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vegetable A Simple Way to Help Kids Like More Foods

Getting kids to try new foods can feel hard. One helpful place to start is the grocery store. When kids get to help shop for food, they are more likely to taste and accept those foods later. Shopping together helps kids feel curious, confident, and proud of their choices.

This can be especially helpful when shopping for WIC-approved foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, eggs, and beans.

Young girl are smiling at each other in a grocery store

shopping Why Shopping Together Helps

When kids are part of food choices, food feels less scary.

Shopping together helps kids:

  • ✓ See new foods before they are on the plate
  • ✓ Touch, smell, and talk about foods
  • ✓ Feel in control and included
  • ✓ Build trust around trying new foods
Let Kids Help (Even Little Ones!)

Kids of all ages can help in simple ways at the grocery store. Letting them help and make choices at the grocery store helps them feel proud and more open to tasting new foods.

Toddlers and preschoolers can:
  • ✓ Point to fruits or veggies they like
  • ✓ Help place items in the cart
  • ✓ Count apples, bananas, or yogurt cups
school-age kids can:
  • ✓ Help find WIC shelf tags
  • ✓ Choose between two healthy options
  • ✓ Read labels with help
  • ✓ Check items off a shopping list
smiles at a baby in a shopping cart, both holding bananas

Explore Make WIC Foods Fun To Explore

Turn shopping into a learning game. This helps remove pressure and keeps things fun and positive.

TRY THIS:

  • ✓ Ask, “What color is this food?”
  • ✓ Let kids feel bumpy oranges or smooth eggs
  • ✓ Allow them to smell fresh herbs or spices
  • ✓ Talk about how foods grow (in the ground, on trees, from plants)
Tip!

Remember, kids don’t have to eat everything right away. Just seeing and exploring foods is a great first step.

You can say:
“We don’t have to eat it today, let’s just learn about it.”

Baby Blues Offer Simple Choices

Instead of asking, “What do you want?” try offering between two nutritious choices. This allows you to still guide the options, while your kids feel in control and empowered to decide.

EXAMPLES:

  • ✓ “Should we get brown rice or whole-wheat pasta?”
  • ✓ “Do you want strawberries or oranges this week?”
  • ✓ “Which beans should we try – black beans or pinto beans?”

BabyBlues calander Keep Expectations Low

Trying a new food does not always mean loving it right away.

SUCCESS CAN LOOK LIKE:

  • ✓ Looking at a new food
  • ✓ Touching or smelling a new food
  • ✓ Taking one small bite of a new food
  • ✓ Calmly saying “no thank you” to a new food

All of these are wins! Food acceptance takes time.

Stress Matters Talk About Foods in a Positive Way

The words we use matter. Calm, friendly words help kids feel safe.

Try saying:
  • ✓ “This food helps our bodies grow strong.”
  • ✓ “Let’s see what this tastes like.”
  • ✓ “Everyone learns to like foods at their own speed.”
Avoid pressure like:
  • “Just take one more bite.”
  • “You liked this last time.”
  • “You have to eat it.”
Bring the Store Experience Home

When kids help choose foods at the grocery store, involve them when it’s time to prepare those foods at home too. Kids are more likely to try foods they helped pick and prepare.

KIDS CAN HELP:

  • ✓ Wash fruits and vegetables
  • ✓ Stir ingredients
  • ✓ Set the table
  • ✓ Pick which food to serve first
Bring the Store Experience Home
Shopping with kids is not about perfect
Stress Matters The Big Picture

Shopping with kids is not about perfect meals. It’s about building trust with food. Over time, these small moments help kids feel comfortable trying new foods.

And remember – you are your child’s best teacher! They learn by watching, listening, and mimicking what you do. Every trip to the store is a chance to learn, explore, and grow together.

REFERENCES:

Maternal & Child Nutrition. (2013, April 5). Fruit and vegetable exposure in children is linked to the selection of a wider variety of healthy foods at school.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3706523/

Open Journal of Preventive Medicine. (2015). Accompanying the Primary Grocery Shopper Is Positively Related to Requests for Purchase of Fruits & Vegetables in Third & Fourth Grade Students.
https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=58670

PLOS One. (2023, December 21). Perspectives on healthy eating practices and acceptance of WIC-approved foods among parents of young children enrolled in WIC.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295902

Society for Public Health Education. (2016). What Happens When Parents and Children Go Grocery Shopping? An Observational Study of Latino Dyads in Southern California, USA.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5435120/

Author: Amanda Hojnacki