Toddler mealtime dos and don’ts

Even toddlers who previously chowed down on anything in sight without kicking up a fuss can transform overnight into fussy eaters who refuse everything except peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. Moms, you’ve entered the picky eater stage of your child’s development – and the way you deal with it will make a big difference to family mealtimes over the next year!

It’s natural for your child to eat less food once she passes her first birthday, so don’t panic. She’s growing at a slower pace now, and simply doesn’t require such large amounts of food. Plus, she’s so curious about what’s going on around her that the desire to explore will start to assume much greater importance than refueling! Your child is also reaching the stage where she has a mind of her own. And as far as food goes, that means she’s cluing into the fact that some of it tastes better. Combine that with the knowledge that she can make her own choices – namely, to clamp her jaws firmly closed at the sight of veggies! – and you’re looking at food fights. Here are gurgle’s tips for how not to turn every meal into a power struggle…

DO… Avoid portion distortion

Your toddler’s stomach is only about the size of her balled fist, so don’t pile too much food on her plate. It’ll overwhelm her and make it look as if she’s leaving most of it when in fact she’s sampled everything on the plate and eaten plenty to satisfy her appetite. Plus, there’s a danger that if she is enjoying her meal she’ll actually eat way too much, possibly getting her into an overeating habit that could be hard to break. As a guide, give her a tablespoon of each food you’re serving up, per year of her life.

DON’T… Pressure her

If you pressure or try to force your child to eat, matters will go beyond just picky eating and evolve into a power struggle as your child tries to exert her growing sense of independence. It could result in every meal becoming a battle of wills even if you’ve served up foods your child actually enjoys.

DO… Work with her hunger timetable

You might like three meals a day at certain times, but your toddler’s stomach works to a different schedule and she needs smaller meals more often. There’s no reason why she has to have her main meal at the same time as you – if she always seems to be hungry at around 4.30pm take advantage of that window of opportunity to serve up her main meal, and give her up a finger food snack at the time you have your dinner so that she can still be part of your family mealtime.

DON’T… Resort to bribery

Telling your child she can have a cookie if she finishes her broccoli isn’t going to make her like her veggies any more. In fact it could have the opposite result because by setting the cookie up as a reward you’re implying that it’s way more valuable than her broccoli, and also giving her the impression that veggies are something to be endured and forced down.

DO… Set a good food example

Eat a range of healthy foods, cooked in a variety of different ways, yourself and make sure your child sees you do it. Don’t forget – your child learns by observation and this means it’s vital you send her nutritional messages.

DON’T… Give up on new foods too soon

Research has shown it takes eight to 10 attempts to get a young child to eat a new food. While it may be tiresome to have it left on the plate, it’s vital that you keep offering your child a variety of foods instead of giving up at the second or third attempt and giving her that PB&J sandwich simply because you know she’ll eat it without whining. A good tip once she does start to accept something new is to add more foods that are the same color, for example, or have a similar flavor or texture.

DO… Make veggies interesting!

Veggies are usually the main bone of contention in food fights and the way you’re serving them up might be the problem. Vary it by offering sliced raw veggies with a dip – try hummus, cottage cheese or light ranch dressing. Adding them to food your child wouldn’t expect to find them in – such as shredded carrot added to muffins – is also a good trick. And if all else fails, blending them into pasta sauce means she won’t even know they’re there.

DON’T… Panic over missed meals

If your child chooses not to eat anything, ignore it. At the end of the day, she isn’t going to starve before her next meal – and feeling hungry will teach her the consequences of not eating! If your child is growing at a normal rate then she’s meeting her nutritional needs.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

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Last Modified: 25/09/2008

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