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As
anyone who has ever cared for a toddler can tell you;
feeding a toddler is a challenge. Here'll you'll find
some helpful tips to make make things just a little
easier.
Regular
Mealtimes
Toddler thrive on routines, even when it comes to
snack and mealtimes. Providing a regular routine will
help your child eat better.
Make
Mealtimes Pleasant
Toddlers eat at their own pace and to their own tastes.
The best thing you can do here is be respectful of
your toddler's own eating pace which certainly is
never in time with our own. Be supportive and never
forceful. Remember that for toddlers, eating is still
a time for learning: a time to touch and experience
different foods...so let them take enough time - as
much as 20 to 30 minutes, if needed.
Sit
with your toddler while he or she eats. They love
the company. Your toddler will probably feel more
comfortable in a highchair where they are at your
level with their feet supported, not dangling.
Don't
Force A Toddler To Eat
If your toddler refuses to eat, let him/her know it's
okay, but that they have to sit with the family or
the other children while they eat so you can all spend
time together. In time your child will tend to join
in. Worse case scenario....snack time is only a couple
of hours away and he/she may be hungry then.
Resist
Panhandling
Resist the temptation to offer your child food inbetween
meal and snack time, particularly if they don't eat
when everyone else does. Children need to learn about
limits and will soon learn that if they don't eat
at the designated times, they'll just have to wait.
Keep
the mood positive however. When you remove your child
from the table or highchair, let them know that snack
time will be in an hour or two and you hope that they
are hungry then. Throwing out negative messages about
the child's eating will only cause frustration for
everyone and often ends up with the child whining
or crying. he or she will soon learn from the chain
of events that being hungry between lunch and snack
time is a consequence of his/her own actions.
Be
realistic About Amounts
Offer smaller portions to start and let your child
ask for more. This lets the child feel as though he
or she has more control rather than you trying to
force him or her to eat more which generall causes
conflict.
Limit
the Juice and Milk
Too much juice of milk between meals can fill a toddler
up so he/she is not hungry at meal time. Offer water
or watered down juice instead.
Let
Your Toddler Be Messy
Playing and experimenting with food is a toddler right
of passage. They have a natural curiosity about new
foods and will often play with them before eating.
Unless things get really messy or the child starts
throwing food on the floor, let him or her enjoy the
time. After all, we want children to learn to eat,
but we also want them to learn to be pleasant at mealtimes.
Bon
appetite!
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