Parents who travel with picky eaters: Don’t despair! You CAN make your picky kids eat on vacation. Take it from me, a mom of two decidedly picky eaters: You absolutely can go on vacation without letting the littles starve. Here’s how.

At my younger daughter’s recent doctor’s visit, the nurse went through the standard questions. Among them, of course, were the questions any parent of a picky child dreads: How many servings of vegetables does your child eat per day? How about fruit? Meat? Other protein? Um, does macaroni and cheese count?

No? Dang.

You see, my younger daughter in particular is a picky eater. She basically lives on bananas, peanut butter and varying combinations of carbs with cheese. Parents of picky eaters totally feel me when I say that travel with picky eaters is stressful enough to make you reconsider that weekend trip you’ve been looking forward to.

Here’s the thing, though. There are totally useful, totally doable ways to make your picky kids eat on vacation. Using a combination of these tactics has taken a huge bite out of the stress out of mealtimes when we go on family trips. They didn’t cure my daughter of her picky eating habits—I’m still hoping time will help with that—but they do ensure she doesn’t starve while we’re out of town.

#parentingwin!

So the next time you’re planning family travel, don’t forget these crucial tips to make picky kids eat on vacation. And pin this post for later so you’ll remember—and so you won’t stress during your next trip!

How to make your picky kids eat on vacation

1. Screen the restaurants

Before we eat at a new restaurant with the kids, I look at their menu online to make sure there’s at least something my kids will eat without complaint. Even if there isn’t a kid menu, I’ll scan other items to see if they can make a kid-friendly version—e.g. a mushroom-cheese panini can totally become grilled cheese.

2. Google maps the heck out of your itinerary

When we go on a family trip, first I search “restaurant with kids play area” and the best kid-friendly restaurants of our destination. Then I add the best ones to a custom google map of our family vacation.

That way, wherever we are—and in whichever neighborhood—there will be a family-friendly restaurant I’ve pre-screened nearby.

3. Order something familiar…

Young picky eaters are not going to suddenly decide that they’re totally down with seaweed salad if all they eat at home is plain spaghetti. So let them order something that will actually deliver the calories they need to continue living. French fries for the win!

4. …and put unfamiliar food on their plate, too

That doesn’t mean you have to eat buttered pasta, though! (Though if you want to, by all means, go for it! Vacation!!!)

So go ahead and order whatever you want to eat—then put a teeny tiny portion of your meal on your child’s plate. They may freak out and insist you get it off their plate—or they may try it. Hey, I’m an optimist.

5. Encourage adventure bites

In our family, we never require my kids to eat everything on their plate. Instead, we ask them to take an “adventure bite,” a phrase we learned when my nephew was visiting. (The fact that their cousin takes adventure bites totally helps my picky eaters branch out.)

Sometimes, though, adventure bites are too much. So to help my picky kids eat on vacation, I ask them to touch the food with their tongue instead. (I know, the lengths we parents go to. *eyeroll*) Sometimes it’s a no-go. But other times, like when my 3-year-old touched a slice of peach with her tongue, it’s a slam-dunk. “I love it!” she yelled!

6. Ketchup on everything

Kids like ketchup—it’s pretty much a universal rule. If your kid agrees, then ask for the server to bring you ketchup—even if you’re at a Japanese restaurant. (They probably don’t have it but hey, they might!) Then let your picky eaters put ketchup on whatever they want. If it helps them try teriyaki chicken, what’s the harm?

7. Order family-style

Some restaurants serve family style—Chinese restaurants with their lazy susans come to mind—and some research suggests that letting everyone serve themselves from food at the center of the table encourages kids to try more foods and develop the skills they need to become healthy eaters. Some experts suggest this is because family-style eating transfers control over mealtimes—which can be stressful for picky eaters and all of us—to the kids. They get to choose what, and how much, goes on their plate.

What’s more, family-style dining models to your kids what healthy eating looks like. They get to practice estimating serving sizes and putting a balanced mix of food on their plate.

So the next time you’re eating at a restaurant on vacation, agree as a table what you’ll order—and ask your server to place it all in the middle of the table. Then your family can choose what they’d like to sample from the center.

8. Enjoy—I mean, really enjoy—your food

Do you remember that scene in the movie What About Bob? where Bob is eating corn on the cob and enjoying the heck out of it? The kids at the table think it’s hilarious—and your kids will, too, as you “mmmmmmmmmm!” over your salad or stir fry. The over-the-top enjoyment adds a bit of silliness to the meal, and your kids might just try some—and “mmmmmmm!” over it too!

9. “Steal” bites

A while back, my family went out to dinner with some dear friends whose toddler is a gold medal-winning, A+, poster child eater. Seriously, he loves all food, which is kind of the opposite of my girls, whom we used to call “breathatarians” because they were seemingly convinced they could live on air alone.

Well, at one point in the meal, my friend picked up his son’s fork and pretended to try to “steal” a bite. His son immediately gobbled it up—and it was a hilarious game. My girls caught on, and now we sometimes try to “sneak” their food—which really, really helps my picky kids eat on vacation.

10. Introduce a new toy

On a recent trip to Seattle, I was on my own with my kids for a while, including several meals. Well, Mama planned ahead, and I brought a new toy for each kid. I’m not talking fancy, batteries-required toys; I brought a memory game and a tiny toy car. No matter: My kids were delighted. The distraction helped them wait while the restaurant made our food, and it made the meal fun. What’s more, it gave the kids something to do when I needed more time to finish my meal.

And—you guessed it—the unexpected surprise of getting a little toy at dinner made these picky eaters eat more.

