I think I can honestly say that one of the most common themes I see in emails I get from natural mamas is the struggle of dealing with kids who are picky eaters.
And sometimes… I’m there too. Sometimes my kids are picky. Sometimes they gripe about the foods I put on their plates. Sometimes their likes change… mid-bite.
I’ve spent my fair share of time searching for how to deal with picky kids (you know… so I can magically reverse their pickiness). Through my searching and my own experiences, I’ve come up with 10 rules to follow in order to minimize pickiness in my home. Thankfully they work most of the time. Unfortunately they don’t ALWAYS work.
Now I know that there are a lot of reasons that kids can be picky. I’m sure most of it is just pure exertion of the will, but I honestly do believe that there are other issues at play that can cause picky eating. Two things like taste buds sensitivity and food aversions come to mind. In my past search for how to deal with picky kids I came across this month’s book club book. I’ve heard people sing its praises, and it’s been one of those books on my “to-read” list for a long while now. Let me tell you a bit about it.
French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon
As the cover of the book states, Karen Le Billon and her husband moved their family from North America to France where they “cured” picky eating, quit giving their kids snacks, and started living by 10 simple rules that eventually taught her kids to be happy eaters who eat healthy food.
Over the course of the book French Kids Eat Everything, Karen will share her experience as well as the 10 rules she has adopted for her family that made her kids go from picky to happy, healthy eaters. Some of these rules are French food rules and some are French parenting styles. No matter, I’m sure there’s plenty of wisdom for us American parents in this book. I personally can’t wait to read it!
Like I said earlier, my kids are not picky all that often, but they have their moments more than I’d prefer. Seeing as how that is the case, I’m really interested in finding out what these rules are so I can compare them to my own “picky kid rules” and see how I’m doing or what areas could still use some work. I’m also excited to try to implement any of the rules I’m not following and see if we can go from “sometimes” to “never” as far as picky eating is concerned.
And just for the record, this book isn’t all advice and info. There are recipes scattered throughout. Another thing I’m looking forward to trying… French recipes!
Does Julia Child inspire anyone else to love and experiment with cooking? If you don’t know anything about Julia Child, I’d highly recommend the movie “Julia & Julia” featuring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams as it’s an entertaining look at her learning to cook French cuisine. You can rent it or buy it on Amazon, and if you’re really into books you can read the memoir as well. After you watch it you may wanna follow suit and try out some French cooking methods and recipes as well. And while you’re in the cooking mood, why not start with the recipes in this book. You have your kids to try them out on, right?!
So do you have picky kids? Are you tired of struggling? If so, this book could offer you some help, and I’m inviting you to join me (one picky kid mom to another) in reading it to if we can find some nuggets of wisdom together!
About The “Natural Mama’s Book Club”
First off… the monthly books are gonna be easy to access. The plan is for all books to be offered in e-book and paperback editions, and each book will have to do with some aspect of living healthy, natural lives. Most of the books are broken down fairly well and aren’t too long or complicated. Perfect for us busy moms, right!
Secondly… I’m going to be reading these books along with you so if you struggle to find time to sit down and read a book, join the club because most of us are in the same boat.
Lastly, my friend and book club leader, Shannon, will be here on the last Friday of every month to share her review of the book right here on the blog. She’s gonna talk about how it helped her, big lessons learned, how she’s planning to use the info from the book, and so much more. After that, the conversation surrounding the book will move to the comment section because I wanna share what I got from it as well as hear what your thoughts were too.
Sound good? Awesome!
Join Us!!
Again, I’m so excited about this month’s book and I hope you are too!
Please join Shannon and I in reading French Kids Eat Everything this month and share your thoughts on the review Shannon will write at the end of the month! My thoughts will be in the comment section too.
CLICK HERE (Kindle) or CLICK HERE (Paperback) to get your copy and get started today!
See you on March 30th for the review!!
xo, Meagan
I love this book 🙂
This book sounds pretty interesting. .. 🙂
I loved the movie Julia & Julia! This book looks amazing. One of my oldest daughters dreams of living in France. I will show her this!
I know! It inspired me to try cooking through a cookbook, but I’ve yet to do it!
This is a favorite of mine!
This book sounds fantastic! I added it to my wish list. I’m not in a position now to do a book club, but it sounds like yours is one I’d join, for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Definitely join us if you get the chance Jessica! We’d love to have you!
This book sounds fabulous!
I lived with a French family for a month when I was 16. They had 3 kids, all younger than me. The mom would prepare huge lunches, outdoor feasts, that the kids and all of us devoured. Breakfast was yogurt or a small pastry from a nearby bakery. Dinner was outdoors with cherry clafouti and cheese for dessert. They were a very normal family and not at all wealthy. What the home lacked in inventory was factory made foods. I never saw a chip, cereal or a packaged cookie. The purchased mayonnaise (which totally grossed me out, lol) but most/almost all foods were whole and homemade. The kids were definitely not picky. I never thought twice about it at the time but the correlation is certain and beautiful. 🙂 Fun book choice!!
Thanks for sharing your experience with me Megan!
This sounds like a great book! My toddler is usually pretty good about being adventurous and eating what I put in front of him, but he’s still a typical toddler so any practical ways to help him be less picky are definitely welcomed! What a fun idea to have a book club 🙂 I’ll have to check back in for the review and follow for more reading opportunities, thanks!
Yes, definitely come and check out the review, and we’d love to have you join us next time!
Sounds like a great book! I just picked up a copy of French Women Don’t Get Fat, which has a similar concept.
I saw that one! You’ll have to let me know if it’s similar to the book review when we post it!
What a cool book club! When my life is a little calmer (in the middle of moving!) I would love to join you! 🙂
I totally understand! Good luck with your move, and definitely come join us when you get settled!
I’ve heard so many good things about this book!
Same here! I’m glad I finally have an excuse to read it!
Whaaaaaaaat a fun idea! I wish I read more books, but it’s mostly just blog posts these days… 😉
I totally hear you there. Thankfully my VA browses most blog posts for me so I now have time to learn more by reading these great books! You should definitely join us if you get some time Rachel!
This looks very interesting, I don’t currently have children but I defiantly want to read this! Always looking at new and useful information 🙂
Yes it’s great Denise, and it really gives you insight into parenting styles and how culture affects them.
I have just finished this book and it is amazing!!! The trials that she goes through in France were clearly stated and gave me the feeling that I was there with her. Her lessons on “French eating” were amazingly enlightening. A lot of them, I have been practicing for years and even more of them I fully intend on starting, with all of this new information that I now have to work with.
Thank you so much for bringing this book to my attention
Thanks for sharing Tina! I’m so glad you liked it. I too am LOVING it. My kids aren’t super picky, but I’m gleaning so much info from it anyway. I can’t wait to start practicing some of these things.