My almost-6-year-old (CAH) can be very picky at times. We use lots of ranch dressing for dipping served with finger foods. It started with broccoli -- now she will eat it plain. With carrots, I will only give her 5 little carrot coins with plenty of dressing. I won’t increase to 6 until she is 6 (unless she requests it), but she is using less dressing. With peas, she will eat them with marinara sauce (uses a spoon!). With chili, I use lots of mac noodles, sour cream and shredded cheese to make sure they get a serving of the beans.

I too have found that when she helps me cook, that she can’t wait to eat the food.

For snacks, we eat lots of string cheese -- I showed her how to pull it into little strings, so now she can play and eat. And she has finally decided that she likes jell-o - so I will soon start putting 1 bit of fruit in the little bit that I put in her school lunch.

Little by little, I slowly am getting healthy food into her.

Janet