Contrary to the traditional rules of parenting, Stephanie Fedro-Byrom, Park Entrance Drive, and Karen Krieger, Holly Lane, encourage children to play with their food. They say taking the time to explore all of the textures, colors and tastes gives children confidence to take their first bite.

Fedro-Byrom and Krieger were looking for creative ways to introduce healthy foods to their children. They designed Picky Eaters in hopes of making family mealtime more enjoyable.

Picky Eaters are small plastic picks topped with six different animal characters: Know-it-owl, Sly-as-a-fox, Gopher-it, Paw-some, Purr-fection and Dino-mite. They opted to use picks instead of forks, because the design encourages kids to explore and investigate their food. Picky Eaters work with any type of food including fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses.

Fedro-Byrom and Krieger have kept every aspect of the project close to home. They worked with two Pittsburgh companies, Anne Lopez and Daedalus, to finalize the design. The utensils are manufactured by Quality Tool & Die and QTD Plastics in Meadville. Fedro-Byrom’s children even got involved by designing the website.

A pair of Picky Eaters costs $15.95 at picky-eaters.com. All six characters are $46.95. They are reusable, BPA-free and dishwasher safe.