When Your Picky Eater Won’t Eat Tex Mex Food

Posted in Family dining

All children are picky eaters at one time or another. There’s the 4-year-old who won’t eat the crust of the pizza and only picks at the toppings. There’s the 6-year-old who won’t eat a hot dog, but happily devours the buns. There’s the 7-year-old who will only eat a tuna sandwich whenever you go out to a restaurant. (No tuna sandwich on the menu and the kid decides to go hungry.)

All of these are normal behaviors.

But then there’s the child who refuses to eat a taco, or a burrito…

We know; hard to believe. But these “No to Tex Mex, thank you” children definitely are out there.

She’ll eat everything on her plate – except a taco! Don’t force the issue and let her try a bite of yours, but only if she wants to.

Read below for some tips on how to get your picky eater to love Tex Mex meals.

  • According to the Mayo Clinic, the most important thing to do is not force your child to eat something she doesn’t want to, because this probably will result in a power struggle. The same goes for bribing a child to eat something. She’ll come to know she can get something from you she wants if she puts up a fight. Forcing a child to eat also can lead her to feel that dinner time is a time of anxiety and disagreements. Don’t fight about it.
  • Be very patient when introducing new foods to your child, including Tex Mex. Let her place a small bite of the burrito in her mouth. If she doesn’t like it, let her spit it out.
  • Make it fun. Show the child how much you enjoy the food and let her know how tasty it is. Again, don’t force her to try it. Let her know she’s allowed to take a bite from your plate if she’d like, however.
  • Cook some tacos or burritos at home, but don’t force her to eat them and don’t have an argument about the fact that she refuses. Have a dish that she likes handy. It’s Ok to say how much you’re enjoying your taco, but don’t tease her and don’t scold.
  • Eventually, as you enjoy Tex Mex food yourself, as she grows older, she’ll grow out of her picky eating phase and we can practically guarantee that she’ll come to love Tex Mex food as much as you do.

We have several, non-Tex Mex dishes here at Mattito’s for your young picky eater, including chicken strips, PBJ, cheeseburgers, and more. Find a Mattito’s location near you and bring the whole family!

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