Got a picky eater? You need to try the ice cube tray trick today

"YUCK!"

Anyone else got a picky eater on their hands? I know the feeling, having had an extremely picky eater for years before he slowly grew out of it. There is no denying that mealtimes can be a struggle when you have a child who is refusing to taste most things, or who will rather starve than eat what you put in front of him. Luckily, in most cases, children tend to grow out of this very stubborn attitude to food, and will, certainly by the time they get to school age and beyond, be more willing to at least taste or try new foods. But in the meantime, we are grateful for every trick and hack that might just make mealtimes just that little bit more successful (and tantrum-free!). I recently came across this very clever idea on 'tasting trays' on The Many Little Joys, and my goodness, I wish I had come across this when I was in the thick of it with my ow  little picky eater: Tasting trays…baby bento boxes…nibble trays. Whatever you want to call them, they look simply awesome. And easy. The beauty here is that you can fill it with whatever you have handy, and use a mix of stuff you know your child already likes, and new stuff, prompting them to taste new things and flavours. What I have found in my years in the parenting trenches, is that kids love to be able to pick and mix their own meal (which is why I have never bothered with the concept of 'kids dinners' and instead let the kids eat what we are eating, or a somewhat deconstructed version of it, if they don't like all the parts.) And presented like this, I am sure even the pickiest of eaters might be tempted to try a few different things. It’s a great way to make sure they get all the food groups, and also a brilliant trick for using up leftovers in the fridge, and introduce new foods in small (less scary) portions. Tell us – have YOU got any tricks for getting picky eaters to actually eat?