The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution: Gentle Ways to Encourage Your Child to Eat―and Eat Healthy

by Elizabeth Pantley

Say goodbye to the daily frustration of picky eating with  these effective child-tested, parent-approved, No-Cry solutions plus healthy family-friendly recipes
Are you convinced your child will only eat pasta and chicken nuggets for the rest of her life? Worried your son is not getting adequate nutrition? Tired of vegetables being cast as the villain during mealtime battles? Nearly all parents experience a finicky eater at their table, but finding solutions can be difficult. That's why Elizabeth Pantley, author of the bestselling No-Cry series--the most trusted name in parenting guides--developed gentle, effective and easy solutions for dealing with picky eaters.

Full of tips and tricks, The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution helps you


To make your picky eater and the whole family happy, Elizabeth has tapped her culinary friends to share delicious recipes that are not just healthy but kid-friendly, too. The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution features recipe contributions

Missy Chase Lapine ( The Sneaky Chef );
Jennifer Carden ( Toddler Café );
Kim Lutz and Megan Hart ( Welcoming Kitchen );
Lisa Barnes ( The Petit Appetit );
Barbara Beery ( Green Princess Cookbook );
Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers ( So Easy Toddler Food ); and
Janice Bissex and Liz Weiss ( No Whine with Dinner ).

Armed with Elizabeth's proven advice and these tasty recipes, you'll be able to serve healthy meals and snacks along with peace and happiness.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Food

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2011

About the author

Elizabeth Pantley is a bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction books. She writes two well-loved cozy mystery series: The Magical Mystery Book Club, and the Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic series. She has also written the international bestselling No-Cry Solution parenting book series that is available in over twenty languages.

Elizabeth lives in the majestic Pacific Northwest and spends winters in the sunny desert of Arizona. While neither location is home to any paranormal beings (that she knows of) the vastly different yet equally lovely locations are the inspiration for the settings in many of her books.

Sign up for her newsletter to get a free novella at www.elizabethpantleyauthor.com

Reviews

[Caitlin Boyd · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I read it cover to cover and I am not sure the author knows what she's talking about.

"Oh, your picky eater doesn't like vegetables? Try dipping zucchini spears in sauce!" Psht.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Many pages in here dedicated to *why* you should make your toddler eat healthy and why what they eat matters. Which, yeah, I KNOW, that is why I am reading this. The problem is I can not get my toddler to even leave them on his plate, let alone put them in his mouth without gagging. I was hoping there would be a little more in here on strategies as to how to get your child to even be open to trying new things. Appreciated the whole "hidden veggies" recipes and presenting the food in fun shapes, but already tried that so it wasn't new information.

I did pay close attention to the "what causes a picky eater" part (alleviated my extreme guilt that I had caused this somehow), and the portions discussing picking your battles and your ultimate goals spoke to me.

But overall, there weren't as many tricks and strategies in here as I was hoping for. Yet this was short, with good recipes at the end. Plus spending dedicated time to discussing the issues and points with my husband made us establish more what our goal is. So not a waste of time at all.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly common sense suggestions with a large section dedicated to parents whose kids eat unhealthy foods (weaning your kid off soda, white bread, etc.). Also the book talks about how to get your kids to eat the family meals (rather than something separate), but all the recipes in the back are cutesy kid recipes that wouldn't be suitable for a family dinner, just snacks and lunches. I liked the section that encourages using imaginative language to describe foods, but again much of it seemed like common sense.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really any new info in here for me. My problem is a child who refuses to try anything new. The only suggestion is putting it in front of her repeatedly. This causes meltdowns for my child do I guess I just need to wait until she grow out of it.
The book was a nice reminder that I'm not alone and I'm not a bad mother! Good information on portion sizes and snack ideas.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't very impressed with this book. First, a large chapter was devoted to explaining how important it is for kids to eat a healthy diet. Know your audience, people; everyone who picks up this book already knows that it's important for kids to eat healthy. Spelling out in the beginning all the different servings of food groups kids are supposed to be getting is not helping us feel good about our picky eaters.

