Tips For Encouraging a Picky Toddler to Eat

Tips For Encouraging a Picky Toddler to Eat

By: Colleen Riordan, M.A., CCC-SLP

Licensed Pediatric Speech/Language Pathologist

Between the ages of 2 and 3, your child will likely go through a phase of “picky eating”.  This may range from a mild resistance to trying new foods , all the way to full-out screaming tantrums at the dinner table. While frustrating, it is important to continue to encourage your toddler to eat what the family is eating, and not give in to the temptation of offering only preferred foods.

It may help to know that  we are one of the few cultures in the world where children are routinely offered  highly processed and aggressively-marketed “kid foods”, such as chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese,  pop tarts and tiny cheese crackers. Getting stuck in this pattern can easily turn parents into short-order cooks, preparing one meal for the children and another for the adults. It can also reinforce  food  refusals; if a child knows he will eventually get the hot dog,  there is no real motivation to try anything new and behaviors can increase.

Here are some tips for encouraging a picky toddler to eat:

• Present new foods in very small amounts to avoid overwhelming your child.
• Cut food into fun new shapes.
• Offer foods with dips your child already enjoys, such as ketchup or ranch.
• Continue to offer foods that were refused in the past; it takes multiple tastes for most people to determine if they like a new flavor.
• Present foods on divided plates or plates with fun pictures/characters under the food.
• Avoid mealtime battles by giving your child choices, both of which would be acceptable.
• Expose your child to new foods in more exciting ways:  let her help with grocery shopping, look at pictures in cookbooks, plan a meal together, visit farmers markets, plant a garden!
• Avoid “grazing” ; if your child is eating or drinking throughout the day, he is less likely to be hungry at mealtime. Adhere to a 3 meal/ 2 snack schedule.
• Eat meals together whenever possible, with your toddler remaining seated for the meal.

Check out these other helpful articles on picky-eating toddlers:

• The Mayo Clinic – Children’s Nutrition: 10 Tipsfor Picky Eaters
• Baby Center – How to Handle a Picky Eater
• NY Times – Picky Eaters?  They Get it From You

We would love to hear your feedback.  What do you do to encourage your picky eaters to try new foods?  Leave your ideas in the comment section below.