Game for kids - what do you guys think?

[Drew B]

I'm about to take a cruise with my three nieces and my nephew, aged between three and six. They are all rather finicky eaters, and tend to live on plain noodles and waffles and pizza. Well, I figured a cruise is the perfect place to expand their culinary horizons. I've proposed a game wherein each time they try a new food they've never tasted, they get a sticker. At the end of the week, whoever has collected the most stickers wins a prize (I'll buy something in one of the ports) and the others will get smaller "participation" prizes.

 

What do you guys think?

[78232]

It sounds like a wonderful idea! It gets the kids and adults out of a power struggle while getting the desired results.

Good Luck

Marcia

[crusinmama06]

That's an awesome game! I may just steal the idea. :D

[cb at sea]

Great idea!

You know, most folks think their kids will starve if they refuse to eat what was prepared for them. They won't! They may miss a meal, but I will tell you, hunger pangs really make ALL food much more appetizing! By allowing a child to get hungry once in a while, will really reduce how "finicky" they are!

[Dr_DNA]

Great idea!

You know, most folks think their kids will starve if they refuse to eat what was prepared for them. They won't! They may miss a meal, but I will tell you, hunger pangs really make ALL food much more appetizing! By allowing a child to get hungry once in a while, will really reduce how "finicky" they are!

 

I'm old school and my wife and I are extremely strict with our now 4 year old. When he was about 2 1/2 we took a hard line with eating. When people say they won't starve, well, I can attest to the fact that if they have a strong will, they actually will starve. After several weeks (weeks and not days) he lost about 6 pounds. That doesn't sound like much, but when you only weigh 30 pounds or so, that is about 20% of your body weight. Our doctor advised us to no longer continue with our strategy as it clearly wasn't working and was probably having the opposite effect. Plus, she said it wasn't healthy for him. We have new rules that he has to at least try everything and that has seemed to work to make him a more normal eater. Understandably, there are some foods that he doesn't like but he discovers many that he does like and it isn't a constant battle.

 

I think your approach to exposing the kids to more foods with a reward is a good idea. However, the reward should be really good or else the kids probably won't be tempted.

[Drew B]

I think your approach to exposing the kids to more foods with a reward is a good idea. However, the reward should be really good or else the kids probably won't be tempted.

 

They're not going to KNOW what the reward is until one of them wins it... I'm hoping the competition with their siblings/cousins will be more of a motivation than anything else...

[wrp96]

Just make sure they understand this game is ONLY for the cruise. Otherwise they may attempt to play it with you once they are home.

[Drew B]

Just make sure they understand this game is ONLY for the cruise. Otherwise they may attempt to play it with you once they are home.

 

 

LOL! I don't LIVE with any of them, so once we're off the cruise, it isn't my problem anymore... :rolleyes:

[notentirelynormal]

Another idea might be to taken them into the gift shop on board and say - hmmm, what would be a great prize to win and let them pick it out so they know what they are striving for. Let us know how it turns out though. My 1 YO GD will eat anything and my 3 YO GS is a meat, bread and pasta guy. There were times though. :rolleyes:

[mcfam5]

And I think I will try it out on my kiddos in just a few weeks! Thanks for the idea!

[Onessa]

I'm old school and my wife and I are extremely strict with our now 4 year old. When he was about 2 1/2 we took a hard line with eating. When people say they won't starve, well, I can attest to the fact that if they have a strong will, they actually will starve. After several weeks (weeks and not days) he lost about 6 pounds. That doesn't sound like much, but when you only weigh 30 pounds or so, that is about 20% of your body weight. Our doctor advised us to no longer continue with our strategy as it clearly wasn't working and was probably having the opposite effect. Plus, she said it wasn't healthy for him. We have new rules that he has to at least try everything and that has seemed to work to make him a more normal eater. Understandably, there are some foods that he doesn't like but he discovers many that he does like and it isn't a constant battle.

 

I think your approach to exposing the kids to more foods with a reward is a good idea. However, the reward should be really good or else the kids probably won't be tempted.

 

Think about this as a 4YO -- you are an intelligent little kid. The adults tell you what to where, where to go, and pretty much control EVERYTHING in your life. But eating is one thing that the kid really can control!

 

My BIL is always AMAZED by how well his DD eats when my family is around -- but what it boils down to is peer pressure. His DD worships my 13YO -- so when my DD eats brocolli, his DD eats brocolli!

