One Year and Beyond - Getting Your Toddler To Eat

Well hello!  I just want to apologize for missing the deadline for this post last week -- sometimes life gets in the way and when that happens, this little corner of the internet gets a bit neglected. Nothing major going on here (don't worry, no baby yet!), just a lot of work to be done in the office and around the house, a fun dinner party for blogger mamas to host, a toddler that forgot how to sleep for 4 nights and a trip to the Farm (where internet ceases to exist for me).  So, we've been busy!

Anyway, I didn't want to skip out completely on this week's post in the "One Year and Beyond" toddler series because this is a subject I love talking about - How to Get Your Toddler to Eat. Isn't this a hot topic on the minds of all mamas? Again, if I knew the answer to this one I'd be a billionaire (that's foreshadowing...I don't have the answers).  But as usual, that's not going to prevent me from jabbering on and on about the topic.  Luckily, Mac has always been a pretty good eater and had a big appetite.  Of course that doesn't mean he cleans his plate every night or always eats what we want him to, but for the most part, I'm pretty happy with his eating habits.  He's usually willing to give things a "try" and that's important to me.  If he doesn't like something, he spits it out and has something else.  We'll try it again another day.  So I'm here today to go through some of the things that we've tried with Mac that work for us.  All kids are different, but I hope you might be able to use a few of these tips as you go down this path with your picky little eater.  

It Will Balance Out

As he gets a bit older and more independent, he's definitely gotten pickier about what he will eat and how much.  Some days he's a great eater and eats all his food and asks for seconds.  Some days he barely eats anything.  I constantly have to remind myself that he will not let himself starve and will eat when he's hungry.  And without fail, after a meal (or two or three) where he doesn't eat much, he'll have a meal (or two or three) where he can't get enough.  It's give and take.  Some days he'll have a huge breakfast and then barely pick at his lunch.  If he has a big dinner, then breakfast the next day may not be as big as normal.  This is a bit tricky for us working moms that aren't around for every meal, because it's hard to know how much he's eating and when.  Our nanny is great at giving me updates on how his meals go and her predictions for how he'll do at the next meal, based on what he ate that day.  Eventually it all balances out. 

Let Him Do It

As you've read this blog over and over, we completely skipped the purees/cereal/baby food and started Mac with solids at 6 months (Baby Led Weaning).  So right from the start, he fed himself. He chose what to eat and how much to eat.  I think this approach not only helped significantly with his hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills, but made him a more adventurous eater, as he was likely to try everything on his tray.  Now that Mac's a toddler (a very independent toddler that insists on doing things "BY SELF"), it's important that we still let him feed himself and choose what he eats.  We do this by not force feeding him or putting food in his mouth.  He's much less willing to try something if I'm pushing it on him and trying to get him to take a bite.  If I just put it on his try and let him choose to try it, it goes over so much better.  Toddlers have very little control over anything they do, so this is one area where we can let him make the choices.  Also, letting him use utensils is a big deal.  He loves to use his spoon and feed himself yogurt, applesauce, pudding, cereal, oatmeal, etc.  Again, I think it gives him some control, which he loves.

Dip It!

We've noticed that over the last couple months, if Mac can "dip" his food into something, he's more likely to eat it.  If a food can be dipped, it is automatically so much more fun to eat.  We started with a basic ketchup...what is it about ketchup that toddlers love so much?  Now we've been adding other things to dip: veggies in ranch or hummus, pancakes in syrup, chicken in BBQ sauce or honey mustard, chips in salsa or guacamole, pita in hummus, fruit in applesauce or yogurt, meatballs in marinara.  You get the idea.  (More dipping ideas)  

Fewer Snacks During the Day

This is a tough one.  Some parents swear that if they didn't give their kids little snacks all day long here and there, they'd never eat.  And that may be true for some kids.  But I feel like with Mac, the fewer snacks he gets during the day, the more likely he is to eat his food during mealtimes.  Of course, he asks for snacks all day long and usually gets something small when we're not close to a mealtime (I'm a pushover and don't want my child to starve or have a meltdown).  I've learned that he usually asks for more snacks in certain situations: (1) when we're inside (closer to the kitchen where the snacks are); (2) when he sees the diaper bag (which usually contains snacks); (3) when other kids are snacking.  Otherwise, if he's outside playing (or digging for worms), there are way fewer snack requests, which gives him more opportunity to build up an appetite, which means he eats a bigger meal.  I thought it was interesting that in Bringing Up Bebe the author emphasized that French kids do not do the all-day snacking thing that American kids do.  They have one 4 o'clock snack a day and otherwise, they eat at mealtimes only.  I wish I was better about this because I really do think it could make a big difference in how much Mac eats at mealtimes.

