Toddler feeding

Let’s talk about feeding your toddler. Anyone who has raised one knows that they will eat 3 bananas one day and won’t touch them again for a month. So what do we do when our toddler is normally eating a certain food and then all of a sudden stops? Here are some of our top tips and tricks for feeding time.

1. Play it cool. Always play it cool. Did they eat 3 bananas today? Fine. Don’t want to eat a banana today (or tomorrow)? Also fine. As a parent, our job is to be in control of the situation, even when our little one is melting down. When we overemphasize eating a certain food or trying a new food, we create poor food associations during the process. The same goes for when they won’t eat something: we create poor food associations when we are attempting to force them to eat something using language like “just two more bites” or “if you try this, you can have a special treat”. Playing it cool is the overarching strategy for feeding a little one as this helps them develop their own self regulation and reduces the likelihood of picky eating. Some of their behaviors attempt to engage a parent in poor responses and it is your job to resist it and allow them the space and independence to self feed, self regulate, and discover new foods.
2. Consider if the food tastes good or not. Now, as a mother it’s never my intention to feed my toddler food that tastes bad, but what about raspberries that are overly tart or an avocado that’s on the brown side? They probably don’t taste good to you either. The palate in a toddler is less developed and refined than yours as an adult, so we want to be aware of how things may actually taste. For example, my husband dislikes avocados but George loves them. One day, George wasn’t eating the avocados that my husband had prepared for him and my husband was frustrated. It was simple, the avocado had gone bad and my husband wouldn’t have known the difference since he doesn’t like them! Switching out for a fresh avocado had George smashing an entire serving a few minutes later.
3. Try a different presentation: by 18 months, most toddlers have a full set of teeth, have a decent pincer grasp, and have developed enough muscles in their mouth to move different sized pieces around. This is different from a 6 month old that can only mash foods in their mouth. At 18 mos, most food that we present should be in small, finger-sized pieces so that they can pick them up with their fingers or a fork. But, with softer foods, like the kiwi in the video, they can also handle larger pieces and bite off a piece to chew. Instead of offering the small finger sized pieces, try offering it in a wedge or slice and see if that stimulates some curiosity. Different presentations may also come in the form of a different plate or bowl. A food suddenly becomes more interesting when it is offered in a special bowl with a lid that one has to open before reaching the yummy goodness inside. Remember: play is OKAY when it comes to food. It stimulates learning and the discovery of new textures, tastes, and smells helps our child develop sensory awareness during meals.
4. Offer it with a safe food: this is a great all-around strategy for introducing new foods as well as foods they may show disinterest in. I offered George the kiwi (which he normally eats but hadn’t for a few weeks) with an avocado (probably his favorite food). He started with the avocado and then I introduced the two kiwi slices, one by one. By reducing the amount on his tray to just one safe food and one questionable food, he isn’t overwhelmed by the choices or overstimulated by too many different tastes.

Here at IFM, we approach well-child care differently than you may have experienced with other providers. Our team uses evidence-based approaches to childhood development issues and we are here to offer you support, guidance, and a few parenting hacks along the way to help you maintain your sanity. We know the information on the internet or social media feeds can be overwhelming, so don’t hesitate to ask us about little things like “why won’t my toddler eat something he normally likes?”. That’s what we’re here for. We’ll also probably share our own worst parenting moments with you as well and how we learned from that. That’s the difference in the IFM way.
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