Second, there was no clear plan. I guess this was the intention; different things work for different people, and not all strategies will work for all children. But there wasn't even a basic game plan and many of the "tricks" contradicted each other. There just wasn't enough guidance for parents. There were a few ideas that sounded interesting to me, but nothing was really earth-shattering. The book provided "tips and tricks," not real strategies. The author seemed so afraid to tell anyone they're doing it wrong that she basically says that anything goes. According to her, there's nothing wrong with letting your children graze all day, or drink only chocolate milk if they don't like regular milk (all that matters is that they're getting milk!). Also, if your kids are relentlessly picky, just sneak vegetables into their brownies and call it a day! None of these ideas will solve picky eating; if anything, they might make it worse.

Not all of the strategies suggested are like those, and some are really good ideas, but if I wanted a lengthy, poorly-organized bullet point list of little tricks that may or may not help my child become less picky, I could turn to the Internet. (And I already have, so very few of the ideas in this book are new to me.) I would recommend well-curated child-feeding blogs, which are free, over this book.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son isn't a picky nightmare or anything, but I grabbed this book at the library while he was playing - just for something to read, you know? It had some tips that I really found helpful as I leafed through it. I also appreciated the pages that broke down what it really looked like (in cups or ounces) for your toddler to eat X amount of protein and Y amount of veggies.

What was the most helpful to shaking things up for us was;
-Enjoy arranging the food or making a game of it (stand fried carrots up in a cup, hide veggies under the quinoa for a 'hunt', etc)
-It is okay to eat somewhere other than the table once in a while
-Big changes won't happen at once, sneak in a little bit more veggies at a time

and one that wasn't in there but I liked from a research study - say Anything ritually before a meal to make it taste better/more enjoyable. We do 'thank you momma for cooking, thank you -child- for -something he did-, thank you earth for the food -' and then we throw our hands out and yell 'let's eat!'

[Amanda Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful

This book really helped me. Not only is it full of great advice and recipes, it also made me realize that my son eats better and more than i thought. It really changed how I look at his eating and now I'm not as frantic or stressed. I definitely recommend it! But I will say if your child has an actual eating or motor delay this book isn't the one for you. They don't acknowledge texture aversion or sensory issues. The book is mainly for kids who eat but tend towards fast food and junk or refuse vegetables. Lots of great advice for making meals healthier and fun!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you have a picky eater? Me too, but thanks to this book, maybe not forever.

When I discovered this book, I snapped it up and read it through. It is easy to read, trim with only the most pertinent information that is highly usable. This book shines by giving the reader an understanding and empathy for what our children are going through and comfort that their behavior is normal, (our children aren't trying to drive us nuts). I no longer feel guilty about my daughter's food preferences and can focus that misspent energy on tactics that are guiding her towards making healthy choices.

How This Book Works
This book is divided into four sections:

What You Really Need To Know About Picky Eaters
This section defines what a picky eater is and gives you some reassurance that picky eating is not only normal behavior for kids is part of our biological wiring. For example, kids crave energy dense foods that are easy to break down, (i.e. carbs) to power their rapidly growing brains and bodies as well as their constant motion. Also, bitter flavors can be an indicator of a toxic substance and kids' natural aversion to bitter is a evolutionary protector against ingesting toxic plants. Perhaps this could be used to our advantage, I'm thinking kale flavored crayons and Play-Doh...

This section also contains Food Facts that delineates some of the common problems in our modern diets and offers gentle solutions for rectifying those issues.

The Fundamental Four: Attitude, Environment, Amounts and Rules
Attitude reminds us to keep our eye on long term goals by not waging war on our children each mealtime. Environment reminds us that if we want our children to eat healthy, then our pantries and refrigerators need to be filled with healthy foods and they need to see us enjoying those foods too. Amounts has easy-to-read charts that show daily calorie and nutrition requirements and how to meet them through your child's meals and snacks. The Rules section covers many of the contemporary food rules and whether or not following each is a good idea. Some of them are surprising, such as "Rule: Make your child's diet nutritionally balanced at each meal." (Something I've always strived to do.) Verdict: Break it! Upon reading the logic and research as to why, I think to myself... OhHHhhh...