Lots of Variety

When I make meals for Mac, unless I'm making something that I absolutely know he'll devour (pancakes and pasta), I always try to give him a large variety of foods on his tray.  That way he can try a couple options and choose what he wants to eat.  Again, it's all about letting him make the choices.  I'm a much happier mom if he eats three out of the six items I give him, as opposed to one of the three.  Don't worry, I'm not saying you have to give your toddler a six course meal or anything, but there are things in your fridge right now that could serve as an option (yogurt, couple different types of fruits or veggies, cheese, crackers, rice, and any leftovers).  Toddlers love options.

Distract

These next two tips probably go against all the "good eating" mommy rules out there, but sometimes they are necessary.  We've noticed that Mac will eat so much more and better when he's slightly distracted from his meal.  We sit down and eat together as a family, but we also turn on the TV and let him watch an episode of Daniel Tiger while he eats.  Maybe because he's SO busy and just never ever stops moving, but he can't seem to settle down for meals without something to keep his attention.  And there's something mesmerizing about that stupid show to toddlers - he watches, sings/talks along, laughs, knows all the characters, etc.  It's the only show he watches with any attention and it seems to calm him down long enough to allow him to sit through a meal.  Otherwise, he takes a few bites, throws his milk on the floor and declares himself "ALL DONE!" so he can get back down and back to playing.  Letting him watch a little bit of TV during dinnertime is the only way we buy ourselves enough time to eat our meals too, so it's a trade-off. I'm not saying that it's ideal (I've read studies that say this can lead to overeating because they're distracted and not paying attention to your body's cues that they're full and other studies that say this can cause children to under-eat because they're distracted and not listening to their body's cues that they're still hungry), but for now it works for us.  Believe me, I'd gladly turn Daniel off (FOREVER) if we could get through a meal without him.  Hasn't happened yet.

Disguise the Veggies

If your child absolutely refuses to eat any and all vegetables, there are other ways to make sure they get the nutrients.  I think two of the best ways are smoothies and cooking with purees.  I'm actually a fan of both, but rarely have time to do either.  On weekends, Mac and I will occasionally make a smoothie.  I pull out all the fruits and veggies and let him pick what to put in the smoothie and add it to the blender himself.  Again, he makes the choice and feels like he has some power in the situation.  There are millions of smoothie recipes out there that contain everything from kale to carrots that all taste great and are toddler-approved.  The other way to get more veggies in meals is by using vegetable purees.  This concept became really popular a few years ago when Jessica Seinfeld published her cookbook for kids and used veggie purees in everything from pasta sauce to chicken nuggets.  It's called "Deceptively Delicious" and actually that's exactly what it is...a deceptive trick to get veggies into your kid.  It works (and the food is actually really good), but by hiding the veggies, your child doesn't know/realize that they're eating veggies, which means that they're probably going to be less willing to try them in the future.  I love the idea, but I also realize it could cause additional pickiness problems.  So it's not ideal (what is?), but in certain situations with a very picky eater, I think it might help give mom more peace of mind that her child's getting proper nutrients.  And sometimes that's enough. 

So that's my two cents.  Again, I'm WAY late to the party on this post, but feel free to check out what these other mamas had to say on the topic and/or link up your post on toddler eating below.  There are only two more weeks of this series, so I'd love it if you'd consider joining us!  Topics are listed below.

Like A Morning Cup of Coffee               The Not Quite Military Wife

From Here To Eternity               Words About Waverly

Pardon My French             Beautiful Family Affairs

My Delicious Adventure                  The Life Of Faith

Running From The Law             The Olive Tree 

         

May 8:          Taming the temper tantrums

May 15:        Weaning from breastfeeding or from formula to cow’s milk 

May 22:        Dealing with "Mommy Guilt"

May 29:        When people share their opinions and how to lovingly handle it

June 5:         Traveling with your toddler

June 12:       How to get your toddler to eat their veggies…or their food at all

June 19:       How to make time to blog in the busyness of motherhood

June 26:       Bedtime battles (nap or bedtime)

An InLinkz Link-up

Is your toddler a good eater? 
What's the best advice you have about toddler eating