If you have a picky eater, mealtime can make you feel like you want to pull your hair out. It is very frustrating for parents to watch their child only fiddle with their food at dinner or not even touch it, claiming they "don't like it." Then what happens? Thirty minutes later guess who is hungry? You guessed it. Your little picky eater.

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Jamie's mother was concerned about Jamie's lack of interest in food. She told me, "Jamie never wants to eat anything I fix for dinner. What can I do to encourage Jamie to eat the meals that I have prepared?" I came up with the following ten tips for her. You may find them useful as well.

TIP: INVOLVE JAMIE. You could have Jamie help with planning the menu or meal preparation. Kids are less likely to "turn up their nose" at something they had a hand in.

TIP: PLACE A LIMIT ON JAMIE. Perhaps Jamie is playing with her food at dinner and not real interested in eating it. Mom says, "Jamie, I will be serving breakfast at 7:00 a.m. try to eat enough to make it until then. You decide how much you will need. Oh! We will be clearing the table in _____ minutes."