Holiday meals are one the most joyful events of the year, but they can also turn out to be the most stressful ones! It may feel that your kids, and especially your parenting skills, are on display to be judged by your friends and family. If your kids are picky eaters, then that’s the cherry on top! But don’t fuss! Here is some advice to handle such holiday situations at the dinner table, without tension or frustration.
Let Your Kids Know What to Expect
Whipping up holiday dinner calls for some pre-planning. Let your kids know what items you’re planning for the day so that nothing would be a bummer on the table. If you don’t know about someone’s food habits or allergies on the guest list, it’s better to talk to them in advance too!
Set the Bar Low
And that’s for yourself! Holiday meals are family affairs, and generally are full of distractions, especially for kids. From their favorite holiday special or football game on TV to out-of-town cousins or favorite uncle meeting after months, kids have a lot on their plates! So, no matter how picky they are, holiday dinner is probably not the best time to nag your child to have more bites.
Bring Something They’ll Like
As much as you don’t want to make your kids unhappy at the holiday dinner table, you don’t also want to whip up spaghetti as an extra dish only for them. So, bring something on the table that you know the picky little ones will like. A handful of crispy bacon pieces in your mashed potato can do the trick!
Keep Some Perspective
A Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is just one meal. So, if your picky kid didn’t touch the stuffing or brussels sprouts, no big deal! Just serve the healthy foods or their favorite ones on other days of the week. It’s that easy!