They can now choose what and how much to eat, giving them some control over their lives. So some days they may eat a lot of everything and other days they may not seem to eat much at all.
Until your child’s food preferences mature, consider these tips for preventing mealtime battles:
* Respect your child’s appetite. If your child isn’t hungry, don’t force a meal or snack. Likewise, don’t bribe or force your child to eat certain foods or clean his or her plate. This might only start a power struggle over food. In addition, your child might come to associate mealtime with anxiety and frustration or become less sensitive to his or her own hunger and fullness cues.
* Serve small portions to avoid overwhelming your child and give them the opportunity to independently ask for more.
* Stick to the routine. Serve meals and snacks roundabout the same time every day. You can provide milk or juice with the food, but offer water between meals and snacks. Allowing your child to fill up on juice, milk or snacks throughout the day might decrease their appetite for meals.
* Be patient with new foods. Young children often touch or smell new foods and might even put tiny bits in their mouths only to take it back out again. Your child might need repeated exposure to a new food before they take the first bite. Serve new foods along with your child’s favourite foods.
* Make it fun. Serve broccoli and other veggies with a favourite dip or sauce. Cut foods into various shapes with cookie cutters. Offer breakfast foods for dinner. Serve a variety of brightly coloured foods.
As long as growth and weight gain are normal and your child is achieving their milestones, there’s usually no reason to worry about a fussy child who prefers a limited diet.
Handling a picky eater is easy as pie
Picky eating often happens when children start to feed themselves, usually around one year.
