Food fight! Americans spend a lot of time bargain with their kids over food

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American parents spend more than an hour a week negotiating with their children, especially around mealtime, according to a survey of 2,000 parents conducted by Talker Research.

Parents of school-aged children found they engage in about five negotiations per week, with dinnertime being toughest negotiation. The biggest challenge comes from picky eaters, especially those around age five.

The top complaints include the smell of food (33%), the appearance of meals (32%), and, the most common, disliking vegetables (37%). Most kids tend to reject vegetables (56%), while proteins are less commonly refused (17%).

To cope with picky eaters, parents use various strategies such as introducing new foods alongside familiar ones (31%), getting kids involved in meal preparation (36%), and gradually introducing new dishes (34%), the survey suggests.

Some other methods include explaining the benefits of healthy eating (28%), creating a positive mealtime atmosphere (26%), and modeling good behavior by trying new foods with their children (26%). Additionally, rewards, fun food shapes, and repeated exposure are commonly used tactics.

Interestingly, 26% of parents admitted to being picky eaters themselves during childhood.

Here’s are kids common complaints about food

• I don’t like vegetables/a certain vegetable (37%)
• I don’t like the smell (33%)
• I don’t like the way it looks (32%)
• It’s too spicy (22%)
• It’s too mushy (18%)
• I don’t want to eat something new (14%)
• It’s too plain/bland (10%)
• It’s boring (9%)
• I had this recently (yesterday, at lunch at school, etc.) (9%)
• It’s too chewy (9%)
• It’s too hot (temperature, not spice) (9%)
• It’s too cold (7%)
• It’s too crunchy (6%)