Having a picky eater can sometimes make your day to day meal times a little more challenging, but during the Holidays this seems like a much bigger task. Knowing that your child will be in a new environment being forced to eat newer foods may cause some problems at the dinner table. In order to save your sanity and to keep Grandma from force feeding your child Brussels sprouts, here are some tips to help you and your picky eater get through the holidays.

To start, plan ahead! About two weeks before your holiday meal, have your child try some of the foods that may be prepared in order to try and ease them into the idea of a new food. Contact the relative or friend that is hosting the meal to gather a rough estimate of what will be served, then practice making some of it on your own! Most picky eaters are just stubborn eaters and do not like to try new things, especially in a new and busy setting such as a holiday meal. If you don’t have the time to cook a whole turkey (who really does?) then make turkey sandwiches for lunch and explain that this is similar to what they will eat at grandmas. Introduce them to new vegetables like squash or new side dishes like cranberry sauce and stuffing. If your child is introduced to these items and has time to adjust at home, they will be more likely to try them at Grandma’s house.

Have a wide array of choices! You can increase the chances that your child will eat all of your holiday meal if they feel like they have more control over what they are going to be eating. It is hard to avoid casseroles and salads during the holidays, but try and have foods that children have the chance to “build on their own.” If you will be serving salad, have it ready to make so your child can pick what all goes on it. If you are serving potatoes, leave the cheese off or have a smaller version without all the toppings and garnishes so your child can see what all they are eating. If your child is given the opportunity to control what they are eating, they will feel better about the whole process and will allow everyone else to enjoy their favorite holiday items.

Be realistic about portion size and servings. Grandma may have a tendency to give that extra helping of turkey to your child and then be disappointed when they only finish half of it. One way to solve this issue is to walk with your child as they pick out their food and help them to pick a good portion size. Or, if you know that friends or relatives will want to do this, give them a heads up about what an appropriate sized meal for your child is.

Lastly, give everyone attending your meal a heads up about what your child does and does not like to eat. This doesn’t mean that you need to make a huge announcement over the dinner table, but if you prepare people ahead of time it will save some uncomfortable situations later. If grandma knows that little Johnnie will not touch mashed potatoes, she will be less offended when he passes on her most treasured dish. Also, your child will feel much more comfortable sitting down to eat knowing that no one will question what they are eating and why they don’t like certain foods.