End Picky Eating
One thing that surprised me when I had my own child was how concerned I was with his diet. I certainly don’t consider myself an extremely healthy eater (let’s just say chocolate could actually be considered a food group for me…), so why did I feel a sense of panic when my child didn’t eat enough, or wouldn’t eat the salmon or vegetables I was serving him (when I won’t even eat salmon myself)?
As parents, we feel a huge sense of responsibility for the child that we are raising. And we often see our children’s behavior as a direct reflection of ourselves as parents: if we are good parents, our child will… (always listen, use their manners, eat the healthy food we serve them). Right? Wrong. First, we need to remind ourselves that our children are their own people, with their own personalities, moods, motivations, and tastes!
That said, starting our children off with healthy eating habits is also so important. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, teaching children a healthy lifestyle from a young age increases the likelihood that they will continue these habits throughout the rest of their lives. And, of course, healthy eating is essential for physical and cognitive growth.
While we may need to adjust our expectations of our children eating a perfect diet, and accept that there are going to be foods they won’t like or days they won’t eat healthily, there are certainly strategies that can encourage little ones to eat what we serve them, even when what we serve them is healthy and, gasp, green! While there are many more strategies that encourage healthy and adventurous eating habits in kids (that I will likely discuss at a later date!), I’m going to focus on some top tips for toddlers:
1. Eliminate the snacking. Now I don’t mean that you need to eliminate ALL snacking. Kids have little stomachs, and need more frequent opportunities to eat than adults do. But letting a kid have access to snacks whenever they want will leave them full and eliminate any motivation to try something new or healthy that you serve by the time meal time comes around. Parents should schedule meals and snacks, ideally serving three meals with two healthy snacks in between. I’ve tried this myself and have found additional bonuses to be having less food messes to clean up, and not having to worry about packing or running out of snacks when out and about! There will likely be some resistance at first, but kids are adaptable and will quickly understand that the “kitchen’s closed” in between scheduled times.
2. Serve the thing you want them to eat the most, or that they are least likely to eat, first. This ties into the first point about incorporating a little motivation into trying something new. A child is more likely to try something new, and like it, when they are a little hungry. One switch that my family has made is to serve salad or vegetables first, before the main course and instead of putting the entire meal on the table at once. While this eating in “courses” felt strange at first, it has definitely encouraged our toddler to at least try the food his parents are eating, rather than sit and wait without eating while his parents finish their salad or veggies. I have to admit that this trick has worked on my eating habits as well.
3. Give choices. Toddlers have a lot of decisions made for them, and hear “no” a lot. One way to give them a little control over their lives, and encourage them to try new foods at the same time, is by giving them choices. When choosing a vegetable to serve for dinner or snack, show two vegetables (or bags of frozen vegetables, if you’re me) to your toddler and ask which they'd like. Occasionally my toddler will still say "no” as his answer, but this limited choice giving has eliminated conflict and encouraged eating with my own toddler and other kids I’ve worked with more often than not.
4. Model your own healthy eating. Yes, your toddler has probably figured out that you’re (I’m) eating chips behind the pantry door (sigh…). One of the best ways to encourage your toddler to eat a healthy variety of foods is to show them you are doing that yourself! Toddlers are programmed to want to do what their caretakers are doing, so there’s no better way to get them to eat some broccoli than by sitting down at the table and eating a bowl yourself.