Keeping Your Fussy Eater Full
As much as I love to to try to reason my way through it, the fact remains that my toddler is a picky eater. Food fussiness is a primary issue with most toddlers, and it creates loads of stress for those of us who are ultimately responsible for their nutrition. And since we are all quite sick and tired of holding a wiggling, squealing mini-human down while prying open their tiny mouth (which happens to have at least four rather sharp teeth inside) just to drop in a single diced up green bean, I thought it was time we all had some honest to goodness useful information when it comes to keeping millions of tiny bellies full.
So off I went in search of the be all end all solution for picky eating.
And I think I may have found the picky eater’s idea of Valhalla.
Start with one ice cube tray.
Fill each opening with something different. Variety IS the spice of life after all, and it is also extremely enthralling to curious toddlers. Try things like:
1) Banana slices (cut across, not lengthwise, so they fit little hands better)
2) Steamed broccolli trees
3) Cheerios (aka toddler heaven)
4) Cubed canteloupe
5) Cubed cheese
6) Blueberries
7) Diced pancake pieces
Lima beans
9) Cooked pasta pieces
and so on, and so forth. Keep an eye on anything that can go bad after a few hours and remove it or replace it as necessary. The entire tray can be refrigerated at the end of the day and reused as needed.
Does your little one tend to get fussy right when Daddy gets home? This can actually be caused by mood swings resulting from a drop in your toddler’s blood sugar levels. Think about it. It’s been a few hours since lunch, and most likely at least an hour since they’ve had a substantial snack. Snacking throughout the day will elimate these up and down extremes, and most children adapt back to eating at the table for three squares at around 3-4 years old with little to no problem.
Result? A happy, active, and EATING toddler!
Feel free to share any other ideas for food stuffs to try in our comments section below!
Good luck, and Happy Eating!!
January 25th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
I found a great natural, healthy food product perfect for picky eaters like mine. It’s in the frozen food section at my grocery store. It’s called Peas of Mind, it’s a great snack or meal for my kids and super simple for me because I’m so busy….They have a website http://www.peasofmind.com it’s soooo cute, check it out!
January 26th, 2007 at 11:33 am
sfeatswell, thanks for the link, my son loves organic foods, and those look great, will definitely have to check them out! Which grocery store do you find them at?
January 31st, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Hi Jennifer, I just checked out the website and they have a link to “Store Locations.” You can find the product mostly in the Bar Area. A aIso heard that they will be in Whole Foods soon too, which is great! I have found Peas of Mind at Alameda Natural Grocery, El Cerrito Natural Grocery and Berkley Bowl. Hope this helps, let me know what you think
January 31st, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Sounds good. We have a Whole Foods here in SC, I’ll check in with them and see if they can order it as well (maybe speed things along!).