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Toddler Food For the Picky Eater
What comes to mind when you think of toddler food? If you think of prepackaged snacks or jars of chunky baby food in your grocery store's
baby food isle, then think again. You want to have your child eat the same thing as the rest of the family most of the time, but there are other times
when grown up food is neither appropriate nor the healthiest option.
There are times when you can get a little creative with your picky eater,
especially at snack or lunch time. That's when toddler food is the best choice. So why not have a little fun with it and get your picky eater to eat?
Here are some general rules of thumb:
1. Toddlers like finger food.
Now is not the time to worry that they'll grow up not knowing how to use a fork
and knife if they don't practice. Give them their food cut up in bite-size pieces so they don't have to work too hard for it. This works well for teenagers too, but I digress...
Good finger foods are peas, carrots, bananas, sliced grapes, gelatin wigglers
with fruit, green beans, natural all-meat hotdogs, hard cheeses, cream cheese wrapped in natural lunch meats and sliced, medium pasta shells stuffed with
something, or small homemade granola wedges. They don't all have to be in the same shapes either. Cut sandwiches into squares and triangles, and cut carrots into slivers.
2. Toddlers like to choose.
Give your toddler options, but not all the options. They get to pick two things
and you get to pick one thing on the snack menu. And don't just ask them what they want, phrase it like "Do you want apple slices or grapes?" Do you
want grilled cheese sticks or peanut butter on bananas?" This works pretty good with the picky eater.
Once you and your kids male your choices, put the food on a special plate or on
something different than usual. This will make the food seem extra special and that can only help with a picky eater.
3. Toddlers like foods that come with cool names or good stories.
My kids were willing to try broccoli after my sister told them a story about
broccoli trees. They ate it up, so to speak. They also like it when I tell them which foods I was crazy about as a child and how I liked them fixed.
Try naming some of your toddler food, just for fun. Amanda's Amazing Apple
Spread or John's Jumping Green Beans might be the perfect thing for today's menu.
If you're short on ideas for toddler food, try the cooking website that's just for kids! Cooking terms, safety tips, kid jokes, and easy kid-friendly recipes.
Parents can visit it too and pick up some free parent tips, http://cookinkids.com.
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