Tips for Coping with Toddlers and Fussy Eating  

Copyright 2007

 As babies mature into toddlers and begin eating table food, their tastes become more discriminating. Mealtime can turn into a battle zone as toddlers get pickier about what they are willing to eat.

These tips will help you cope with your toddler’s fussy eating:

1. Make mealtime a family affair. Today’s families are busy. Everyone seems to be pulled in different directions making it hard to find a time for the whole family to eat meals together. Challenge yourself to start eating dinner together at least three days each week. Then challenge your family to set a good example by eating what’s on their plate. When your toddler sees his siblings or parents eating their veggies and meat, they will be more likely to try what’s on their plate, too.

2. Don’t offer alternatives. When it comes to mealtime, stand united. Offer one healthy meal that the whole family can enjoy.

3. Introduce one new food at a time. No one likes to be overwhelmed. So don’t overload your toddler’s palate with too many new foods at once. Instead, have a “new food of the week” and offer one new vegetable for the entire week. You can use different recipes to add variety to how it’s served. He may be reluctant to try it immediately, but if you continue to offer it, it will ease the transition to the new food.

4. Fewer or no more snacks. Giving a child snacks seems like an easy option until it spoils their appetite at meal time. Decreasing the amount of snacks will make your child more willing to eat at meal time. Try limiting your child’s snack to once a day at the same time every day. Offer healthier snack options. Substitute water in place of sweetened drinks. Fewer snacks equals a hearty appetite at meal time!

5. Make mealtime fun. If your toddler plays with the food on her plate, don’t fret. Drawing attention to it will only make it more of a game for them, and wear on your nerves. Instead, focus your toddler’s attention on something else. Create dinner conversation and games that will take the focus off your child playing with their food. Ask everyone to name the high and low point of their day. Talk about your toddler’s accomplishment that day, like learning a new color or talking about a special activity. Drawing attention away from your toddler’s plate is likely to result in her eating her food before she even realizes it.

No one wants to deal with a toddler who is fussy at meal time or a picky eater. Hopefully, these tips will allow you to focus less on what’s on your child’s plate and more on what happened during their day. And remember, when it comes to picky eaters, many parents are in the same boat so you are never alone.

Get more kid friendly meal ideas at Kid Approved Meals

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