Katie Anderson knew her six-year-old might not be receptive to "weird" foods, so she hatched a plan. Leaning into her daughter’s YouTube obsession, the Memphis mom would pick a "weird" fruit, then video her daughter talking about its look, feel, and smell before tasting it.

"She’d talk about its flavor and texture and rate it with a thumbs-up, sideways, or down," Anderson says. Her daughter’s favorite so far: horned kiwano melon. "If I had just put these on plates, I likely would’ve gotten nowhere."

Behavioral and cognitive psychologist Katherine Dahlsgaard says that trying unfamiliar foods can invoke a kid’s curiosity and learning. But as Anderson and lots of other parents know, kids aren't always willing to chow down. And that’s normal.

"We all