If you've ever stood at the dinner table negotiating with a small, determined human over a single piece of carrot, you are absolutely not alone. Fussy eating is one of the most common, and most exhausting, challenges parents face, and it's rarely about stubbornness. More often, it's about habits, associations, and the relentless pull of junk food marketing aimed squarely at our kids.
I was recently asked to chat with ABC Radio (NSW region) about exactly this, how to help fussy children eat more vegetables and less sugar, and it reminded me how a few small, consistent strategies can shift things, even with the trickiest eaters.
To make life a little easier, we've put together a free, downloadable Rewards Chart, along with some of my favourite tried-and-tested tips from my book Healthy Family, Happy Family.
Kids Will Always Ask for Treats, and That's Okay
It's completely normal for kids to want treats often. With junk food advertising everywhere they look, it would be more surprising if they didn't ask. The trick isn't trying to eliminate the asking altogether, it's giving treats a clear, predictable place in your week, rather than leaving them open-ended.
Try framing treats as a "sometimes" food, and get specific about when "sometimes" actually is. Something like "Fried Food Friday" or "Iceblock Day is Friday after school" works beautifully, because it gives your child something concrete to look forward to, rather than something to negotiate for daily.
Repeat these little phrases often, the same way advertising does, and something lovely tends to happen: instead of pestering you for sweets every day, your child starts asking "Is it Friday yet?" That shift alone makes mealtimes calmer for everyone.
A Little Praise Goes a Very Long Way
It's easy to fall into a pattern of saying "no" to every unhealthy request, and it's draining, for you and for them. A gentler, more effective approach is to notice and praise the moments your child chooses healthy food over junk food, even small ones.
This isn't about empty praise either. Genuine, specific encouragement (“I love that you tried the carrots!”) helps your child build a positive relationship with healthy choices, rather than feeling like mealtimes are a battle to be won or lost.
Answering the Question Every Child Asks: "What's In It For Me?"
Children, quite reasonably, want to know why they should choose the healthy option. One of the most effective ways to answer that is to connect healthy food to something your child already loves.
If your child is mad about soccer, try something like, "Veggies help you run fast and kick well, so I've popped a yummy carrot in your lunchbox today." These little affirmations, almost like gentle slogans, help build positive associations over time. For younger children, this can work surprisingly quickly. For others, it takes a little more patience and calm persistence, but it genuinely works. Give it two weeks and see how things shift in your own home.
The Reward Chart
Below is the Reward Chart from my book Healthy Family, Happy Family. It's a simple, fun way to encourage your child toward healthier eating, and it comes with full instructions and tips to help you get started.
Click on the image to view the free Reward Chart (then download if you wish).
INSTRUCTIONS
Food Column
In the FOOD column, write the particular food you want your child to eat.Choose foods that are healthy such as vegetables, fruits or wholegrain bread. For example, if your child mildly dislikes carrots and rarely eats them, write this first on the list.
If your child absolutely hates leafy greens then write ‘lettuce’ second or lower on the list. You can call the most problematic foods fun names such as Superfood or Brain food (for example, low GI wholegrains are brainy-grains as they help you to concentrate).
Rewards Chart
Research shows that a child may need to eat a new food up to ten times before they get used to the taste. When using this chart, tell your child “This chart is a fun way for you to be the judge and rate a food from one to ten or somewhere in between. One means it tastes disgusting and ten is delicious. We’ll see if it tastes better after ten tastes.”
Assure them “You don’t have to like the taste of it, you just have to eat one mouthful, swallow it and then rate it out of ten.”They can also decorate this chart with stickers or using coloured pencils. Insert your child’s name after the red star, for example “BELLA’S REWARD CHART”.
Goals
Then get your child to come up with some sporting and hobby goals that they find motivating and fun. For example, Billy wants to improve his swimming skills as the school swimming carnival is coming up so write “Stronger swimmer” in the goal column. Also get him to practise swimming at least once a week to help him improve his skills.
Reward
Along with your child’s help, choose a NON-food reward that will inspire your child to finish the chart (such as a toy or special outing). Also reward your child with praise for “trying” the foods each time. Once your child has tried the foods and rated them 10 times, get them to agree to eat each healthy food item at least once a week, then they have earned the reward.
A couple of extra tips:
- You may need Adobe Reader to open pdf. Reward Chart. You can download Adobe Reader here for free: https://get.adobe.com/reader/
