Have you got what it takes to feed a toddler?

Posted on 17 June, 2015

While your child is under the age of four, you will most likely stress and worry about at least two things: sleeping and eating.

I’ve met many tired and frustrated parents over the years, clueless as to how they get green, nutritious and varied foods into their child’s stomach. It’s not surprising. We don’t get a manual when our child is born which outlines the feeding process throughout their childhood. And even if they’re was a manual, your child is unique, has their own free will and is not likely to be ‘textbook’ in every single part of their growth and development.

Despite this, there is some advice that will really help you understand your toddler, why they might not be eating and what you can do to make the home environment more favourable to healthy eating habits.

Implementing these strategies and creating these environments is not always easy. Here are the key values required to have what it takes to feed your toddler healthy food:

Persistence

It takes multiple tastes for a child to accept and like a new food. The CSIRO recommends at least 10 tastes before a child will accept a new food into their repertoire. I reckon it takes even more for some foods and some kids. Just keep putting it in front of them. Feeding your child(ren) well is not a short-term intensive parenting moment (like toilet training) – it’s an ongoing part of parenting as your child grows and matures.

You’ll be feeding your kids for the next 18 years or so, so keep a long-term perspective and understand that nutritious, nourishing foods needs to be a regular part of your child’s day. You can’t expect your child to eat vegetables if they only see vegetables two to three times per week. They need to regularly feature in your child’s diet and be a ‘normal’ part of your child’s day.

Consistency

I regularly run workshops on feeding fussy 1-4 year olds and I encourage parents to set meal time rules in their households. You must enforce these rules consistently. If you don’t, the rules will hold no power. You will end up powerless and your toddler powerful.

It’s not about them being naughty or manipulative, it’s just that developmentally they are self-focussed and craving independence. They will know if a rule is ‘real’ or if they need to push back a bit to knock it over. Your rules need to stand strong against the push back.

If one week you’re not offering your child an alternative meal if they don’t like what you put in front of them and then the next week you’ve given up and letting them choose their own food, you’ll frustrate yourself and confuse your child.

Kids like to be able to predict the future, it helps them feel in control of their situation. If they know the rules and the rules are always enforced, they will make good progress with their food and eating habits. It doesn’t happen overnight or even in a week or two. It takes months of consistency in your approach to food, your language around food and the way you approach meal times in your family.

Organisation

Meal planning and preparation is very important. Have some forethought about what your household’s food rules are going to be, what foods you’re going to introduce for each week and how you’re going to introduce it. it really helps to write all these things down.

I can’t stress enough how important a weekly meal plan is to help you have the time and energy to prepare and cook healthy food each day. It helps so much when you come home from a long day of work and know exactly what you’re cooking with the ingredients in your kitchen all ready to go.

The Healthy Eating Hub has a whole page of free downloadable resources to help you meal plan and stay on track. Make sure you check them out.

The key to good organisation with the family’s food is to not make it too complicated. Keep it super simple with meals that you know how to cook and don’t take too much time. If you need some inspiration here is a weeks worth of meals that take 15 minutes or less.

Knowledgeable

Get some good advice!

You need to be equipped with the knowledge and information to formulate your plan of attack and write your weekly meal plans. You need to understand your toddler’s appetite and what drives them to eat or not. You need to get a good grasp on their nutrition needs with lots of good ideas for what to actually feed them. You need practical advice about how the environment and routine plays a role in their willingness to try new foods. I can help you with all this!

Next Saturday, I’ll be running a comprehensive 2-hour workshop on feeding fussy toddlers (1-4 year olds) that covers practical, real life advice for feeding this age group. No gimmicks, products or left-wing advice, just a real mum sharing with other parents how to take the stress out of family meal times and raise healthy eaters. Register here but hurry because we’ve already sold half the tickets available! All the details below..

The essentials

What: Feeding Fussy Toddlers Workshop
Where: The Healthy Eating Hub,
When: 10am Saturday 27 June
How much: $50 per person or $120 per couple
Web: www.healthyeatinghub.com.au/event-registration