Picky Eaters - How to Get Your Toddler to Eat Healthy

Toddlers don't always cooperate when its time to eat. Some of them, like my 2 year old son, tend to pick at their food and continually ask for something else. It can be a challenge to get them to eat healthy, while also pleasing their palate, but it can be done. It just involves a little bit of creativity. When my son started spitting out his food and refusing to eat I knew I had to do something so he would get the nutrition he needed.

Our tastes buds change over the course of our lives so what tastes good to us as adults didn't necessarily taste good as a baby or toddler. For some toddlers vegetables have a bitter taste. This seemed to be what was going on with Jacob. He would scoff at vegetables and it seemed like it was turning into a war to get him to eat healthy. So I got some advice from other mothers and read about some solutions.

1). Give your toddler a Whole food Multi-Vitamin that tastes good- Just to be sure that my little guy was getting everything he needed I started giving him a whole food multi-vitamin on a daily basis. I chose one that had a great taste and was made specifically for children. I prefer Floradix liquid multi for children. Check it out here: http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/USA/Products/R64780.htm

2). Feed your toddler when he/she is hungry. Another reason why toddlers aren't always in the mood to eat is because they are not hungry. They actually listen to the signals their bodies give much better that we do as adults. As we grow older we learn to clean our plates and shovel food in fast, which can cause us to by pass our true hunger signals. Be sure to feed your little one when they are hungry. If they don't want to eat at a particular time wait until they are hungry, and then offer them food again. You may have to try this 2-3 times until they actually eat. Be patient and don't be forceful. They may or may not clean their plate depending on how hungry they are.

3). Avoid giving Toddlers Sweets or Candy except for special occasions. When you give your toddler something sweet then that is all they will want to eat. They will continually ask for it and beg for it. Rather than giving sweets give your toddler healthy snacks like strawberries, orange slices, nectarines, and other fruits. Toddlers typically love fruits, and they put them in the same category as candy. They almost can't tell the difference just because fruit is sweet, and the good thing is that they get nutrition from fruit, yet they get no nutrition from candy. My little guy eats a lot of fruit during the summer months. He loves watermelon, strawberries, and oranges. Get your toddler used to drinking purified water from a sippy cup rather than juice.

4). Hide Vegetables in other foods. A food processor can be your best friend when you have a toddler in the house. A friend of mine once told me that she takes carrots, peas, and other veggies, mixes them up in the food processor and packs them into the meat loaf. Most toddlers love meat so this is a great way to sneak some vegetables in. You can also give you toddler carrot sticks with a healthy ranch dressing. Your toddler will usually want to keep dipping, but that's okay they need the healthy fats too. Choose an organic ranch dressing without MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate) in the ingredient list.

5). Be a role model for your child. You can't expect your child to eat healthy if you're drinking sodas and eating cakes on a daily basis. Adopt healthy lifestyle and eat vegetables yourself and your toddler will follow suit. It will get easier and more routine as they get older. It is also very beneficial to sit down and have a family meal together on a daily basis.

Great sites and other resources:

Toddler Dish is a great site that I have referred to often

http://www.toddlerdish.com/toddler_eat_well.html

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/behavior/224.html

http://www.child.gov.ab.ca/acyi/parenting/health/Nutrition/page.cfm?pg=Healthy%20Eating%20for%20Your%20Toddler