2 tips to help picky eater toddler?
Normally picky eating can start from as early as age 2 or 3, so don’t just give up on your efforts to entice your child to try different foods. It could be frustrating sometimes but don’t forget that you are dealing with a child and forcing things can make them hate a certain food for the rest of their life.
Be positive with your picky eating toddler
It’s better to always be positive when offering food and set an example for them by first liking the food yourself. Likewise, you need to understand that it is perfectly normal for a child to refuse to eat or even taste new things that you prepare for them. But it can of course be extremely frustrating even though it’s normal. A recurring subject when we at POOW have been speaking with parents over the years is the difficulty of managing rewards and sweets. Especially when it comes to how to help picky eaters toddler. Our summary is:
1. Don´t ban sweets
1. Don’t ban sweets, some parents say no to candies and sugar-laden sweets, similarly some parents use sweets as a reward for finishing the food on the plate. DON’T DO IT. Instead, occasionally serve something sweet after mealtime so that they don’t develop the sense of getting rewarded every time they finish their food.
2. Motivation is key!
Rewarding VS motivating is the big question when thinking about how to help picky eaters toddler. If you reward the child for finishing the meal or eating a vegetable. Arguably, the child just forced himself to eat to get the reward. Just look at yourself, and think of all the things you have done in your adult life just to get a reward. The journey should be enjoyable as well and not just the end result. Back to the context, this means that when you reward your child for eating something, no sustainable relationship between the child and the food is created.
In our APP POOW The Food Hero we focus on motivating rather than rewarding children. We also want to build that relationship between food and the child as we focus on happiness, games, and a peaceful mealtime situation. Learn more about our app here
Updated 31-03-2023
By Philip Fransson
2 tips to help picky eater toddler?
Normally picky eating can start from as early as age 2 or 3, so don’t just give up on your efforts to entice your child to try different foods. It could be frustrating sometimes but don’t forget that you are dealing with a child and forcing things can make them hate a certain food for the rest of their life.
Be positive with your picky eating toddler
It’s better to always be positive when offering food and set an example for them by first liking the food yourself. Likewise, you need to understand that it is perfectly normal for a child to refuse to eat or even taste new things that you prepare for them. But it can of course be extremely frustrating even though it’s normal. A recurring subject when we at POOW have been speaking with parents over the years is the difficulty of managing rewards and sweets. Especially when it comes to how to help picky eaters toddler. Our summary is:
1. Don´t ban sweets
1. Don’t ban sweets, some parents say no to candies and sugar-laden sweets, similarly some parents use sweets as a reward for finishing the food on the plate. DON’T DO IT. Instead, occasionally serve something sweet after mealtime so that they don’t develop the sense of getting rewarded every time they finish their food.
2. Motivation is key!
Rewarding VS motivating is the big question when thinking about how to help picky eaters toddler. If you reward the child for finishing the meal or eating a vegetable. Arguably, the child just forced himself to eat to get the reward. Just look at yourself, and think of all the things you have done in your adult life just to get a reward. The journey should be enjoyable as well and not just the end result. Back to the context, this means that when you reward your child for eating something, no sustainable relationship between the child and the food is created.
In our APP POOW The Food Hero we focus on motivating rather than rewarding children. We also want to build that relationship between food and the child as we focus on happiness, games, and a peaceful mealtime situation. Learn more about our app here
Updated 31-03-2023
By Philip Fransson
