Are you tearing your hair out, wondering “How Can I Get My Picky Eater To Eat More?” Firstly be aware that you’re not alone. Fussy eating or picky eating is very common in toddler aged children. Toddler eating habits can vary from day to day, but when you get a fussy phase, it can be a very stressful time for parents. There are many things that parents can do to make toddler eating problems less challenging. But first of all it’s important to put the problem into context.
Check your toddler’s weight
Make sure you get your toddler weighed every few months so you know how well they are growing. Try and have a look at what they eat over a whole week, rather than just one day. Most parents find that by looking over a whole week, they can see that the problem isn’t as bad as they initially thought.
Have a routine around feeding your toddler
Additionally, make sure that you’re sticking to a regular feeding routine with your toddler. So that they are able to get accustomed to a pattern of when to expect foods. Additionally try and offer healthy snacks between mealtimes so that they are topping up on energy and essential nutrients throughout the day. Even though healthy snacks are important, it’s essential to realise that allowing your little one to graze throughout the day, or allowing them to fill up on less healthy options between meals, is likely to only make toddler fussy eating problems worse.
Generally children are very good at knowing their own appetite and are unlikely to starve themselves. So as long as you’re offering regular, healthy foods it’s good to let your little ones decide how much they want to eat.
Of course sometimes it’s not quite that easy so if you are struggling with getting your little one to eat the foods you’re offering. For more information on dealing with toddler eating problems why not take a look at some of the Factsheets we have here. Or alternatively have a look at the blog section of this website. Here you will find plenty of blog posts about toddler eating habits, nutritious meals for toddlers and fussy eating support.