What do Toddlers Eat? Healthy Eating for Toddlers

There are many books available on baby feeding and weaning yet I have found that there is less information available on toddler diets. As a parent you may find yourself wondering, what do toddlers eat? What should my toddler be eating and what is a healthy diet for my toddler?

Having been a parent to three toddlers I decided that this was a subject that I could write about and share my knowledge, we all know that the toddler stage can be a funny, and sometimes frustrating one, for both parents and children, our little grown ups are torn between being the baby and being a big boy or girl and when it comes to food they can change their minds on a daily basis about the types of food they like and dislike.  Every toddler is different and their choices of food are also going to be different, as is the way they want to eat and what they want to eat.  One of my toddlers went through a stage of wanting to eat in the same manner that our family dog did, without using his hands at all!

Well this is a tricky question because what your toddler likes to eat today might not be the same thing that he or she will like to eat next week.  There are some types of food that all toddlers love and there are foods that we think we will never be able to get our children to eat but the truth is that there are several tips and tricks that you can use to get your toddler to eat healthy food and like them too!

Have you noticed that your toddler will not only change his or her mind often about their favorite foods but will also change their taste in food depending on where they are and who they are with? This is something that occurs often and from experience I can tell you that your child may never let on that they do this.  Picture this very common scene, a parent arrives at an aunts/childminders home and is asked what the toddler will eat.  Parent replys with something like, well he has become quite a fussy eater this last week and at the moment he will only eat cheese on toast.  So the minder prepares cheese on toast for the child only to be told "yuck, i hate cheesy toast"  So we feed him or her whatever the other children in the house are eating, for example sausages.  The parent arrives to collect their child and is told that they would not eat their toast but ate four sausages and the parent is amazed because they have not been able to get their child to look at a sausage ever!  Mom is delighted and the next day at home cooks up sausages for their childs dinner only to be told they are "yucky"

This happens all the time, toddlers especially like to feel that they are in control and independent, they are struggling between feeling grown up and wanting to still be the baby and this shows in their eating habits all the time.  Below are some tips and tricks to help broaden the range of foods your toddler will eat and help to give them a balanced healthy diet without a struggle.

We all want our children to have the best diet possible but feeding a toddler can be a struggle.  We want them to eat a balanced healthy diet and get all the vitamins and nutrients they need to grow.  On average any type of food may need to be presented to a child around ten times before the child will even taste it!  Of course this is not true of every food type, some food types are toddlers favorites but this guide will help you to introduce the foods you want your toddler to start eating to help broaden the types of food they will eat.

Here are ten tips to help to get your toddler to eat the food you want him or her to eat, if you are struggling with a fussy eater, try them out and see what works for you, every child is different and always remember that children can make strange associations with food, so never force your child to eat anything, they will not allow themselves to starve and forcing a child to eat will only further any problems that they may be having. If you are overly concerned about your toddlers eating habits, consult your doctor.

Ten Tips to Get your Toddler to Eat Healthy Food

1. Introduce a wide range of foods to your toddler, at this stage of life it is essential that all different types of food are introduced to their diet, they may not eat it the first or second time it has been put in front of them, in fact they may not ever eat it, but offering a wide variety will make your child much more willing to try different foods later on.
2. Eat together, whenever possible take the time to sit down and eat meals with your children, we are all busy and our lives can be hectic but a child is much more likely to try something new if they see their parent eating it, they may need to see you eating it regularly and more importantly, enjoying that particular food, but they are much more likely to not only try it, but like it too.
3. Make eating fun, all three of my children started out hating broccoli and all three of them now love it!, why? Actually its because I told them that broccoli pieces were tiny trees, my eldest then announced that he was a giant and was going to eat all of his trees and the younger two picked up on this and they now all love to eat broccoli! Simple but effective.
4. Other children can sometimes help with a fussy eater (although bear in mind this can sometimes have the opposite effect) like the broccoli story above, sometimes when your toddler sees other children eating a certain food they will imitate the other children and start eating it too, however you need to be careful as it can also work the other way around and your child could take a dislike to their favorite food just because another child does not like it!
5. Make dinner time a game and reward system, there are many ways to do this, you can present different dinners based on colors, try and get as many of the same color foods on the plate at one meal, or alternatively get as many different colored foods on the plate as possible and make a game of it. Tell them that, for a reward (maybe a dessert or sweet after dinner) they must try at least x amount of different colors. If they do they get their reward. Remember that at this stage all you want is them to try different tasts, whether they like them or not is not that important right now, you are training them to be willing to try different foods.
6. Disguise foods, its a method that will sometimes work and sometimes not but is worth trying. Find a dish that you know your child will eat and add extra ingredients to it, for example if your child will eat spaghetti or lasagne but won't eat carrots, try grating up some carrot into the dish before cooking it.
7. Smaller portions, sometimes we forget that we are feeding toddlers and we make their meals the size that we think they should eat, however a fussy eater will take one look at the dish and refuse it without trying it if it seems like an impossible task to them, try giving smaller portions, they can always have more if they want it and it will seem like less of a task to them if there is less on the dinner plate.
8. Eating fruit, fruit is a great snack for toddlers and as we know they like to show their independence at times so fill a bowl with fruit and tell them that if they are feeling hungry they can help themselves to something from the bowl, without asking. This may seem counter productive and you need to make sure that there is a variety on offer in the bowl so that they do not go and eat three bananas in a row, but they will feel very grown up being given this choice and are much more likely to try something out.
9. Praise, children thrive on praise and with toddler eating habits this should be one of the main ways to promote healthy eating, try not to be negative when they don't finish a meal and always praise them when they attempt a new food.
10. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, never speak about your child's poor eating habits around them, this can be difficult as most parents do not realize they are doing it but telling your friend on the phone that your child is a fussy eater when they can hear (and remember children hear everything!) as this can have a negative effect on them, if they think that you think they are a bad eater they will act accordingly.  Praise the positive and try not to make a big deal out of the negative.  The more you praise them for their good effort the more they will be willing to try and please you!