I have three kids. Each one has their own list of "I'm not eating that." My oldest won't touch anything green. My middle one refuses any meat that "looks like meat." My youngest only eats something if he picked it out at the store himself — otherwise he won't even try it.
For the first two years, I kept notes on my phone. Then I tried a Google Sheet. Then I just tried to remember. Nothing worked — because the problem isn't writing things down. It's having that information available exactly when you're standing in the grocery aisle not knowing whether to grab those crackers again.
But first — the list. Because that's why you're here.
A real picky eater food list (with actual US brands)
This isn't a list of "foods children should eat." This is what picky eaters actually eat — built from our family's experience and Favory beta testers across the US.
Grains & bread
- Pasta (Barilla, Mueller's) — plain with butter, no sauce
- White rice (Minute Rice instant)
- White toast — Wonder Bread, Nature's Own
- Eggo Waffles (frozen — often preferred over homemade)
- Cheerios, Goldfish crackers, Ritz, Graham crackers
- Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes (dry, no milk)
Protein
- Chicken nuggets — Tyson, Perdue (brand matters enormously)
- Oscar Mayer hot dogs
- Peanut butter — Jif or Skippy (not the "natural" kind)
- Scrambled eggs (omelets are often "wrong")
- StarKist tuna pouches
- String cheese — Frigo, Sargento
- Hummus (Sabra) with pretzel chips — surprisingly popular
Vegetables (the ones they actually eat)
- Baby carrots with Ranch dip (Hidden Valley)
- Corn — Green Giant canned or frozen
- Tater Tots or French fries (Ore-Ida)
- Cucumber slices, peeled
- Frozen peas — Birds Eye, thawed
- Edamame — Seapoint Farms frozen
Fruits
- Apples — Gala or Fuji, peeled and sliced (skin = rejected)
- Bananas (no brown spots — this is non-negotiable)
- Seedless grapes, halved
- Fresh strawberries (not frozen)
- Cuties / Halos mandarins — kids can peel themselves
- GoGo Squeez applesauce pouches
Dairy
- Chobani Kids, Gogurt, Danimals — specific flavor only
- Babybel cheese wheels
- Kraft string cheese
- Horizon Organic milk boxes
Snacks
- Annie's Fruit Snacks / Welch's Fruit Snacks
- SkinnyPop popcorn (plain)
- Snyder's pretzels
- Bare Snacks apple chips
- Lunchables — a whole category of picky eater love
- Quaker rice cakes
Why your list will look completely different
Here's the thing: no list from the internet replaces your own. Picky eaters aren't a category. They're individuals.
My oldest eats hummus and hates string cheese. My friend's kid is the opposite. The same Chobani strawberry yogurt — in our house, only my youngest will touch it. If I buy it for my oldest, it sits untouched.
The real picky eater food list is the one you built through months of trial and error. The problem is that most parents have no system for storing that knowledge.
The yogurt problem
I must have bought the wrong Chobani four times before I accepted I'd never remember which one Max actually eats. Same yogurt section, same Thursday routine, same moment of doubt in front of the refrigerated case. I'd pick one, get home, and he'd push it aside. "That's not my yogurt, Dad."
The thing is — I knew that. I remembered it for about a week after it happened. Then something else took over and it was gone.
Sarah, a mom of two from Seattle, told me the same thing: "I kept a list in Notes. But I always forgot to open it exactly when I needed it. And when I did open it — I couldn't find anything in the mess."
That chaos looks familiar to most parents I've talked to. The list exists. It's just never there when you need it.
How I actually track our picky eater food list now
After years of failed systems — notes, spreadsheets, photos of labels — we switched to Favory. The idea is simple: scan a product's barcode and rate it for each child individually. Not "the kids liked it" — but "Anya: Tasty, Max: Not Tasty, Lily: OK." Next time you're at the store, scan it and that breakdown appears instantly.
What this actually changed:
- Anyone in the family can do the grocery run — and get it right
- We stopped buying things that one kid always rejects
- The kids scan products themselves and leave their own ratings — they're genuinely into it
Michael, a dad of three from Toronto: "The kids started scanning things themselves. They already know: if they rated it Tasty, we'll buy it again. It made them part of the process."
What actually makes this work
The first thing we learned: rate it the same day. Not "I'll add it later." By the next morning I'd already half-forgotten whether Lily actually liked those crackers or just tolerated them. The reaction right after they eat it — that's the real data.
Second thing: be specific. "Yogurt" in a notes app is useless. "Chobani Kids Strawberry — Lily yes, Max absolutely not" is a system. Picky eaters don't reject categories, they reject specific products. Sometimes just the packaging change is enough for them to refuse something they ate happily for six months.
Third: each kid gets their own rating. This sounds obvious until you're shopping alone and trying to remember whether "the kids" liked something — which kids? Mine have opposite opinions on almost everything. A shared family verdict loses the only information that matters.
One more thing I'd add: re-test things after six months or so. Anya refused edamame for a year straight. Then one day she ate the whole bowl. Kids change without warning. Keep the old "No" ratings but don't treat them as permanent.
What to do when your picky eater barely eats anything
If your child's entire food universe is 5 items right now — breathe. You're not failing. Some kids genuinely operate on a narrow list for years. The goal isn't to hit some magic number by Tuesday. It's to know exactly what those 5 items are, so you stop second-guessing yourself at Trader Joe's.
Here's what actually moved the needle for us:
Drop the dinner table battles. Forcing "just one bite" has never worked in the history of parenting. It turns every meal into a negotiation, and your kid learns to associate food with stress — not hunger. We stopped. Things got calmer. Their list slowly grew on its own timeline.
Put new food on the plate, then ignore it. Don't ask them to try it. Don't point at it. Just let it exist next to the Goldfish crackers. Some kids need to see a food 10–15 times before they'll consider touching it. That's not stubbornness — it's how their nervous system works.
Let them pick between two options. "Do you want carrots or cucumber today?" Both are fine with you. But now they made the choice — and kids are far more likely to eat something they chose themselves. My youngest figured this out before I did.
Write down even the small wins. "Tried it and didn't immediately spit it out" is a win. Note it. Over months, these add up and you'll start to see patterns you'd never notice otherwise.
One thing I want to be direct about: if your child is losing weight, refusing entire food groups, or shows genuine distress at mealtimes — that's worth a conversation with your pediatrician. Some kids have sensory processing differences that go beyond typical picky eating, and a feeding therapist can make a real difference. No amount of tracking replaces that.
Frequently asked questions about picky eater food lists
How many foods should a picky eater eat?
Honestly, there's no magic number. Some kids eat 10 foods, some eat 50. If your child's pediatrician says their weight and energy are fine — you're doing okay. Focus on knowing exactly what those foods are so you can reliably buy them, not on expanding the list by force.
How do I add new foods to a picky eater's list?
Slowly, and without making it a big deal. Put something new on the plate next to a safe food — no comment, no pressure. Some kids need to see a food 10–15 times before they'll even touch it. That's normal. Track each exposure so you actually know where you are in the process instead of guessing.
Should I hide vegetables in food for picky eaters?
Some parents swear by it — and if it gets broccoli into your kid, fine. But hiding food doesn't build any real relationship with it. Our approach: put it on the plate, say nothing, let curiosity do the work. Takes longer. Works better.
How can I start tracking my child's food list today?
Open Favory on your phone — no download needed, it runs in your browser. Scan the first product your child tried this week and rate it. That's it. One scan, and you've started.