You can even let them help you cook! Actions that use motor skills, such as stirring, pouring, or shaking are all fair game for toddlers (when supervised).Īt mealtimes, stoke the independence fire by offering choice: Giving them appropriate levels of self-determination creates the sense of influence toddlers crave, which may lead to better eating.īring your child into the kitchen with you as you prepare meals and snacks, encouraging them to smell, touch, and observe different foods. Encourage independenceĬonstant cries of “I do it!” can be frustrating, but your child’s desire for independence is actually a useful tool when it comes to food. (Though that moment can sure be aggravating when it involves wasted milk and couscous ground into your carpet.)Īssuming there’s not a health problem causing your toddler’s picky eating, it’s time to get creative! Here are some tactics that may help make mealtime with your little one more successful.
You may notice, for example, that your kid subsists on goldfish crackers all week, then suddenly wolfs down a chicken dinner on Saturday night.Ĭonsidering broader patterns can help you see adequate intake over time, rather than in the moment. Pediatricians have long advised toddler parents to “look at the week, not the day” when it comes to food. The good news is, kids this age are often quite good at taking notice when hunger really gets their attention. With so much to see and do now that they can walk, they simply may not have the patience to sit down to a traditional meal. Your toddler’s growing interest in the world around them can also contribute to their dwindling appetite. This may naturally decrease their hunger, making them more likely to eat smaller portions. Plus, after extremely rapid growth in the first year of life, children begin to gain weight more slowly. The prevailing theory is that neophobia is a protective measure to benefit a child who ‘wandered out of the cave,’ so to speak.” This phase coincides with the ability to walk. “The official term for this is ‘food neophobia’: the fear of new foods.
“Selective (or ‘picky’) eating often shows up between 12 and 18 months,” says Yaffi Lvova, RDN, who focuses on prenatal, infant, and toddler nutrition. It’s far more likely that your child is going through a normal developmental phase. If your toddler turns up their nose at absolutely everything you put in front of them, it’s probably not a reflection of your parenting skills or a medical problem. Just like the ups and downs of potty training and the occasional nap time meltdown, picky eating comes with the territory of toddler parenting.
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