At 18 to 2 years, most children enjoy happily devouring whatever food you offer them by breast, bottle or spoon – whether breastmilk is best, bottle feeding works too or spoon. But suddenly your toddler refuses food? And suddenly your worry sets in: “Why won’t my child eat?”. As both a certified Integrative Nutrition Coach and founder of Yummy Spoonfuls I understand first-hand the challenges associated with picky eating habits in children.
As our bodies are composed largely of what we consume, my two-pronged approach for solving this particular toddler issue will provide your little one with all of the nutrition required for optimal development and health.
Why Your Toddler Has Become Picky
Are You Wondering Why Your Toddler Has Become Picky Having an increasingly picky toddler may not be uncommon. Reasons may range from simple to complex – an oversensitivity or allergy could play a part, while possibly increasing dietary needs as part of an escalation in its development could also contribute.
Your child is becoming increasingly independent. Now that they’ve started walking and speaking, your little one has developed the awareness necessary to act upon this sense of independence – they know whether they like certain foods or don’t – by refusing to open their mouth, running away, crying in protest, throwing tantrums or any combination thereof.
Toddlers are becoming more intuitive. Toddlers will soon start to recognize a pattern with eating: most “good” foods tend to be sweet while most unsweet foods, like vegetables, are green in hue. Most baby food products incorporate veggies along with sweet food sources like apples, bananas or pears for optimal growth and development. Baby food may neotenize babies to sweet products. As soon as an attempt to introduce non-sweet green veggies fails, those toddlers often reject them outright due to being unfamiliar. Parents also tend to impose their food prejudices onto children. Parents who do not enjoy eating okra or brown rice themselves tend not to introduce these dishes to their children either, which should serve as an important reminder that eating is learned behavior that needs to be reinforced during every meal.
Your child is discovering what they like and don’t like in terms of foods and textures, such as crunchy, slimy, soft or grainy items that might cause unpleasant tactile sensations during eating. Your pickiness should remain consistent regardless of flavor; for instance if they dislike crunchy food they could turn down sweet apples as quickly as fresh celery; managing pickiness becomes key here.
Here are a few helpful guidelines when expanding your child’s palette: 1. Don’t give up too soon when trying new foods!
Many parents may not realize the lengthy but normal course of food acceptance in children, according to a 2004 Journal of American Diet Association study. A quarter of mothers offering foods once or twice to toddlers before making judgments as to if the child liked them was typical; roughly half made similar evaluations after offering new foods three or five times.
Touching, sniffing and playing with food are all normal exploratory behaviors before acceptance–though some children take longer than others to develop a taste or affinity for new items. Keep trying – sooner or later your child will come around! Just stay consistent in your approach as now is an integral time in their development as their eating habits lay the groundwork for future wellness and development.
- Bring home food that your child should eat.
Your child can only become as picky as the options they’re exposed to when it comes to food choices. To encourage healthier diet choices for them and you, stock the fridge, pantry and freezer with nutrition-packed options which don’t sacrifice taste for ease.
- Expose children to all varieties of foods.
Introduce your child to different flavors and textures of food regardless of what your own personal preferences may be – they might end up loving some things you disdain!
- Don’t overload visitors with too many food choices.
As parents of multiple children can sometimes resort to short-order cooking to meet each child’s individual tastes, this practice can become tiresome, unsustainable and only serves to reinforce what was initially meant as correcting behaviour – pickiness in children often has no reason to end as long as other options remain readily available; with exceptions made for allergies or sensory sensitivities they should learn to try everything that comes their way!
- Avoid filling any missed meals with junk.
Parents living with toddlers understand the necessity of selecting their battles wisely, yet healthy nutrition practices should always be treated as one worth fighting. When your toddler refuses a meal because they don’t like what’s offered, avoid giving junk food just for filling their bellies; ultimately these empty calories could turn into lifelong unhealthy choices that damage health over time. Your toddler relies on you for selecting an age-appropriate and developmentally suitable diet which promotes their good health and happiness.
- Approach every meal and snack time as an opportunity for you to provide your child with nutritious food.
Consider snack time not as “treat” time but more as an opportunity for your child to learn new foods – avoid crackers and other convenience foods and opt for healthier snacks such as carrots or bell peppers instead!
- Make every eating experience pleasurable.
Studies have proven that children who participate in meal preparation are more likely to consume what they help create, so allow your child to get involved! Make cooking each meal together a family activity, with your child helping prepare it in its most delicious form and visually-appealing form – taking into consideration any preferences they might have such as firmer string beans for instance!
- Don’t force a “clean plate.”
Though you might feel concerned that your child is receiving all the nutrients they require for proper growth and development, do not force them to eat every bite served to them. Children do not mean to cause you frustration; rather they’re simply learning as everything new to them is presented before them.
Consider that for many kids, food acceptance takes time – this stage in their development should not be forced upon them! Doing so could cause them to lose the natural ability to sense when they have eaten enough and lead to overeating; building healthy eating habits means respecting when your child has had enough; any leftovers can always serve as mini meals during snack time!