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Moms of Picky Eaters, Unite!

Like many families, we have one child who will eat just about anything (except spicy—he will not let you forget that), and another whose palate is… much more selective.

When we adopted our boys, Boy2’s picky eating was presented as extreme—at least in my humble opinion. We were told there were only a handful of foods he would eat and that he absolutely hated rice. A strange flex, but okay. As it turned out, he ate more than just a few things, but the rice part? Completely true.

To this day, he still hates rice. We’ve tried all the variations—flavored, fried, sauced, you name it. He’s reached the point where he’ll try it without losing his ever-loving mind, but I’m convinced he refuses to like it on principle alone. He also prefers his foods not to touch. Thankfully, this has improved over time—he no longer fully rejects a pea just because it rolled into the gravy. Progress.

Despite his preferences, Boy2 will try almost anything. He just eats with his eyes. If it doesn’t look right, he either won’t try it or will strongly protest—especially if it’s green.

Enter: a surprise win.

I originally ordered a Universal Yums box for me and Hubs as a date-night/movie-night snack. We love snacks, and I thought it would be a fun way to expand our palates and try treats from other countries. What I didn’t expect was how excited the boys would be when that box arrived—especially Boy2.

He tries everything in the box. Even the shrimp chips from the Korea box. If you know picky eaters, you know that’s basically a miracle.

Universal Yums has turned into a genuinely fun experience for our whole family. We made it a monthly subscription, and now we all look forward to it arriving. So far, we’ve sampled snacks from Korea, France, and Brazil, and we can’t wait to see where the rest of the year takes us. Bonus: you can reorder your favorites directly from their website.

What I love most is how the “adventure” aspect of each box has helped Boy2 try new foods without pressure. When you have kids with restrictive food interests, it’s so important to keep food fun and low-stress. Meals—and snacks—should feel positive and adventurous, not something to dread.

If you’re interested in trying it out, I do have a referral code that will give you $5 off your first box (and gives me $5 off too). You can use the link here: Universal Yums Referral

💬 What are some ways you’ve helped your picky eater try new foods?

Disclosure: This post includes a referral link. If you use it to sign up, I may receive a small credit—at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting our family and this little corner of the internet!