Four Tips For Getting Your Children To Like Cheese

Kids tend to either love or hate most foods without much room in between. The trick as a parent is making sure that your children actually like the foods that are good for them, such as fruits, vegetables, and cheese. The good news is that if you start early and are creative, it can be very easy for your children to appreciate the taste and texture of cheese.

Introduce It Early

A good way to make sure that your children will like cheese is to introduce it to them early, as soon as their pediatrician says it is safe to do so. By introducing cheese to your children early, they will get used to it right away. They will see it as a normal food and enjoy it. It will also help if your child sees you eating cheese. After all, any parent knows that kids like food that comes from their parents’ plate the most.

Make It Fun Shapes

Kids are more likely to eat something if it is fun to do so. Make sure that you give them cheese as a finger food when they are young and get creative with presentation. Cut hard cheese into fun shapes like stars or hearts with small cookie cutters. Or make your child a fruit salad that includes cheese and forms a fun shape, such as a face with little balls of cheese for the eyes. You can even make cheese into a snowman for your child to enjoy.

Get Creative With Recipes

If you want your child to like cheese, it will help if you can show them how versatile it is and give them every opportunity to enjoy it. It is a good idea to have some cheese-filled recipes up your sleeve that your children will love. Classics like grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese can both be made from scratch with natural unprocessed cheese instead of the heavily processed stuff. Some other cheesy dishes your children may love include lasagna, pasta with cheese on top, pasta bakes, casseroles, fried cheese sticks (which you can make from scratch), cheese omelets, frittatas, homemade pizza, and cheesy bread.

What To Do If They Don’t Like It At First

In some cases, your child may be hesitant to try cheese or claim not to like it despite your best efforts. In this case, you should simply wait a little and then introduce it again. You could also encourage them to just eat a single bite and say they don’t have to eat any more than that unless they want to. Your kids may also be more likely to want to try the cheese if they see you enjoying it. If all else fails, sneak some cheese into their favorite dishes to prove to them they like it.