Parenting Toddlers

Eating is a big deal in our lives currently. I kind of miss the days when I could give Peanut a bottle and be done with it. Now, she does not eat meals. She could have ten snacks a day but won’t eat at meal times. It’s irritating at times, especially when we take her out to eat. We encourage her to eat her food, which she picks out, but she doesn’t. As soon as we get home, she wants a snack.
Part of me knows that she does this because we let her do this, but on the other hand, I can’t refuse to give her a snack and have her go hungry. Right? If I did, I feel like she’d still skip mealtimes. It’s not like she’s picky, which is good. She’ll eat a variety of foods - and she LOVES vegetables, thank God! - but when she will eat them is the iffy part. So what do you do if your child is a picky eater or a non-meal eater. Here are some tips you can try:

**Don’t force your child to eat. If she says she’s full or not hungry, she means it. My mom constantly offers Peanut food, even after she says no ten times. When they say no, they usually mean it. Plus, you don’t want to get them into the habit of eating when they’re not hungry.

**If possible, have regular mealtimes. This doesn’t often work for our family because of work schedules, but if you can do it, it can help get your child into a routine.

**Let your child help you make food. This can be an exercise in patience for you, but they’ll love it, and it might make them more apt to eat the food.

**Eat the foods you want your toddler to eat. They model their behavior and habits on yours.

** If you’re kid’s a snacker, make sure they’re nutritious snacks so she/he doesn’t go hungry or malnurished.

**Eat a the table. My family is guilty of not always doing this, but it can help set a more structured tone for meals.

**Don’t make your child clean his plate. He’ll stop when he’s full.

**Remember, toddlers don’t need a lot of food - they need great quality food though. Veggies, fruits, grains, proteins.

**Offer choices. When Peanut told me she wanted chocolate the other day, I said that she could have either an apple or a banana. She got to pick and seemed perfectly happy.

**It’s ok to let your toddler have a treat once in a while. Every kid loves ice cream or cookies. You can let your little one have one every now and then. You don’t want to make them afraid to eat certain foods, which brings on the overeating later on in life.

The thing that works well for my child is to just let her have enough time to eat. That kid can spend an hour eating a bowl of spaghetti. It’s hard, but if you have time, try not to rush them. Let them go at their own pace.

What are your secrets to getting your toddler to eat healthily?