Kiss it. Lick it. Bite it.

Toddlers are tough! If restaurant owners had to serve only toddlers and couldn't serve them grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese every day, they would all close down and go running.

Anyway, I found a great tip on a blog for getting kids to try new foods:

Kiss it. Lick it. Bite it. 

It's so silly, but oh my gosh does it work, well, at least to get them to try it. Can't guarantee more than that first bite.

So, here's how it works. First, you ask your child to just kiss the food on their fork or that they pick up to eat. Miss gives us a big "this is so silly" smile and gladly kisses the food. Next, you ask the child to lick the food. It's a step closer to actually eating it, but it's still silly. Miss loves making a dramatic lick with a huge slurping sound. Maybe not something I would have her do in a fancy restaurant, but if it gets her to eat it.... (Never mind that I wouldn't be taking her to a fancy restaurant anyway.) Finally, you ask your child to bite it. Miss pretty much always complies even when she didn't want anything to do with the food before. She may not end up liking it, but often she does. The goal is just to get the kid to try something new, right?

Why does it work? I would have to guess that it's a few reasons. First, it's silly. What kid doesn't want to do something silly. Second, it's less intimidating to ease into trying a new food. You get little tastes of it while kissing and licking, but it's not a dive into biting it. Third, it's like a little game. Again, what kid doesn't like games? Regardless, it works. I'm not going to question it. Now, if only it would get her to eat more any meat.