Eating things other than chicken nuggets can be a difficult task for some children. Making them eat things like peas, broccoli, and eggs is often more difficult than running a marathon. But, it turns out, a big part of the issue for little ones is convenience.

Think about it for a second… What do your child’s favorite foods have in common: Pizza, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, cheeseburgers and french fries… The answer is in the way they eat it – with their hands. For younger children, using utensils can be very challenging. Their dexterity may not be fully developed yet, meaning that holding a regular fork, or scooping peas into a regular spoon, may be much harder for them than you think. Maybe it’s not that they dislike the food, they just dislike the process of eating it. They need something that they can relate to.

Never fear, I finally found a great system! Meet the Constructive Eating set.

With this plate, and the included utensils, your kids will be able to hold onto their forks and spoons much better than before, making eating a fun task, instead of a difficult one. You will be on your way to having engaged and independent eaters. To make it more fun, the plate is designed like a mini construction zone. The utensils are shaped like a forklift, and a front loader. It also includes a bulldozer pusher, which allows kids to push their food onto the spoon or fork at a loading dock built right into the plate. After it’s loaded, they eat the food so that they can get back to the task at hand.

This set helps kids of all stages, wether they are independent eaters yet or not. For those who still need some help, eating food off of a construction vehicle is a lot more fun than a cold metal spoon. For kids who are more independent, or transitioning, having control over which foods they eat, and how they eat them, can help motivate them by engaging them in the process. Don’t worry, it’s dishwasher safe, and BPA free.  You can buy one on Amazon by clicking here:

Here are a few other options for plates that help picky eaters:

The Fred and Friends Dinner Winner plate is great for kids who aren’t necessarily picky, but who don’t always feel like finishing their dinner. The plate features 9 individual compartments, which is great for kids who like to keep their food separate. My favorite part though, is the treasure chest compartment, which comes with a special treasure chest lid. This is where you place the dessert option. The idea behind this plate, is that your child must eat all of the things leading up to the dessert option in order to access it. You can even put something under the lid and keep it a surprise so that they will feel more motivated to eat all of their veggies within a normal amount of time, instead of prolonging meal time by an extra hour. You can get one on Amazon right here.

This Fire Fighter plate is perfect for your little hero in training. It is divided into three sections, and comes with cool utensils too. You can get one right here.

For younger kids, this plate might be the best solution. It keeps things separate, and is great for mashed or liquid foods like apple sauce and mashed potatoes. You can get yours right here.

While this plate may seem boring, consider having your child help you plan meal time with it. Give them several options to choose from for each category, and then stick to it. Giving your child control over their eating choices, will help them to eat the whole meal with minimal complaints. Think about it, aren’t adults also more motivated when we have choices in our daily lives? I know that I am much more willing to work overtime one week if that choice means that I will get next Friday off. Likewise, kids like choices when it comes to food. Buy this one right here.

I am so happy that I finally found a way to get my picky eater to willingly join us at dinner, and actually ask for things like peas and carrots, since they are the most fun to eat with this type of plate. I hope that you will enjoy this product as much as I do.

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