I don’t know about you, but my toddler has become a picky eater these days and it drives me CRAZY! She doesn’t like veggies, won’t eat meat, and wants to snack all day long. What is a desperate momma to do? I will tell ya! Head to the internet and grab some ideas on how to stop your picky eater from turning his/her nose up at everything they are offered, that’s what! Sometimes just compiling it all in one place is the easiest and most efficient way to make a helpful resource. I have some tried and true techniques that can help the pickiest of toddlers guzzle their veggies and devour their dinner. Finding what works best for your child is key here. One technique may not work but another does. Keep at it, don’t give up, and good luck!
- Try mixing the food textures together. You heard me, mix the applesauce with the peas or the mashed potatoes with the corn, etc. Sometimes kids will not eat a certain food not because of taste, but becasue of texture. So, change up the texture!
2. Make any fruit or veggie into a smoothie. Now I will say that this can become a bad habit and has in our house because now my daughter LOVES only smoothies, but I figure it is a stage and she will eventually grow out of it…I just need her to eat her fruits and veggies. Here is what I do. In a blender I combine several different fruits such as strawberries, blueberries and banana (the top 3 FAVS in our house). then I juice 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk and pour the juice into the smoothie. Add 1/2 cup of greek yogurt and 1/2 a cup of vanilla almond milk along with a splash of orange juice. You can also add spinach (overly blend your smoothie when you add spinach) and/or chia seeds. Blend and Viola! This is usually more than my toddler can drink in one sitting so I share it with my other two daughters. If you have leftovers and don’t want it yourself or have other children to help, I recommend freezing the smoothie in ice cube trays. Once the smoothie is frozen, you can take it out and make slushies out of it and that is super yummy as well.
3. Make the food look interesting and be interesting. For example, you can make a pancake into a pig, scoop watermelon balls or melon balls out for the child to eat with toothpicks, put smiley faces with condiments on sandwiches, etc. If it looks fun and interesting, they are more likely to give it a try.
4. Cook and make meals WITH your toddler. Have them help you prepare the meal they are about to eat. This works almost every time in our house.
5. And lastly, when in doubt, toddlers LOVE to eat with their hands. Give them a plate of carrot sticks, something to dip them into, blueberries, and some cubed cheese and let them go to town. They LOVE to eat on the fly and love to eat without using utensils. Stand down from trying to teach table manners for a minute and allow them to explore with their food and the different textures it provides.
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