My husband and I have been reading up on how to get your toddler to eat, and all of those good things that mom and dad's read about, as far as feeding a toddler goes! My husband was on the verge of force feeding, which made me really upset. I know that when you force feed someone the chances of them throwing it back up is high. I didn't like to see her cry...etc. SO anyhow...he must have got the hint and started reading about how toddlers eat. What we should do, what we shouldn't do. Basically..they are meant to graze. I'm familiar with this process because I've done it for 18 months over the last two or three years. That's what pregnant mommies do!!
So then I made a connection. Toddler eating is similar to the way a pregnant person eats. Some days some things are good. Really good! But the next day...that same thing could be 'blah'. Some days you feel like eating more, others you nibble lightly. Once in a while you get on a kick, you really really crave fruit for a month, or spaghetti for a few weeks. I see that same trend in my toddler.
So, we have just started letting her chose -sort of- what she wants to eat. We offer her healthy foods. We let it sit (if the food allows for that). If she eats it all, great, if not, that's fine also.
Parent's aren't perfect, you have to learn with your toddler for sure.
I'm still having a hard time introducing things to her that I won't eat...like brussell sprouts, or cauliflower, peas....but I'm learning that just because I never liked those things..doesnt' mean that my kids will not as well.
Any tips on toddler feeding? (Who am I asking this to...? I barely have any followers?) ...and certainly no commenters.
Sounds like you're doing a great job!! A laid back approach is best. Just keep offering all the healthy options, even things you may not like, and if she eats it great, if not, it's not a big deal. So long as she's healthy, happy & growing, that's all that matters!! :)
ReplyDeletePS - thanks for following me!!!
Thanks! That's what we are going with. Some days are better some days are worse. It's a learning process for us both!!
ReplyDelete--and of course! Anyone with 5 boys deserves their blog to be followed!!
Reverse pyschology. Sometimes I use veggies as her "treat". Hey - it gets my 2yo gets so excited about edamame. Weird. But if that doesn't work, a little bribe with a real treat might - "Eat your green beans and you can have a fruit smoothie for dessert!"
ReplyDeleteI pretty much hate veggies myself, so this one is a tough one for me. :/
I have tried a little reverse psychology before. I think she has a texture issue. She hates ground beef. Hates. It's 'yucky'. No matter how small or big. I get nothing.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying many new veggies on her this week though...we'll see how it goes!
Okay so here is something I just thought of....what if they are eating their veggies and do the here mommy...you try this.
ReplyDeleteHere I am thinking, 'Eww yuck no way'....but telling her to eat it? How wrong is that? LOL.
What do you do then? I guess I could try and explain that my taste buds are different than hers and that she might like it and I dont...muahahaha. Sure. That'll work.
Well I always offer healthy food to my son, but he doesn't always eat it, but he LOVES fruit smoothies. So everyday my husband comes home and we use whatever fresh fruit we got from the farmers market, a few ice cubes, and we add in spinach or other greens, sometimes carrots too. You really can throw anything in there and he chugs it down!
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