Tips, Tricks and Tactics: Solving Picky Eater Problems
Now that we the parents are properly educated on the topic of feeding our brood, it's time for the fun stuff! The next 70 pages are filled with fun, gentle ideas for improving your child's overall diet while saving us some grey hair. I've been battling this issue for quite some time so I was doubtful that I'd find anything new. There were perhaps a dozen ideas that had never occurred to me and the ones I had already tried, I found I gave up too soon or could have tried it in a slightly different way. One surprise was learning that a child may need to be exposed to a new food 10 to 15 times before they'll even want to taste it. My daughter was lucky if I'd let her get away without trying a new food on the first day! No wonder she's worried whenever I set down an unfamiliar meal, she's sure I'm going to be pressuring her into eating some. That anxiety and pressure from me is going to ensure she rejects it out of hand. Another ah-ha moment for me. Play it cool... and hamm up the mmmMMMmmm--soo good.

The Experts' Favorites: Recipes Even Your Picky Eater Will Love
This section provides recipes from the authors of seven different kid friendly cookbooks! I plan to try them all except the two by the author whose book I already own. I have picked up the Sneaky Chef cookbook by Missy LaPine no less than a dozen times, during trips to the bookstore, only to put it back on the shelf. Now I can try out a sampling of her recipes before I invest in another would-be doorstop. Thanks Elizabeth!

Prior to reading this book I was frustrated and unwittingly making mealtimes a time for my daughter to feel bad about the choices her biological composition is driving her to towards, by laying on pressure and guilt. I don't think pressure and guilt ever wrought positive changes in anyone, but what else could I do? Lots apparently.

After reading this book I'm easier going about her food choices. I don't make food choices a power struggle anymore, so she's not losing because she's not giving in to me. I'm more conscientious about modeling good eating habits, I'm eating like a grown-up again, instead of eating what I know they'll eat. When she sees us enjoying these foods, she wants to like them and I've noticed that she keeps trying it (yay!) knowing she's missing out on something good. I'm trying to make mealtimes more fun and playful. I make the most out of snacks nutritionally, by giving my girls choices based on what they've been missing that day. For example if they're light on fruits and veggies I say, "You can have raisins, apple slices, carrot slices or applesauce." Or if they're light on protein, "You can have a hard boiled egg or mixed nuts." These changes plus a dozen or so others have us back on the right road. It's a long road, but in the interim I'm much more relaxed, my older daughter is much happier and my two-year-old benefits from these techniques at a much earlier age. Just as my venerated pediatrician reminds me, "We have 18 years to help her become a good eater." Thanks to this book, I'm confident we'll get there in a positive, gentle way.

[Fiona · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t often comment on books but this was was a total waste of my time. I would give zero stars if I could.
Absolutely no helpful advice was given in this book.
Basically keep offering healthy foods and eventually they will try it.
All sounds great in theory but nothing practical was suggested.

[Kristen McBee · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of ideas in here for getting picky eaters to eat healthier foods. Some things are idealistic and / or I don’t have the time, patience, or energy for. But that’s okay bc the main takeaway from this book is that my kid is normal and even eating healthier than I thought. So this book allowed me to let go of some stress, which any mama can appreciate is no small thing!

[Bonni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a very picky eater (age 8). This book helped a lot. Got it from the library and then bought it so I could underline everything. The book had some very tactical and practical tips. It was also therapeutic for a parent as it gave understanding as to why the kids are picky. It's not your fault and it can be fixed and you can do it.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Mostly common sense advice you already know. I was hopeful the recipes would offer some inspiration or concrete ideas and they were a disappointment. Too many ingredients and mixing together that no child in my house would touch. Ugh.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sane, helpful guide. I'm looking forward to reading it again and taking notes to help my preschooler with her eating habits in 2018.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the suggestions seem a little too simple to work with really picky eaters.

[Curt Matzenbacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last two chapters were helpful and practical.

