S/O - how old for the "two bites" rule?

[katelove]

The other thread on mealtimes made me wonder about the "two bite rule". Our 2yr 8mo is offered more or less the same food we eat but refuses some things, including most vegetables without even trying them.

I'm wondering how old your kids were when you instituted the two bite rule and whether they actually do it. I have often suggested my LO try something and she's flatly refused. I don't want to force her or fight about it but I'd love her to try more things.

[phathui5]

It's more like "a bite" at our house and it applies to everyone. Of course, I can't say how well we enforce it, considering you can't force food into people.

[mamalisa]

I paid my dd $1 to eat a mushroom a few weeks ago.  After years of insisting she hated them, turns out mushrooms "aren't too bad".  I don't make anyone take a bite of anything they don't want to, there's no rule.  But I will find other ways to make it worth her effort to try something new :)

[LaughingHyena]

We have "trying days" where we all, DH and I included try something which till now we have not liked. We always try to make sure that are things on the table which people do like but every couple of months we make a point of adding something to plates for people to try.

Turns out I'm still not that keen on mushrooms but I'll settle for eating one every couple of months to get the kids to try new things

We even got granddad in on the act an it turns out carrot cake is not so bad but he still isn't a fan of beetroot.

I think the key is in them seeing adult talk about trying things too.

[revolting]

We don't do a two bite rule. One things I've found helpful for trying new foods is creating a nibble tray: I fill a small muffin tin with different foods: some I know my kids like and some they haven't tried or haven't tried in a while and leave it out. They've definitely found some things they like. That said, most kids palates shrink dramatically around two and slowly start to expand around 5.