Lean into the finger food phase

Lean into the finger foods — small portions and a bunch of little options is the easiest way to pack a lunch a picky eater will actually finish.

Don’t fight it. Finger foods are natural for kids, and so are small portions. Their stomachs are tiny and their attention spans are shorter. A giant sandwich is intimidating. Six little bites of different things is an adventure.

Get a bento-style box or any container with dividers so foods don’t touch. The ick factor is real for picky eaters. Then just build a little snack plate: crackers, cheese cubes, rolled-up deli meat, grapes, berries, baby carrots, hard-boiled egg slices. Pick four or five and keep it small — a couple of each thing beats one big serving of anything.

Two extra hacks: add a dip (ranch or hummus makes carrots and cucumbers mysteriously edible), and let them pick from your list of safe foods. When they choose it, they’re way more likely to eat it.

This phase ends eventually. Until then, serve the little snack plate and call it a win.