Pleasing the Picky Eater - 7 Ways To Get Your Toddler To Eat

*** I actually wrote this post in 2011. Now here I am, 2018 and I have a very picky eater toddler. I have implemented some of my tips and added a little more info from what I have learned and what works with her.

Do you have a picky eater at home? I have a picky eater husband, but what if your kids are picky eaters and simply refuse to eat what you put in front of them? You could decide to make everyone in the house their own separate meal and just open a restaurant in your home. Except you won’t get the benefit of actually getting paid, and forget about a tip! That is not a realistic life. Who has the time?

So what do you do if you are sick of eating mac and cheese every night because that is all your little one will eat. You can’t let them starve right? I am sure you have tried everything. Even having them sit at the table until they choke down just 2 bites of what you made. Their stubbornness is relentless, and you are no match for it.

Being picky is just a step of being a toddler. They don’t gain weight as quickly when they hit this age, and are on the go-go. They are more worried about running around than sitting down to a full meal. They don’t have the attention span, they would rather snack through out the day, than interrupt their fun times. Toddlers aged 1-3 years only need 1,000 – 1,300 calories a day, but they may not get all of those calories in one day, but the next they might get 2,000. Aim for a well balanced week, rather than stressing about it everyday. Remember, the size of their stomach is approximately the size of their fist.

Here a few tips to try to get your kids to eat the healthy, and get the vitamins they need. Some may work, some may not, but you might get them to like something they never knew.

Pieces, Pieces, Pieces. Kids love little bites. Little finger foods they can eat with their hands. Cheese, fruit, veggies, sandwiches. A cookie cutter can do wonders for making food exciting. You can even ask your child which shape they would like their snack. I have learned the ice tray trick. You can find some images on pinterest. Put an array of snacks in the compartments of the ice tray and your kiddo will love picking and choosing their snacks. See a beautiful image and how she did it at WileyValentine.com

Sauce it up. Kids like to play with new kinds of ooey, gooey sauces. You can use this technique to cover veggies with cheese. You could also use peanut butter on apples, apple sauce on fruit or crackers. Other good toppers are cream cheese, yogurt, salsa, guacamole.

Drinks. Yummy drinks are usually what a child will go for. You can make a smoothie and add a bunch of important things that they will never taste. You can make it exciting for them by letting them help you and decide what to put in their smoothie. You can start with juice, frozen fruit, bananas, peanut butter, wheat germ, honey, even cottage cheese. You can even hide some veggies because the fruit will over power their taste.

Sneak it in. I have to admit that I have actually done this for my husband. Here’s hoping he skips this post. I have put mashed cauliflower into his mashed potatoes and he was never the wiser. There are so many options to sneaking in, grated carrots or applesauce in cookies. For more ideas you can check out Thesneakychef.com.

Accessibility. Give your child shelf space in the refrigerator and pantry. Offer a variety of your toddler’s favorite, but nutritious (chosen by you) food and drinks. When they want a snack, let them choose something. It will also help acquire a healthy attitude about food because they will eat when they are hungry. (I did this, makes a huge difference!)

Give food kid-friendly names. Super silly spaghetti, Big boy beans. Or you can name them after their favorite TV show, super hero, or cartoon.

Make it fun. These plates could be your saving grace. If your kids get to have some fun with their food or make it an activty. Just let them know that whatever they use to decorate their plate they have to eat. These plates are a great idea and you can find them at World Wide Fred.com

Try to be sensitive. This can get very frustrating, but It could be that your child has a really sensitive pallet that they won’t grow out of. My husband still can’t eat some of the things he tried as a child because of texture, and strong taste. It may be that they have taste buds that are stronger than others.

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