Why toddlers are picky. Being a picky eater is part of what it means to be a toddler. We have since learned that there are developmental reasons why kids between one and three years of age peck and poke at their food.  After a year of rapid growth (the average one-year-old has tripled her birth weight), toddlers gain weight more slowly.  So, of course, they need less food.  The fact that these little ones are always on the go also affects their eating patterns.  They don’t sit still for anything, even food. Snacking their way through the day is more compatible with these busy explorers’ lifestyle than sitting down to a full-fledged feast.

Learning this may help you  relax. Your job as a parent  is to buy the right food, prepare it nutritiously (steamed rather than boiled, baked rather than fried), and serve it in a child friendly and playful manner.  Think creatively.  The rest up to the kids.  How much they eat, when they eat, and if they eat is mostly their responsibility.

Toddlers like to binge on one food at a time. They may eat only fruits one day, and vegetables the next. Since erratic eating habits are as normal as toddler mood swings, expect your child to eat well one day and eat practically nothing the next. Toddlers from one to three years need between 1,000 and 1,300 calories a day, yet they may not eat this amount every day. Aim for a nutritionally-balanced week, not a balanced day.  All this is not to say that parents shouldn’t encourage their toddlers to eat well and develop healthy food habits.   Here are tips to consider to aid in the mealtime food battles many families experience.

1. Provide and offer a nibble plate. Toddlers like to graze their way through many types of foods, so why not offer them a personalized smorgasbord?   Use an ice-cube tray, a muffin tin, or any compartmentalized dish of the child’s liking, and put bite-size portions of colorful and nutritious foods in each section. To make it more fun and creative, call these finger foods playful names that a two-year-old can appreciate, such as:

• apple moons (thinly sliced)
• banana wheels
• broccoli trees (steamed broccoli florets)
• carrot swords (cooked and thinly sliced)
• cheese building blocks
• egg canoes (hard- boiled egg wedges)
• little O’s (o-shaped cereal)

Place the food on an easy-to-reach table. As your toddler makes her rounds through the house, she can stop, sit down, nibble a bit, and, when she’s done, continue on her way. These foods have a table-life of an hour or two.

2. Dip it. Young children think that immersing foods in a tasty dip is pure fun (and delightfully messy). Some possibilities to dip into:

• cottage cheese or tofu dip
• cream cheese
• fruit juice-sweetened preserves
• guacamole
• peanut butter, thinly spread
• pureed fruits or vegetables
• yogurt, plain or sweetened with juice concentrate Those dips serve equally well as spreads on apple or pear slices, bell-pepper strips, rice cakes, bagels, toast, or other nutritious platforms.

3. Drink it. If your youngster would rather drink than eat, don’t despair. Make a smoothie – mix together in a blender – Milk and fruit – along with supplements such as juice, egg powder, wheat germ, yogurt, honey, and peanut butter.  All of these things can be a very healthy meal.  One note of caution: Avoid any drinks with raw eggs or you’ll risk salmonella poisoning.

4. Top it. Toddlers love toppings. Putting nutritious, familiar favorites on top of new and less-desirable foods is a way to expand the finicky toddler’s menu.  Favorite toppings are yogurt, cream cheese, melted cheese, tomato sauce, applesauce, peanut butter and for a special sweet treat drizzles of chocolate on top of fruit if a toddler favorite.

5. Spread it. Toddlers like spreading and smearing things.  Show them how to use a table knife to spread cheese, peanut butter, and fruit concentrate onto crackers, toast, or rice cakes.

6. Cut it up. How much a child will eat often depends on how you cut it. Cut sandwiches, pancakes, waffles, and pizza into various shapes using cookie cutters.  Cut fruits and veggies into bite site blocks or stick shaped swords.  Remember to make it playful.

7.  Share it. If your child is going through a picky-eater stage, invite over a friend who is the same age or slightly older whom you know “likes to eat.” Your child will catch on. Group feeding lets the other kids set the example.  Peer pressure even as a toddler can encourage a tot to try something new.

8. Keep it little.  Keep food servings small.   Here’s a rule of thumb –  A young child’s stomach is approximately the size of his fist. So dole out small portions at first and refill the plate if your child asks for more.   Children often become overwhelmed with the mere sight of an over-sized plate.

9. Use “the bite rule”.  To encourage the picky eater: “Take one bite, two bites…” (how ever far you think you can push it without force-feeding). The bite rule at least gets your child to taste a new food, while giving her some control over the meal.

11. Make it available to your child.   Give your toddler space in the kitchen and refrigerator. Reserve a low shelf in the refrigerator and a basket or drawer in the kitchen for a variety of your toddler’s favorite (nutritious) foods.  Whenever she wants a snack, open the door for her and let her choose one.  This tactic also enables children to eat when they are hungry, which is known to be an important step in acquiring a healthy attitude about food.

12. Let them cook. Children are more likely to eat their own creations.  When you are able, let your child help prepare the food. Use cookie cutters to create edible designs out of foods like cheese, bread, or thin meat slices.. Give your child a chef’s hat for an element of fun.  Give them jobs like tearing and washing lettuce, scrubbing potatoes, or stirring batter. Put pancake batter in a squeeze bottle and let your child supervise as you squeeze the batter onto the hot griddle in fun pictures using shapes, numbers, letters.  For bonus fun, spell your child’s name.

Relax and make meal time as much fun as you can.  When there is less stress in the home, there is more likely to be success with eating. In time, your child will develop her own opinions about what she likes and dislikes.  Respect her for who she is and encourage continued growth by always encouraging new things.