How to Introduce a New Food to Kids

Slowly introduce your child to the new food rather than ordering him to eat it. Talk to him about the new food̵7;s shape, color, size, smell and texture. Give your child a brief explanation of where the food came from and your own experiences with it. You might say, "When I was a little girl, your grandfather used to plant carrots in our garden and then we'd eat them straight out of the ground." Be patient, advises MayoClinic.com -- your child might need repeated exposure to the new food before deciding to try it.

Incorporate the new food into some of her favorite foods. Add it to tuna fish salad, place it inside a sandwich, mix it into spaghetti or stir it in chili. Sneak the new food into soups, stews and casseroles. Inform your tot after the meal that she ate the new food and ask if she enjoyed it. After she becomes used to the new food inside her favorite foods, serve it by itself on the plate. You might say, "Remember how much you liked this new food in your spaghetti? This is another way of preparing it."

Be creative and present the new food as something fun to eat. Kids are more likely to eat new foods if they're presented in an appealing and creative way. Serve broccoli or other veggies covered with a colorful sauce or provide a side dip. Cut fruits and vegetables into various shapes with cookie cutters. Make French fries out of sweet potatoes, parsnips or beets. Specialized slicers are available that create fun spiral "noodles" and ribbon-like strands out of spaghetti squash, carrots, zucchini, potatoes, cucumber, apples and other hard fruits and vegetables.

Avoid being a picky eater yourself. Be a role model by eating a wide variety of foods with an adventurous spirit, which can inspire your finicky child to follow your lead. Children tend to mirror the beliefs, attitudes and habits of their parents, including their willingness to sample new foods, according to PBS.org. Take your little one with you to the grocery store and point out those foods you've never eaten but would like to try. You might say, "Part of the fun of eating is trying new foods." Ask her to point out any new foods she'd like to try.

Ensure your tot is hungry by not allowing her to eat snacks before mealtimes. The hungrier she is, the more likely she'll be to try eating the new food. Allow her to have fruits and nuts for snacks rather than cookies, cake, ice cream and other sugar-filled processed foods, which can cause her to feel full for a longer period of time than healthier options.