How can I get my preschooler to eat sauce?

1. 84

   AustralianNappiesposted 10 years ago

   How can I get my preschooler to eat sauce?
   
   My little one won't try any food with a sauce.  For example she will eat plain pasta but not with a tomato based or cream sauce.  She won't use any dipping sauces, try gravy or creamy rice.  Anything with a runny texture.  Do you have any suggestions?

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2. 70

   pitzeleposted 10 years ago

   Patience.  Sorry but that's all I can say.  When my little guys (who aren't so little anymore) were small, I had one boy who wouldn't ever eat any kind of sauce and one who would only eat the sauce off of the pasta. 
   Question:  How old is your preschooler?  I'm assuming 3 or 4 because kids get super picky at that age and very verbal about their pickiness.  However, they also can be convinced to try a lick (and I mean a lick) of something.  one lick here, one there and no pressure on her about eating the sauce, soon enough you will probably see a softening in her position. 
   Second question:  Were you picky as a child?  As much as we don't like it, our behaviors as children do somehow genetically flow through to our kids. 
   So be patient and you will get your way soon without having to fight.

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   1. 84

      AustralianNappiesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your answer pitzele, yes she's age 4.  You've provided some good insight and tips about this problem!  I really appreciate it!  So glad I'm not the only one who's experienced this too!

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   2. 70

      pitzeleposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      No problem - it's a "parent support" thing.    One parent to another.

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3. 92

   peeplesposted 10 years ago

   Oh fun! My three year old is similar with many food items. Actually her favorite saying when it comes to food is "I don't like it". So we made a deal. I will respect her not liking something, but she has to at least try it once because we can't make a decision about what we like or don't like without trying it. The result of this deal is she still doesn't like most things but some things that she previously didn't like she now does. Like Worcestershire sauce!
   The other thing we do if we really want her to eat something is tell her she can't have it or that she wouldn't like it. Then we proceed to verbally really like it as we eat it. Reverse Psychology! She ends up wanting it simply because we said she couldn't have it.
   All in all, be patient, let her make her decisions. One thing I have learned with my 3 kids is forcing them to eat is a pointless battle. They won't starve, and as they get older they will begin to eat more things. My 11 year old now eats almost everything he hated when he was little and doesn't eat many of the things he loved when he was little.

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   1. 69

      dashingscorpioposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Nicely done! "Try it  you might like it" and if they don't let it go.
      The reverse psychology and offering a treat/reward are also other tricks parents have used to get kids to eat certain foods too. Some things we just develop a taste for later.

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   2. 92

      peeplesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      We save the reverse psychology for NEED to eat foods only, but we don't ever offer a reward for eating, though some parents do with success.

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   3. 69

      dashingscorpioposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      We couldn't have our desert unless we ate the main course. The desert was our "reward". Reverse psychology works because no one wants to feel "left out" of anything that appears to be "good".

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4. 69

   dashingscorpioposted 10 years ago

   There is nothing wrong with a child disliking various foods or sauces as long as they get their daily recommended nutritional value.
   It's okay to allow a child to be an "individual". She doesn't have to like everything that you like. Her tastes may also change with age.
   When I was a child I didn't like corn and even as an adult I still do not eat corn unless it's "popcorn" or some type of corn made products (chips), but not the vegetable itself. I also didn't care for Sloppy Joes hamburgers, or pizza but once I got to college they became one of my staple meals!
   As a child I never had asparagus. I tried it in a restaurant and I liked it. Upon visiting my mother I asked her why she never served it to us. Her response was: "Because (I) don't like asparagus"
   Odds are there are probably things you won't be preparing for your daughter because (you) don't like them! If it's okay for you to dislike certain foods it should be okay for your daughter to dislike various foods as well. Celebrate the individual.

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5. 63

   Handicapped Chefposted 10 years ago

   Make her a healthy pizza that way it can have a cream sauce or a red sauce and make them small so she can handle them herself even ravioli because you can put he sauce in them and fry or bake them.

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6. 61

   Lisa HWposted 10 years ago

   I'd be happy to have a preschooler who didn't want/need anything added to pasta (as long as h/she ate some other foods on the side.    Things like cream sauce and gravy aren't all that healthy anyway.  My suggestion is skim a serving of the pasta or rice out of the "main" pot/bowl of it (and then you can add whatever sauce someone else wants on it and let your preschooler have hers the way she prefers it.  She'll either grow up to be someone who doesn't add the unnecessary calories/fat to her food - or else eventually find some sauces that she does like.
   
   When my kids were little I'd just add (in with rice or pasta, or else on the side) a few vegetables and address the mattr of protein separately (not that any of those sauces are a good source of protein, but I just thought I'd mention protein within the context of a meal that works well for little kids).

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