 

Good luck to all with their "selective eaters" -- I've just always felt that this was one battle that it wasn't worth fighting. Whatever you find works for you and yours is great!

 

PS - I look at cruises as an opportunity to try stuff I might otherwise not try. Can I get a sticker?:)

[dolphinwyo]

My 7 y.o. DD loves eating on the cruise, and always wishes every land restaurant was like a cruise - she can order whatever and whenever she wants, seconds are free, fruit and salad bar are always around, oh - and the frozen yogurt! So many good choices, a great time to broaden horizons!

[mysparky]

Although my kids are older and are not too picky, we've tried this type of thing when we want them to really try something new. We will give them a "point" when they try it, and up to 3 points if they eat the whole thing. We eventually let them "trade" in their points for certain priviledges and/or favors (which may include us going into the pool with them when we don't want to, or one of us running back to the room to grab their sweater, or allowing them to have a soda with dinner).

 

This may sound silly, but it's all in fun and it has opened my kids to try new things such as ahi tuna, calamari, gazpacho, etc. I think a cruise is a great opportunity to put a little fun into trying new foods as there is ample opportunity!

[seashell36]

We just returned from a cruise with four kids (5,6,9 and 11). The youngest stuck to the kids menu (hot dogs, chicken nuggets, cheeseburger and fries). The others expanded their horizons a little. We had them read the menu and choose something that they hadn't tried. They tried calamari, sushi, ahi tuna, stuffed mushrooms, crab and lobster cakes and a couple of other things that I can't remember. Couldn't get any of them to try the escargot, maybe next cruise! The 9 yr old discovered that she loves shrimp! The 11 yr old has went through all of the usual phases - but had recently declared she was a vegetarian. She did deviate from that long enough to eat calamari, sushi and lobster (which she used to love).

Personally, I think the game is a great idea! If I had thought of that the 5 yr old might have eaten something different. Will have to keep that in mind.

[oavcech95]

We just returned from a cruise with four kids (5,6,9 and 11). The youngest stuck to the kids menu (hot dogs, chicken nuggets, cheeseburger and fries). The others expanded their horizons a little. We had them read the menu and choose something that they hadn't tried. They tried calamari, sushi, ahi tuna, stuffed mushrooms, crab and lobster cakes and a couple of other things that I can't remember. Couldn't get any of them to try the escargot, maybe next cruise! The 9 yr old discovered that she loves shrimp! The 11 yr old has went through all of the usual phases - but had recently declared she was a vegetarian. She did deviate from that long enough to eat calamari, sushi and lobster (which she used to love).

Personally, I think the game is a great idea! If I had thought of that the 5 yr old might have eaten something different. Will have to keep that in mind.

Wow, in each trip you find something, but this game is prefect, especially for younger kids because they dont like other food, but older kids are trying new things.

[rebeccalouise]

I think it is a fun game. Good luck.

[Bluegirl]

Great idea. We may try that too!

 

On a somewhat related note, there was this interesting article pretty recently in the NYT stating that you have to introduce/re-introduce new foods to kids 15 (FIFTEEN!) times sometimes for them to accept the new food. That gave me hope. I was giving up on my picky eaters after 4-5 times. Of course, it is very frustrating to try and cook veggies for instance in the most appetizing way, only to have them reject your efforts again and again.

[cruisinsmoothly]

Is there a version of this game for a growing teenager who will try anything? He is 6ft and soon will be taller than me. Never been a finicky eater. Maybe give him points up front and start taking them away as finishes each entre? Just kidding, I just can't understand how he can eat so much and not grow wider. It must be a metabolism thing. Your game sounds like a great idea for finicky eaters though. I do think that someone who is willing to brave hotdogs for every meal deserves a prize too!

[CeleBrat]

We play this game at home, and tie it to the kids' weekly allowance. They MUST try one new food per week in order to be eligible for their allowance. NOTE--they also must do the normal chores as well. :rolleyes:

 

We select one random night per week, and announce that tonight is New Food night, and the kids try the new food. Granted, my kids are sooooooo picky that spaghetti was most recently one of their new foods. And, amazingly enough, as much as they hated to admit it, they actually LIKE spaghetti.

 

On the flip side, last week was oatmeal.. Who doesn't love oatmeal...? My kids! They gagged. Honest! Even with TONS of brown sugar on it.

 

Crazy picky eaters!

 

CeleBrat