Dietary advice for children who have undergone tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A) is divergent. We studied dietary preferences in 2 series of children who underwent T&A. The first group of 50 subjects was offered a variety of types of food the morning after surgery and they preferred liquids, followed by soft foods and were least likely to choose rough foods. When only liquids and soft foods were offered to a second group of 50 subjects, less food was wasted compared with the first group. A liquid/soft diet enhances food consumption and should continue to be advocated to facilitate recovery from T&A after surgery.