If you are like most parents, you probably have one small member in the family who sits at your dinner table and squirms at the thought of eating the foods that you prepare. He is easily recognizable by the repulsed look on his face after you serve him one of the family's favorite recipes and insists on playing with his food rather than ingesting it. The other family members eagerly eat your delicious dinner yet this child refuses to eat what is served or does so only with prodding and persuading.

Believe me; every single family across the world has one member akin to this. It really has nothing to do with your cooking. How do you feed a finicky eater who dissects his meals the way biology students do in the lab? The key lies in trying to make eating fun and just another interesting activity for busy youngsters. Usually, if the food can't be played with, smeared on, or decorated they are not interested. Toddlers want food to be an interactive experience. There has to be something more than just encouraging the child to eat. Little ones like to dip items into cottage cheese, peanut butter, yogurt, or sour cream.

Toddlers tend to enjoy anything that requires them to get messy and allows them to move their hands. Offer crackers that they can 'decorate' with other foods. When you are cooking for your child, make sure you cook items into interesting shapes with cookie cutters. Many mothers can tell you how well a bunny shaped pancake or a valentine shape can work wonders in getting nutrition into a stubborn eater. Other alternatives is giving the child small portions of the meal.

Smaller portions will seem less intimidating to a child. Purchase mini-crackers, mini-bagels, or mini-vegetables. Yes, you can usually convince a child to eat small vegetables if they are dipped into an appetizing sauce. Another hint that works is to make your child the assistant cook. He is more apt to eat your dinner if he thinks that he helped you make the meal. Another point to consider is blending strawberries and bananas in a milk shake that he can sip.

This is a sneaky and great way to give your toddler his daily recommended allowance of fruits or vegetables. Soon, he will begin to recognize the flavors that he tastes in his milk shakes to what is served on a plate. Before you know it, you will see him eating more foods at dinnertime.