Tips for feeding picky eaters

Child nutrition is a top priority for moms who want healthy kids. Toddlers that are picky eaters make nutritious eating a big challenge. Picky eaters generally refuse to eat what everyone else is eating. There are some ways to make food fun, and some fun foods that you can try! We know that it isn't always easy to get happy, healthy toddlers, but here are some ideas that you can try!

Make Food Fun!

• Act like you enjoy the food you are eating
• Smile when you feed the food to your toddler
• Make choo-choo or vroom-vroom noises
• Let your child pick out his own utensils for eating-think princesses, trucks, or other favorite theme

Avoid!

• Letting child play with toys at the dinner table/high chair
• Making the toddler sit at the table for longer than thirty minutes. Bored toddlers are not good toddlers.
• Never serve food that is not safe for human consumption. Use safe food handling practices and do not cross contaminate any food prep surface.
• Never serve a toddler food that is too hot or too cold. Toddlers are more sensitive to hot and cold temperatures than we are.
• Do not serve food that could easily be choked on.
• Try to avoid giving your toddler snacks, sweets, and juice before meal times.

Also Try

• Making specific meal times a daily routine
• Letting your toddler help you cook if possible
• Mixing healthy foods into preferred foods

Serve Fun Foods

Frozen peas and carrots-served frozen!

When your child can recognize balls, let him or her eat different kinds of "balls." Ideas: oranges, meatballs, peas, raisins, tomatoes, round shaped cereal, etc.

Cut different foods into fun shapes. Ideas: star, boat, heart, flower, initials. Ideas for foods that you can cut into shapes: toast, sandwiches, fish sticks, pancakes, grilled chicken breasts.

Toddlers love to dip their food into sauces. Try potato wedges and fry sauce, pancake strips and reduced calorie syrup, fish sticks and tartar sauce, chicken fingers and ketchup, graham crackers and milk, veggies and ranch dressing, and string cheese and salsa.