[Lee-Ann Sleegers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The No Cry Picky Eater Solution by Elizabeth Pantley from McGraw Hill Ryerson, 2012

I admit I am one of those parents who, prior to reading this book, considered daughter to be a picky eater. Of particular concern to me is the lack of meat her diet and the overall volume of food she does or rather doesn't consume.

I have read Ms. Pantley's books in the past and used her methods with other challenges with great success. The same is true of the No Cry Picky Eater Solution which starts off telling you that what you consider to be picky eating is probably normal and your child will outgrow it before they are 8.

There were a ton of practical suggestions in the book to cover all kinds of families and situations. The biggest thing for me was getting a handle on appropriate portion sizes. There is a handy chart I hope to post somewhere in my kitchen as a reminder so I'm not surprised when my daughter only eats a quarter of a hamburger.

Another really helpful suggestion for our house was to wait 15 minutes between finishing the first helping of food or presenting dessert to give your child a chance to learn their own hunger/full cues.

As with all the other No Cry Solution books The No Cry Picky Eater Solution reminds the parent to step back and make the dinner table a friendly place to be not a battleground. I really enjoyed this book and am already seeing results with my intrepid child.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution is a great resource for parents. It is packed full of positive tips from other parents and experts. Right away you realize, hey my three year old is not the only picky child. Actually, being picky is very common. Elizabeth shares all kinds of tips and tricks to encourage your child to eat a more healthy balanced meal. Some of these tips include how to sneak veggies in, healthy snacks and portions, charts and , more.

Here is a tip I found quite helpful, start mixing 1/2 wheat pasta with your regular pasta gradually increasing the amount of the wheat and decreasing your regular pastas each time. Great tip! I never thought of mixing it. I have tried to go whole wheat cold turkey and dear husband refused to eat.(maybe I can get a book on picky husbands). The No-Cry Picky Eater Solution, also has a whole section of recipes to try. I can't wait to make a few. I love trying new recipes, and I'm even more excited these recipes have been tested out by other Moms just like me.

[Asha Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by Pantley, a mother of four as well as an author of six other successful parenting books, it clearly indicates the various issues that parents will face when handling picky eaters. The author claims that studies indicate that a child’s pickiness is heredity and their like or dislike for certain vegetables is all due to genetic makeup ie if a parent used to love eating peas when they were small, it is very likely the child will also have the same preference. I personally found this book resourceful with plenty of child-tested and parent-approved solutions to getting kids to eat more healthily.

It has been said that a child has to be exposed to the same food 10 to 15 times before even tasting it. Hence the trick to getting them to eat new vegetables is to keep serving them. Start with small portions which is incorporated into their favourite food, then slowly increase the vegetable portions as the days go along. Remember to encourage your child to at least taste the food even if he/she does not want to eat it.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The actual content of the book wasn't really anything new but reading it helped me stimulate our own creativity to come up with new ways to get Abby to eat her veggies. The hubs is great at coming up with goofy names for each bite. Something like "Pepper-bean-suprise". Lame but it works. She especially likes when each bite is a "potion" that is supposed to make her do something (ex: moo like a cow) and she gets to decide if it worked or not. (Note that was not in the book, but reading about solutions helped us think of some new ones.) One good thing is that we realized we were letting her drink about 2x as much milk as she really needs. We also decided to back away from the sippy cup as she is approaching 4. Now that she has to drink milk out of a cup with no lid at the table instead of chugging it down on the couch or wherever, she drinks a lot less and no longer pees in her underwear, yay!

