For Parents

10 Tips For Using Tiny Tastes App:

1) Above all, have fun with Tiny Tastes and your children! 

2) Instead of coaxing your child to taste something… just focus on having Tiny taste the goal-food! 

For example saying “mmm, let’s share some of these carrots with Tiny!” or “I wonder how Tiny will like these strawberries!” focusing on her, instead of trying to convince your child to eat it --then you can just sit back and let Tiny lead your child by example!

3) Kids don't like to see the rims of bowls or silverware inside of Tiny's plate in the app, so it works best to take a close-up picture of the goal-food and let the food itself fill up Tiny's whole plate.

4) The app's intention is not to force a child to eat the food that they're offered – you can just let Tiny invite them to try it and see what happens each time! And remember, "all finished" in the app doesn't have to mean your child finished a whole plate of food. It could mean that they finished whatever tiny goal you had set with them... even just a spoon-taste of food if that is what they are able to do!

5) If there are multiple children eating a meal together with Tiny, you can take a picture of the food while it’s in the serving bowl (e.g. a picture from the whole pot of soup) to share some of it with Tiny, and then everyone can join in at their own pace!

6) It may take longer for some children to be inspired by using the app… the more that a child reads through the story and interacts with Tiny, the more likely they will be to try eating with her someday too! Just continue to fill up Tiny’s plate and let your child watch her "eat" it until they’re ready to eat it along with her - that decision is 100% up to your child.

7) Try not to get hung up on what a child did/didn’t eat. Even if they just tried some or had none this time, aim to stay neutral about how they did with their intake. There’s always next time!

8) It is not at all the intention of the app to ever force children to eat. If a child isn’t hungry, let them know when the next scheduled meal or snack will be. A little hunger can sometimes be inspiring.

9) Even though Tiny’s involvement can bring in a lot of fun, we kept the “eating together with Tiny” process visually less engaging so that you can continue with normal mealtimes without needing to focus on the app during the actual meal/snack. Try not to make eating the focus of the mealtime if you can enjoy each other’s company during the meal!

10) And a final reminder from a nutrition standpoint: there is no long-term productivity from using dessert as a reward for finishing a meal. Tiny Tastes has a built in reward system that encourages sharing & giving... so you can let that help motivate your child! It is better to set a child up for a lifetime of healthy eating where they don't associate sweets as a reward for doing well.