The 5-Word Script

Try It, Then Say No

A free guide for tired parents

The 5-Word Script That Ends Dinnertime Fights

One calm, five-word line that hands your kid control before dinner turns into a standoff. Grab the free 2-page quick-start.

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"Try it, then say no."

That is the whole opening move. Not "just try one bite and you'll love it." Not "you can't leave the table until you finish." Five words, and every one of them is doing something specific.

"Try it"

The only ask. Not "eat it," not "finish it." A try is small enough that almost no kid will fight you on it.

"Then"

A sequence, not a condition. Nothing is being earned, and nothing is being withheld until they comply.

"Say no"

Permission, built right into the sentence. You hand them the exit before they have to fight you for it.

Most mealtime standoffs are not really about food. They are about control: a small person testing whether they have any say over their own body. This hands that control back on purpose, on your terms, before it turns into a fight.

In the moment

"This is new. Try it, then say no if you want. No pressure either way."

Say it once, out loud, at the table. It changes the dynamic for everyone, not just the picky one.

"I tried a bunch of feeding strategies before I found the one that actually worked. This one I stumbled onto. Five words, and it is the only one that has held up night after night."

TRENT