[Kristin Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two of my four kids are quite picky eaters...one especially! (which is why I got this book from the library). The beginning of the book explains what a picky eater is and how to tell if your child is picky. I don't think parents reading this book need to be told what a picky eater does and doesn't do. We know! It did have a few good ideas that I can incorporate: making a rule that you must try 2 bites before saying you don't like something, having water to drink at mealtimes, using more whole grains (wheat bread, wheat pasta, etc.), having just a quarter of a pb sandwich as a side dish to dinner, offering raw veggies instead of cooked as kids will usually prefer raw (with dip), and setting out an appetizer of veggies and apple slices so that they are readily available for snacks. I didn't like the suggestions of making cutesy funny names for food so that it will sound more appealing or some of the other suggestions.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE the Pantley's books that I have read so far and this one is no exception. I don't think I have extreme picky eaters like the ones in the book, but this book still gave me some new ideas that I really enjoyed and made me actually feel really good about how my kids already eat. I had NO idea that 4 green beans was a serving size for tiny tots, so I learned my kids really are getting in quite a few veggies even when I think they may not be. She uses the recipes from The Sneaky Chef book as well, so just buy that book if you're looking for recipes. But if you're looking to learn more about proper nutrition for youngsters and/or new ways to incorporate good eating habits I highly recommend this book!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mistakenly thought that this was a cookbook dedicated to child-friendly recipes, and while it has a few in the very back of the book, most of the book is dedicated to WHY children should eat healthier along with a few practical solutions for parents to try with their picky eaters. There was no magic formula in this book, but there was reassuring advice about my child's natural eating habits (she's not as picky as I once thought)! The book also contains some very good tips about making eating fun (giving food funny names, using cookie cutters to shape pancakes/sandwiches, etc.) and not turning food issues into a power struggle; however, I really think this would be a better book with a more solid recipe section.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is simple, straightforward, & easy to digest. The tips are practical and, as other reviewers have mentioned, can probably be found all over the internet. However, it's nice to have everything in one place for easy reference. Most importantly, I was reassured that my toddler's picky eating habits, compounded by his metabolic disorder, are 1- typical for his age & 2- not nearly as bad as I have imagined them. This is not the book for you if your child has an eating disorder but if it's just run of the mill frustrating pickiness, give it a shot.

**disclaimer** I did receive a free copy of this book from the author. A more in depth analysis will be featured on my blog after my husband reads the book. I am under no obligation to provide a review, positive or negative.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a lot of very helpful information in this book, such as portion sizes for children of different ages and picky eating actually looks like. The reassurance from the author that picky eating is common and generally caused by developmental stages/physiological difference between adults and children is very normalising - it makes you feel as though you're not alone. I also liked the suggestions to make food fun, such as giving it funny names like Magic Trees for broccoli or Wriggly Worms for spaghetti. I plan to try out some of the recipes in the back, too.

A very practical book.

[Malissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't the most thorough book on picky-eating, but it served my needs well. As a mom of a 15-month-old I was just looking at trying to prevent picky eating, and this gave some good rookie tips. It also gives the why's (which may be new information to most Americans) and recipes. The tips I've tested on my son have worked, but he is just starting to test his boundaries. Not sure how helpful this book would be for someone in the trenches. It did motivate my husband and I to set some ground rules to dinner time, and gave some good suggestions for rules

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all these no-cry books, I think the most valuable aspect is the camaraderie it inspires. Despite my best efforts it helps to know I'm not the only one battling this. I found a few new good tips to try. I also appreciate the little ego boost that I don't have to break my kids of of their soda habit at age 2 (although perhaps I should take some of those tips to heart for me!)

[Charisse VanDerwerken · Rating 1 out of 5]

I disagreed with so many aspects of this book. Mainly her huge focus on nutrition. I'm not worried about only eating whole grain pasta or using carob instead of chocolate. treats should have their place and vegetables should not be hidden. I want a well rounded eater, not one who gorges on junk food at other peoples houses because we only serve ultra organic vegetable everything at our house.

[Leahjoypro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't get to finish this before it had to go back to the library but I thought it seemed pretty good. I like Pantley's style and perspective. I was one of the test parents in the creation of this book.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read with lots of great tips. The recommendations follow much of what many of my coworkers do with their feeding groups at our clinic, and I definitely agree with the methodology presented.

[Jessica Haider · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sort of book you grab off the "New Releases" shelf at the library when you have a 2 1/2 year old who seems to think he can live mosly on mac & cheese, bread, yogurt, fruit, and pizza.