How to not Hate Toddler Mealtime
Toddlers are wild.
They are officially exploring the world, its boundaries, and learning how to make choices of their own. They have no regulation skills and they are incredibly impressionable. This combination makes for a bit a daily mayhem for us parents.
Often times one of the most stressful times of day for parents of kids this age is mealtimes (definitely guilty in my own home!). Food is one area that younger and older toddlers like to flex their tiny baby powers, often making it extremely difficult to get them to eat anything, much less anything balanced.
How can we help?
First off, let go of the majority of the control. This is a time where children develop a predisposition and understanding of food, food culture, healthy versus unhealthy, and positive or negative food associations. We as parents don’t want there to be a struggle four times a day with our kids, and kids don’t need to grow up thinking that the dinner table is a battlefield.
Do kids need fruits and vegetables and whole grains at this age?
Will they eat them at every meal (or even every day) in a balanced way?
Undoubtedly, no.
Children of this age group need to be exposed to a variety of options repeatedly in order to actually increase their consumption. Up to 15 times! So while we should offer plenty of veggies of red, green, and orange, all different types of fruits and berries, and plenty of whole grains each day without actually pressuring them. Most of the time our kiddos won’t actually touch it half (or more) of what we offer. And that is absolutely okay.
Even better if we are doing more than offering, but actually eating these foods ourselves so our littles can see that we eat them too!
Overall, we parents are the gatekeepers of food for our toddlers. Unlike teens, toddlers still get the majority of their food from parents and guardians versus peers or independently. This means that it is critical for us to repeatedly offer and encourage consumption of less processed food and create positive eating associations at this age. Give nutrients and autonomy.
Another cool trick?
Let’s forget about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food with kids. Instead, studies show that kids are more likely to learn about nutrition and choose stronger options when they associate their food with their body parts at this age. For example, explaining to your 4 year old that orange foods are good for their eyes and red foods are good for their heart actually increase the likelihood of them choosing these foods on their own.
After all, our littles want to grow up to be big and strong “just like you!”
