Getting Your Kids to Eat During Meals
Feeding your toddler can be such a challenge. Toddlers are very curious and are easily distracted. They are just starting to explore their surroundings and practice their independence over a lot of aspects. Food is one of the few things that they can choose independently, and they will try to use this power to their advantage. It is actually a good idea to let your kids choose what they want to eat.
Toddlers are opposing by nature. They will do the exact opposite of what you tell them to do. Forcing them to eat vegetables wont work. A diplomatic approach is a better idea. You can still let your child pick his own food without having to sacrifice nutrition. As parents, it is your job to present your toddler with healthy food choices. Getting your toddler to eat doesnt have to be a power struggle. You can get him to eat that bowl of green peas with a bit of craftiness and lots of patience.
A lot of parents would agree that their toddlers arent eating enough. A toddler would eat one decent meal, and would pick on his other meals for the rest of the day. Nonetheless, they never seem to go hungry or run out of energy. Refusing to give them snacks wont work either. Unfortunately, toddlers wont eat something unless they want to. A bowl of green peas is still a bowl of green peas, no matter how you serve it.
Surprisingly, most toddlers get enough nutrition from what they eat. Your child should be alright as long as he is gaining weight and developing normally. Toddlers dont need as much calories as we do. A daily caloric intake of around 1,300 should be enough for their age group. The reason why many parents are anxious about their toddlers diet is because they overestimate the amount of food that they should be eating.
Parents are encouraged to serve toddler-sized portions to encourage their child to eat. A whole cup of sliced carrots can overwhelm a toddler. Smaller portions are less intimidating. Try to include at least two tablespoons of vegetables in each meal. Cut fresh fruit, eggs and bread in half. Serve 1/3 cup of cereal or yogurt. In general, a toddler should be eating a quarter of what you would normally eat.
Never bargain with your toddler by offering sweets as a reward for eating vegetables. You will both end up losing in the long run. You can probably get him to finish his vegetables by offering a cookie in return. Nonetheless, this tactic only works for the mean time. Bribing your child with dessert only teaches him the wrong values. Using dessert as a reward after meals shows your child that sweet treats are more valuable than the meal itself.
Set a good example for your child. Let your toddler sit with you at the dinner table. Its good for a toddler to see his family eat a nutritious meal together. Educating your child about the benefits of healthy eating is important. Just make sure not to overdo it. Remember this the next time you catch yourself repeatedly praising your toddler for every bite of broccoli that he eats. This silly approach will probably make your toddler hate veggies even more.
Leighonas Duforrific is the loving parent of two kids and loves writing about situations parents are usually faced with. Check out his Ladybug Parade Crib Bedding Sets and this Trend Lab Max 4 piece Crib Bedding Set
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