Is your toddler giving you a tough time whenever a meal is served? How you wish that these dramas and nightmares end! And you stop hearing terms like ‘yuk’, ‘why have you cooked this?’ etc. How nice would it be if your fussy toddler at least starts trying new dishes and foods? As a parent, we are always worried about our kid’s food intake and nutrition. This is because we worry about their growth. Even though you cook delicious foods for picky toddlers, they mostly end up refusing to eat it.
Getting a toddler to eat healthy stuff is no easy task. Especially in case where a toddler is selective about the food they eat. But the question is, how to get your picky toddler to eat? Here are some tips to make life easier for you. The article also shares some top delicious foods for picky toddlers, which will come in handy while trying to feed them healthy stuff.
In This Article
- How to Get Your Picky Toddler to Eat?
- How to Make Picky Toddlers Try New Foods?
- Top Delicious Foods For Picky Toddlers
- FAQ’s
How to Get Your Picky Toddler to Eat?
Toddlers are so busy in exploring the world around them and doing different activities, that eating becomes sort of secondary for them. Also, if they are in their terrible twos phase, they will say ‘no’ to everything. It is a means for them to exercise their newly found independence. If you too find it difficult to make your picky toddler eat, these tips might come in handy-
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- First of all, do not force your toddler to eat. Understand their appetite
- Remember that new foods are not going to be easily accepted. Be patient and keep giving it after a few days
- Follow a particular routine
- Don’t make the meal time as a battle time. Remove the stress and make it fun. Play a game or experiment with food to make it look interesting to a toddler
- Prepare a well-balanced meal. If your child doesn’t like veggies, don’t give veggies as a whole. Try veggie soups, cutlets, pasta, etc.
- Don’t try to shove food down their throat. Encourage them to pick up their food themselves and eat. An important tip here is to try finger foods. Give something easy for them to pick and gobble. Example, carrot, cucumber sticks, fish fingers, French toast fingers, etc.
- Reduce snacking habits. However, you could allow small yet healthy portions in between meals like fruits, salad, dry fruits like raisins, almonds etc.
- Having too much liquid too will not make them feel hungry at lunch or dinner time. So limit the intake, especially just before the meal time
[Read : Top Tips to Tackle Fussy Eating in Toddlers]
How to Make Picky Toddlers Try New Foods?
Do you also worry on how you can make your toddler try some new dish you made? Here are some tactics that you could use to tempt or entice your fussy toddler to eat-
- Try different variety of food
- Let the toddler explore the food by touching, smelling, or picking it up
- Then encourage your toddler to taste it. If you do not succeed in one go, don’t start yelling or punishing your little one
- Try, try, try, till you succeed, is the key. It’s a known fact that it might take up between 10-12 attempts before your toddler accepts a new food. So be patient
- Change the name, shape, or form of that food to make it sound interesting. Think from the point of view of your toddler. If they don’t like spinach, for example, use spinach in pasta and say that you colored the pasta green for them. You will be surprised if they eat up the whole thing!
- Bribe your little one. Confusing? Serve the new dish with something your toddler loves to eat. Mix it up in a way that they don’t say no
- Presentation is the key. Don’t you like going to a fancy restaurant for fine dining because not only that food tastes delicious but it looks amazing too? Similarly, steamed broccoli or carrots will look boring to your toddler too. Try stacking crunchy veggies on a platter or their favorite mug. Or make a smiley face on the sandwich. It surely will catch their fancy
- Call their friends over for lunch or a play date and then serve a new dish. When they see their friends eating the same thing, they will for sure eat it too
- Play a game while eating or bring in some entertainment. Use cookie cutters, cute various shaped muffin molds, or make a small sized chapati etc. and call it a baby-bread
- You could also involve your toddler in doing some preliminary preparations for food. This will make them feel important. Explain how a farmer grows a vegetable or grain. Make them mix the yogurt, put in the herbs, or put the mats on the table
- Last but not the least – kids do what their parents do. So, serve the dish in your plates first and eat and say things like – ‘Wow! It’s so yummy!’ ‘Yum! This is so delicious and healthy too! Will you like to try it?’ Don’t be surprised when they say ‘yes’
Top Delicious Foods For Picky Toddlers
Though these tips will come handy, here are some delicious foods for picky toddlers. Give them a try and we are sure your toddler will like it-
- Fresh fruit juices and whole fruits rather than packaged juices
- French toast fingers: Cut the French toast as fingers or strips, which your toddler can eat easily
- Snacks such as boiled eggs. You can cut it up in slices or wedges
- Toss an interesting and colorful fruit salad with dices of apples, melons, berries etc.
- Serve an oatmeal in their favorite glass
- Try making a granola bar with oats, honey, dry fruits, etc. Tell your toddler that it’s a new sweet
- Popcorn with veggie or chicken soup
- Bagels or waffles made with whole wheat and healthy ingredients
- Whole wheat muffins – You could add apples, bananas, or nuts in it to add to the nutrition
- Bake your own healthy breads, like a banana bread, cheese bread, etc.
- Stir-fried veggies of different colors are sure to attract your toddler. Serve it in an interesting platter or plate and watch them gobble it up
- Peanut butter sandwiches or veggie sandwiches made decoratively, for example with a smiley face, small circles, triangles, and other shapes
- Fruit puddings and fruit yogurts
- Milk shakes or smoothies using fresh fruits
- Whole wheat pancakes with fruit slices, honey etc.
Getting a toddler to eat is by no means easy. But these tips and tricks shared in the article will surely help you in feeding your picky toddler healthy foods. Also, the list of delicious foods for picky toddlers is sure to entice your little one. They key to feeding picky toddlers is to keep trying and giving the food in a way that interests them into eating it. Also, you have to lead by example. So, if you want them to eat broccoli, eat it first yourself! Follow these steps and soon picky eating will be a thing of the past.
[Read : Top 10 Finger Foods For Toddlers That They Will Love]
FAQ’s
1. Will Picky Toddler Eventually Eat?
Picky eating is pretty common in toddlers. In fact according to research, around 25 to 35% of toddlers are picky eaters (1). This is usually a developmental phase which a toddler outgrows. If picky eating is affecting your toddler’s growth and development, then you may need to consult the pediatrician. But, usually kids outgrow picky eating.
2. At What Age Picky Eating Phase Peaks in Toddlers?
There is no particular age for picky eating. However, some studies found that it usually peaks around 24 months (when terrible twos hit) and for some it may peak around 36-38 months of age (2).
3. At What Age Do Kids Stop Being so Picky?
Once a kid grows up, usually around 4-6 years of age, picky eating habit may stop. Picky eating is a phase which a kid usually outgrows.
References
- The ‘picky eater’: The toddler or preschooler who does not eat – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3474391/]
- Picky eating in children: causes and consequences – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6398579/]
Read Also: Top 15 Superfoods For Toddlers
