How do I get my toddler to eat better?

Question

My daughter is 1 1/2. Up until she was one, she loved to eat all sorts of healthy things, like brocolli was her favorite. Now she won't touch any veggies or even sweet fruits. She pretty much will only eat yogurt, cheese, chicken nuggets and french fries, and pasta. I can't get her to eat anything else. She is so picky. She will just refuse to eat it. And she would gladly go up to 3 days without eating anything until I give in. I don't know what to do. She takes her vitamins so I know she is getting all that stuff in her. Should I just relax and not worry so much, knowing this is a phase, or am I going to doomed with a picky and unhealthy eater for the rest of my life?

Answer 1

Until she stops getting her way, she won't stop the behavior. Frankly, she won't let herself go hungry. Don't make special menus for her. She is a member of your family so she needs to eat what everyone else is getting. One thing I've found to be very helpful, NO SNACKS. Some will swear up and down that a toddler NEEDS them, but they just fill them up and make your child less likely to eat their meals, which is where the nutrition lies.

Just stop allowing her to have her way and eventually (it will take some time) she will stop this behavior.

Answer 2

You will be doomed with a picky eater if you keep giving in. Put a small amount of broccoli on her plate with her pasta and when she wants more pasta tell her "Not until you eat your broccoli", same thing with dessert. She doesn't get any until she eats her broccoli. Mix it in with her pasta even, I love Alfredo with chicken and broccoli. What I've learned is that the more colors you have on the plate the more eye catching it is and the more likely they are to eat at least a little of everything. But seriously, if you keep giving in then you are basically teaching her that she can throw a fit and get what she wants and that she runs your kitchen. It will then start to spill over into the rest of your life and home. She is at that age where she wants to test her boundaries and make her own rules. That age can be hard unless you squash it fast, if you don't squash it it will carry on for years. End it now and it will be over.  

Answer 3

Try some creative approaches like making faces for pictures with her food (include healthy food items).  If you have to, sneak the vegetables into other foods (like puree them and put them on pizza sauce, etc.), but make sure you still serve some on the side so she sees them and gets used to eating them that way.  Make sure you are eating the healthy stuff too.  Your toddler will only want to eat what she sees her parents eat too.  If you are nervous about letting her go without food when she demands one of her "standbys" talk to your pediatrician about how safe it is for her to go without and for how long, etc.  You can try to gradually phase in the healthy items 1 meal/snack at a time and just say, sorry that's what we have for this meal/snack today.  If she skips, okay her choice - but don't give her something else until it is meal/snack time again.  Also it helps if you offer her a choice.  Make it between two or three items that YOU want her to eat.  Then she can pick from those choices what she wants to eat (Broccoli, carrots, or corn, etc.).  You can also try mixing in items to her favorites (like add different fruits into her yogurt).  Also try serving the stuff you want her to eat different ways.  Like if you serve peaches try giving her a whole fresh peach vs. cutting it up or giving it to her peeled or our of the can, etc.  Sometimes it just needs to look "right" to a kid.  I had a lot more success with bananas once I called them banana wheels and cut them into circles.  All things aside-- sometimes kids do just go through a picky-eating phase.  I have found letting my daughter have choices of several healthy items helps.