11. Pre-order your food

In one of the greatest mysteries of life, hangry kids are actually less likely to eat. (Have you noticed that, too? What gives?!) So one way to make your picky kids eat on vacation is to put food in front of them before they’re absolutely starving.

One way we do this is look at a menu before arriving and deciding what everyone is going to eat. That way, when the server comes around, we don’t have to wait for them to take drink orders and come back 15 minutes later—we can order and eat in record time.

If you’re really under a time crunch and approaching hangry kid meltdowns, you can order before you even get to the restaurant. Just tell them you’ll be there in 10 or 15 minutes (depending on how far away you are, of course), and then they’ll seat you just before your food is ready. Genius.

12. Eat a little of a lot

If you travel with a picky eater, opt for some meals that serve small portions. That way, you can order a bunch of food, and chances are, your kids will like at least something.

Tapas and conveyor belt sushi are great opportunities for kids to see and taste a wide variety of foods. I take my kids to an inexpensive conveyor belt sushi place near our house during happy hour sometimes, and I let them pick anything off the belt. The catch is they have to try what they pick. Most things are a no go, but once Kiwi tried—and liked!—raw salmon! She even used chopsticks!

13. Don’t force them to sit the whole time

Kids are squirmy. That’s just reality. And it’s asking a lot of any young child—including a picky eater—to sit for an entire meal without getting up. So don’t sweat your kid getting down from the table before everyone has finished eating.

14. Pick a kid-friendly restaurant

Of course finding a kid-friendly restaurant that serves more than chicken nuggets is a plus. But beyond the menu, I’ve found that eating in kid-friendly restaurants eases a ton of the stress of eating at restaurants on vacation with kids. The staff tend to be less worried about french fries on the floor and other delightful side effects of family travel.

15. Enlist a pint-sized travel agent

Once you’ve found a handful of family-friendly restaurants, you’ll next ask your kids their opinions. Offer them two options you’ve already vetted and give them the power to choose where you’ll eat.

If your picky eaters feel like they’ve contributed and exercised some of their own control, they’re more likely to eat on vacation.

16. Decide on dessert ahead of time

It’s a giant pet peeve of mine when servers ask—in front of the kids—if we want dessert. Um, what kid is going to say no to that?! This suggestive selling makes parents the bad guys, and you probably agree that being the bad guy is no fun.

So instead of waiting until your server offers ice cream, decide and discuss as a family if you’ll  be having dessert or not. Making the decision even before you sit down lets you say, “Remember, we talked about how you had cotton candy at the fair, so we’re not going to get dessert after dinner.” In my experience, my kids are way less likely to throw a tantrum if they know a “no” is coming. (Or when a “heck yes!” is coming!)

17. Calories are calories

When I was pregnant with Kiwi and Peeper was about a year and a half, I flew solo from Detroit to Portland. While we waited for our flight to board, I needed to feed Peeper dinner. We sat down at a restaurant—and I had zero effs left to give that she ate nothing but french fries.

I sometimes channel that exhausted, who-cares attitude now when we eat at a restaurant with my kids. You see, I strive to serve my girls balanced meals when I’m at home, so I figure one meal that consists entirely of fried, salted potatoes won’t hurt. After all, even french fries can keep kids alive for a while!

18. Load up on breakfast

Generally, you have the most control over the first meal of the day. So to get picky kids to eat on vacation, load ’em up in the morning. Either check ahead of time that your hotel serves something they’ll eat, or—better yet—bring along their usual breakfast foods.

When we go on a family trip, we always bring a jar of peanut butter and bananas. Heck, I even bring a variety of sprinkles, ’cause once when my picky eaters were on a hunger strike I resorted to putting dyed sugar on their bananas and I’ve never gone back. #noshameparenting That way, I know I can get them to eat a full meal first-thing.

19. Food is a part of the adventure

When we go on a family vacation, we talk up the trip—the museums we’ll see, the hotel where we’ll stay, the hikes we’ll go on, the playgrounds we’ll visit. Why not do the same with food?

When you travel with a picky eater, especially, discuss the foods you’ll try and the restaurants you’ll visit. Getting excited about the food of your vacation—and talking about it in the same breath as the other awesome stuff you’ll do—helps your kids associate food with fun. It also prepares kids who don’t like surprises or who may have anxiety around new experiences.

20. Eat a smoothie

If your kids like smoothie, then by all means order a smoothie as an entire meal. I love taking my kids to Moberi in Portland because they both eat the green smoothie—even Kiwi, who will not touch a single vegetable.

21. Don’t eat dinner; eat happy hour

Forget brunch; happy hour is my favorite time at a restaurant, and that’s even more true now that I’m a mom. Happy hour is perfectly designed to help picky kids eat on vacation:

• Happy hour is early (so no hangry meltdowns)
• Happy hour is cheap (so you feel less bad that your kid ate only a single bite of the sliders she ordered)
• Happy hour isn’t busy (so there are fewer strangers to judge you when you give your kids a tablet so you can finish your cocktail in peace)

Happy hour menu items are also usually smaller than full plates so you can order a few extra dishes—and increase the chances your kids will try something they like.

Traveling with a picky eater—made easier

I wish I could wave a magic wand and make your kids open and excited to eating all the foods. Heck, I wish I could to that to my kids.

Until I get that magic wand, then, I’ll continue working these family travel dining hacks: I’ll strategically pick where and when to eat, give my kids some control over what they eat (and don’t), and find lots of ways to simply stress less about what goes on their plates.

I’m confident that you’ll be less anxious about traveling with a picky eater after reading these tips. And I’m fairly sure these ideas will help your picky kid eat on vacation.

Do you have tips for traveling with picky eaters? Tell me your magical (or not so magical) ways to make picky kids eat on vacation!