photo credit: Photo Mojo
Parenting Question: My toddler is a picky eater, how do I get him to try new foods?

What toddler isn’t a picky eater? Oh, of course there is always that one child in play group that eats everything, whose mom just raves about how her child will finish whatever she puts on his plate. And once again the mommy guilt kicks in. Well then, I MUST be doing something wrong because my child won’t eat anything!

You can just send that inner monster away right now! No one ever said that parenting toddler is easy. Especially when it comes to food. Some toddlers are more adventurous than others but the bottom line is that - to a little one - trying new foods is a scary proposition. There are many factors at work here - texture, color, smell - some kids just reject these off the bat. Here are some parenting tips for toddler that may help to get junior to eat those brussels sprouts (or at least a little broccoli):

• I know it’s a pain, but continue to introduce the offending food to your child on a continuous basis. Sometimes they need to see it a few times before they are willing to try it. Let’s use broccoli as our example, steam a large batch on Monday, store the extra in the fridge and present your toddler a few small florets every evening that week with dinner.
• Make sure the rest of the family is eating the same food too. An older brother or sister (or even dad!) can easily sabotage your operation by loudly stating “I hate broccoli - it’s yucky!”.
  My best parenting advice in this situation is to enlist the family’s help before dinner. Tell them that you are trying to get toddler to try broccoli so you will be putting some on everyone’s plate. If the older ones don’t want to eat it (and it’s ok with you) then give them permission to ignore it but refrain from any negative comments.
  And another parenting tip for toddler: if you know the rest of the family really hates this food then have your toddler try it at lunch or another time when they are not around. If both you and your toddler eat broccoli together every day for breakfast or snack or whenever you can squeeze in a quiet moment and you continue to tell him how yummy it is, he just may be willing to try it.
  One last note on this tip, I use a week as an example, but it could take months or even longer. No, I’m not suggesting that you eat broccoli every day for years. What I am saying, is that you should continue to serve broccoli (or whatever other food) on a regular basis - say, once a week. You can’t expect success if your toddler only sees the food once a year.
• To state the obvious - make sure and serve other food that your toddler likes with the new food. Don’t dish out a plate of broccoli for dinner with nothing else.
• Use small portions. Toddlers tummies are rather small. Many parents, with good intentions, will dish out adult sized portions and then wonder why their child won’t eat. Really small portions work best, and the child can ask for more if they want seconds.
• Never force your toddler to eat. Always encourage. Sometimes promising that they only have to eat one bite, and if they don’t like it then they don’t have to finish it is enough incentive for the toddler to give it a try. But make sure you keep your promise!
• And a final parenting tip for toddler - make sure your child is hungry. If she just had a snack before mealtime, she will be less likely to try the new food because she wasn’t hungry anyway. Try and space out meals and snacks.

Many a parenting book has been written around the topic of picky eaters. Some, like Food Chaining: The Proven 6-Step Plan to Stop Picky Eating, Solve Feeding Problems, and Expand Your Childs Diet, take the straightforward approach to tackle this issue head on. Others like Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food take the “if you can’t beat them, join them” approach.

Other things that a parent can do is to make meals more comfortable and fun. I have discussed the KABOOST Portable Chair Booster before. And it is still high on my list of parenting resources for mealtime.

No one ever said that parenting toddler was easy!

This construction utensil set is so cute - I just had to share. I wonder if the kids will stop playing with their peas long enough to eat them! Thanks to MomFinds for the smile!