Photos

Advertisement

Trouble getting your toddler to eat a nutritious and balanced meal? Try some of these tried and true tips.

1. Invite your grazer to the table ... but still give him room to roam. Focusing on food is sometimes an insurmountable task for toddlers. They may be grazers who rarely sit and finish a meal and would rather snack throughout the day. Don't worry. Keep up a consistent mealtime and snack routine.

2. Expect the unexpected! One day it's "I don't want it!" and the next week the same kid can't get enough of the once-hated food, or vice versa. Whatever it is, as long as you keep offering healthy options to your toddlers, it's a win/win situation.

3. Now is the time when you can make the biggest difference in your toddler's eating behavior. Studies show that food preferences are shaped between ages 2 and 3. Be a role model for healthy eating and manners in front of your toddler. Even if the results are not immediate, it will pay off in the long run!

4. Keep the pressure in check. Don't overreact, scold, bribe, beg or reward with a treat to get your toddler to eat. Over-controlling your toddler's eating behavior turns down the volume of the natural internal cues for hunger and fullness. Studies show that unpressured children will instinctively balance their diets.

5. Tasting needs the test of time. Most parents only reintroduce a food three to five times, while studies show that it takes eight to 15 times for new foods to get a green light from toddlers. Don't give up. Keep reintroducing the food every few days.

6. Name it something new! Broccoli can be trees, peas can be baseballs, oatmeal raisin can be ant cereal, spaghetti and cheese can be slimy worms, tomato slices can be hot rod wheels. If your child loves fries or cookies, try cutting veggies and other less-favored foods into those shapes and call them "veggie fries" or "carrot cookies."

7. Shape and sculpt. Cut foods into fun shapes. Use fun cookie cutter shapes for sandwiches, cheeses and fruits. Make teddy bear-shaped pancakes and swirl mashed sweet potatoes with yogurt. Buy fun pasta shapes such as stars, suns, moons, animals, etc. Make foods as mini versions; silver dollar-sized pancakes, mini muffins and tiny pizzas really do appeal to those little hands!

- From Christina Schmidt, nutritionist and author of "The Toddler Bistro" (2009).

Facebook  MySpace  Digg  Stumble    Mixx  Fark  del.icio.us   LiveSpaces

Member Comments

View Comments: | Post a comment

No comments posted for this article.

You must first login before you can comment.