It’s exciting when your baby starts eating solid foods. But, just as there are foods you like or dislike, there will be foods they like and ones they don’t. That being said, what can be done to help your child get over that frustrating “picky” phase?
Picky Eater tips
Many toddlers develop an aversion to new foods or only want to eat one certain food at every meal. This often happens around the infamous “terrible twos” . My daughter was a good and adventurous eater until she was two and suddenly stopped eating things she had previously enjoyed. She is now four and has only now begun to be open to trying new foods again.
Some parents worry that their child will not get proper nutrition if they are picky eaters.What many parents don’t realise is that toddlers do not need to eat as much as you might think. Physical growth slows down around two years old and this often results in a decrease in appetite. This means your active two year old might fill up with a lot less than before.
DID YOU KNOW?? Your toddler(s) need to eat more often than your older children. Make sure that you always have slices of fruit, raw vegetables, whole grain breads, small tubs of fruit yoghurt and crackers and slices of cheese available.
Lack of fruits and vegetables in the diet is also a source of concern for lots of parents. These food groups are trouble stops for many toddlers, and they do contain lots of healthy nutrients, but as long as the child is growing normally there is usually no need to worry. Just keep providing access to them often and eventually your toddler will try them.
DID YOU KNOW??? Over 20% of Western children are overweight and have a good chance that 48 to 70% of them will remain that way into adulthood. It is so vitally important for parents to set a good example of healthy eating. Children do develop eating habits similar to those of their parents. Scary Thought?
How to introduce and overcome refusal to eat new foods.
* Offer food consistently. Keep offering it at meal or snack times and let her see you eating it and your toddler will more likely want to try it eventually. Both my children don’t like peas, but whenever I make them I always put a teaspoonful on their plates. Yes, I get the “but I don’ like peas” every time, but I am hopeful that one of these days one or both of them will try them and realise that they do in fact like them.
* Put a small amount of the food on their plate a couple of times each week, will result in them taking a bite at some point. My daughter is going through a phase where certain textures offend her, but she gets dished those foods regardless. Rice is a particular frustration for me as she ate it previously, but now refuses to even try it even though her younger brother clearly enjoys it. I hope to one day report that she has outgrown her texture aversion and is happily eating everything again!
* Ask your toddler to try one bite of the new food. Knowing that they only want to take a single bite makes it less intimidating. If they refuse, don’t push the issue…they may agree to it the next time you try.
* If he/she doesn’t like it, wait a few days and ask her to try a bite again. After two or three times it time to move on.
* Keep trying foods in the group he/she is lacking in until you find something she does enjoy. So if she has an aversion to green vegetables, provide peas, broccoli, spinach etc until she agrees on one. Don’t forget to include salad greens and often times, toddlers who won’t eat vegetables really enjoy salad.
* Eat the foods yourself that you are trying to get your toddler to eat = teaching by example. Be sure to let them know how much you like them. Make sure she sees you eating them- you can even make some appropriate ‘yummy’ noises!
* Have your toddler play act feeding the foods you are introducing to their favourite doll or teddy and have the teddy and doll really enjoy the new food. This works quite nicely with your older child.
* Get your toddler involved and ask them to choose between items in the same food group to make her feel her opinion matters. This is a great idea for stubborn toddlers. And although she is having the choice between items, you are still in control of the situation because you chose the two items in the first place.
* If your child is old enough have them choose some healthy food at the supermarket themselves. I like to use a list of healthy foods which we take along and asking my children to choose a given number of items from each group. The page is divided into the food groups and i may ask them to pick 3 from each food group. That way I know that we are covering all the areas we should and the children pick things they would like to eat. i then add some of the more unusual foods, and try to tempt them with them at home.
* Let your child help you cook with the new foods and even a young toddler can help in the kitchen. This is definitely a winning idea. My children love helping in the kitchen and are so proud when they can tell daddy that they made his dinner. At lunch time when we are not rushed, I like to put out a variety of things for the children to make their own sandwiches. They are more interested in eating them when they have created it themselves.
* Have recipe books with pictures and have you choose the recipes together. This is particularly successful if you use a children’s recipe book becasue the food is often presented in a fun way in the pictures and the children are enticed by the image rather than by the actual food used.
* Hide food within food. By this I mean hiding vegetables in sauces or disguising the foods they don’t like. I always grate carrots and courgettes into pasta sauce and they happily eat it because they can’t see it. My father used to use food colouring in mashed potatoes to get me to eat it. It worked..you just need to be a little creative.
Picky eating is a frequent source of friction between toddlers and their parents. By setting a good example with your eating habits and casually but consistently introducing new foods or persevering with ones already rejected may help your child broaden her palate . If not, take comfort in the fact that picky eating is usually a phase that your child will grow out of.
I am a preschool and primary school teacher and mum to 3 children. I have been involved in education since 1997 and have trained in a variety of educational specialist areas. It is with this expertise that I write articles to help parents and educators provide quality learning experiences for the children in their care.
