eating track and still have enjoyable family meals.