We’ve all heard that offering a variety of foods to your child during meals is a powerful way to encourage healthy, adventurous eating.

But what does that look like in the midst of a busy day, when you’re stirring spaghetti sauce with one hand and spoon-feeding peas to the baby with the other?

Thankfully, making variety a priority doesn’t mean you have to spend hours coming up with new meals or cooking complicated recipes .

We’ve made embracing variety simple with 4 easy categories to consider as you’re putting together your child’s plate!

(And don’t worry about doing them all at once! Use these as your guide, incorporating 1-2 at a time.)

⚡️ Variety of Texture 

You likely know this one already—and it’s a biggie!

Many children struggle with aversions to the texture of certain foods. The more you can expose them to different textures (both the ones they love, and the ones they’re not so sure about), the better.

Here are a few ideas to try:

• Crunchy: Carrots, Bell Peppers, Celery, Nuts, Apple Chips

• Chewy: Meat, Fruit Leather, Dried Mango, Raisins, Dates

• Creamy: Yogurt, Mashed Potatoes, Hummus

• Stringy:Spaghetti Squash, Asparagus, Green Beans, Pineapple

🌈 Variety of Color

Color is one of our favorite ways to encourage kids to eat whole foods. Not only is it fun, it’s also very effective!

When we offer variety based on color, we’re speaking in a language kids already understand and can get excited about:

• “Look, you have a rainbow lunch today! Let’s see if we can find every color…”
  
  
• “What color veggie do you want for dinner tonight? I have red like Spiderman, or green like the Hulk.”

We put together the Eat the Rainbow guide to help make eating in color easy and accessible. Inside, you’ll find a kid-friendly explanation of what each color does in their body, a list of whole foods for every color of the rainbow, and more!

Download the Eat the Rainbow guide here!

🥦 Variety of Familiarity

One of the best ways to encourage your child to eat a new food is to pair it with foods they already know and love. 

We advise parents to serve new, unfamiliar foods alongside “safe” foods that you know that child will enjoy.

Not only does this take the pressure off of new foods, but it ensures that your child still has something satisfying on their plate to fill them up.

It can take 10-15 exposures (sometimes more!) before a child readily accepts a new food, so don’t be discouraged if they don’t want to eat it right off the bat. 

Here are a few ideas to try:

• Mix chopped carrots or peas into a portion of their favorite mac n’ cheese. (Serve it alongside a veggie-free portion too, to remove any pressure.)

• Serve new foods with your child’s favorite dip, like ketchup, ranch, mustard, or hummus.

• Mix up a colorful fruit salad of fruits your child already loves along with pieces of less familiar fruits. (Bonus: Offer whipped cream for dipping as a little treat!)
  

🧁 Variety of Nutritional Value

You know we love sharing the importance of nutrient-dense, whole foods—but that doesn’t mean everything on their plate has to fit that description every time. 

Instead, give your child (and yourself!) a little freedom to enjoy Goldfish alongside green beans or a warm chocolate chip cookie next to their grilled chicken. 

Remember—food isn’t always only for nutrition. Sometimes, food is about making memories, enjoying time with family or friends, or just eating something delicious that you love.

It’s all about balance!

➡️ The Best Feeding Tool to Make Variety Fun for Them (& Easy for You!) 

The  Snack Spinner  makes embracing variety easy & fun with 5 equally-portioned compartments that your kid can spin all on their own.

The parent can fill the spinner with a variety of foods, while the child has the age-appropriate freedom to choose what sounds good to them as they spin and snack away!

It offers all of the variety, with none of the pressure. 

To get started, grab your child  a Snack Spinner  in their favorite color—and enjoy the freedom (and fun!) It brings.