05/09/2025
My 4-year-old has been involved in making hard-boiled eggs for about five months now. Each week, he carefully picks a “good batch” at the grocery store. At home, he takes them out of the carton and gently places them into our fridge’s egg container. When it’s time to cook, he fills the pot with water, adds ice after they’ve boiled, and patiently waits for them to cool. Then he cracks and peels a few, always announcing, “I don’t like those.”
Today, for the very first time, he opened an egg, removed the yolk (because he said it looked like a bouncy ball), tried a small piece of the egg white, exclaimed, “Wow, I actually love this!” and ate the rest.
Over the past five months, there were many moments I wanted to ask him to take a bite, but I didn’t. I trusted that when he was ready, he’d decide on his own if it was something he wanted to try.
When I talk to parents of picky eaters, I often remind them that it can take MANY exposures to a new food before a child feels ready to try it. An “exposure” doesn’t have to mean tasting. It can be as simple as buying it at the store, helping prepare it, smelling it cook, peeling it, or watching someone else eat it.
The key is no pressure. No “just try it.” No “please take a bite.”
This moment was a reminder that patience, trust, and low-pressure exposure can truly make a difference. If you’re on this journey with your own child, keep going. They’re learning, even when it looks like they’re just watching.
