• Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed

Maryann Jacobsen

Independent Author & Family Nutrition Expert

  • Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy

7 Ways to Help Your Picky Eater

June 26, 2009

Tweet
Pin
Share
Yum
Email
Share

Has your eat-everything baby turned into a toddler who has trouble getting through one meal? Welcome to the parent-of-a-toddler club.

Dealing with a picky eating toddler can be challenging for parents. Instead of getting lured into a no-win power struggle, here are seven effective ways to help your toddler feel more empowered at the table. And make meals more peaceful and enjoyable for all.

Jump Ahead

  • 1. Change your mindset
  • 2. Focus on the family
  • 3. Provide consistent meals & snacks
  • 4. Check liquid calories
  • 5. Don’t leave it all for dinner
  • 6. Don’t say a word
  • 7. Include little ones in meal planning

1. Change your mindset

Does your picky eater drive you completely insane at mealtime? Try not to dwell on the frustration of it all. Instead, think of it as a normal part of their development (which it is!). Around age two growths slows down and interest in food declines. Young children learn to like a variety of foods the same way they learn how to dress themselves, tie their shoes and read and write – in due time.

See The Most Overlooked reason Kids Stay Picky Eaters for more on development and eating.

2. Focus on the family

Instead of focusing all of your meal-planning efforts around your toddler (it will only frustrate and exhaust you!), prepare and plan meals with the whole family in mind. If you haven’t invited your little one to join the family table for meals, then do so. This is where they learn the most – by watching their family eat.

3. Provide consistent meals & snacks

It’s tempting to give picky eaters the foods they want when they want them, but this can lead to all-day grazing. Studies show kids who eat planned meals and snacks have more nutritious diets than those who eat fewer meals. When you provide your child with 3 regular meals and 2-3 snacks, without food in between, they have more opportunities to eat and be exposed to different foods. Make sure to include their favorites along with other nutritious items they may not like so much.

4. Check liquid calories

Kids have the uncanny ability to self-regulate food intake which means they can fill up on any calorie-containing item including drinks. So watch how much juice and milk they are consuming to make sure these beverages aren’t displacing other nutritious foods in their diet. Keep juice to 4-6 ounces per day for 1-6-year-olds and 8-12 ounces for older kids. Kids over 2 only need 2 cups of milk per day.

5. Don’t leave it all for dinner

Many parents wait for dinner to try new foods or serve certain items like vegetables. But kids are least likely to eat at dinner because hunger tends to wane as the day progresses. So serve veggies and other new foods earlier in the day when your child is likely to be more receptive.

6. Don’t say a word

Believe it or not, you are not responsible for what your child eats. Your only responsibility is to provide balanced meals and snacks. Leading childhood nutrition expert Ellyn Satter, MS, RD, LCSW encourages parents to employ a Division of Responsibility – parents decide the “what” and “when” and “where” of feeding and children decide “how much” and “whether” to eat. So resist the urge to say anything to your child about how much or what they are eating – leave them to do their job.

7. Include little ones in meal planning

Ask for older kids input when planning weekly meals, make little ones helpers in the kitchen and ask for help when picking out produce. Even though you are in charge when it comes to meal planning, making children part of the process will help pique their interest.

There are no secrets or tricks to get your picky eating toddler to eat a variety of foods. They simply need time, no pressure and repeated exposure to nutritious foods. As a parent, you are their teacher. And the best way to teach is to show.

Related Posts

  • a boy stressed while eating bread
    Picky Eating (Part 1): How to Tell if Your Picky Eater Needs Help

    Expert Profile: Diane Keddy, MS, RD, FAED is a Nutrition Therapist and a Fellow of…

  • How to Get Your Picky Eater to Eat Sushi

    To help fill in while we are on summer vacation, here's a guest post from…

  • The Moment Every Parent of a Picky Eater Dreams About

    It was snack time and I put out some celery with peanut butter, something Big…

  • Want to Reform Your Picky Eater? Take Advice from Buddha

    I was reading about the latest Picky Eater Project (Can Young Picker Eaters Reform? 10…

Tweet
Pin
Share
Yum
Email
Share

Categories: Feeding Toddlers & Preschoolers Comment

« 5 Ways to Ensure Good Nutrition at Daycare
Ask Maryann: Can Parents Create Food Allergies in Children? »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I’m Maryann…

Hi, I’m a registered dietitian who focuses on developmental stages. Here, you won’t get one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, you’ll get information based on your (and your family’s) age and stage. Make your choice between family and midlife-focused newsletters below and subscribe. Find out more!

Recent Posts

  • Yes, Every Midlife Women Should Take a Multivitamin (And Here’s Why)
  • 10 Signs Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype
  • What do the Latest Vitamin D Studies Really Tell Us?
  • 3 Breathing Exercises That Will Change Your Life with Nick Heath [Podcast]
  • 6 Dietary Supplements Most Teenagers Need

Random Posts

  • 5 Habits of the Healthiest Families [Podcast]5 Habits of the Healthiest Families [Podcast]
  • Weekly Meal Plan: Monday October 31stWeekly Meal Plan: Monday October 31st

Categories

Get the books!

The Alliance of Independent Authors - Author Member

Join the Newsletter

Sign up for Maryann’s E-mail Newsletter and get her ebook The Landmines of a Healthy Relationship with Food for FREE. Subscribe now!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list. You're not done. Check your email to confirm your address. After you do that, you'll receive a link for the free e-book.

.

Copyright © 2023 — Maryann Jacobsen • All rights reserved • Powered by Femme Flora. Designed & Developed by BinaryTurf Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.OK Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT