Six ways to make feeding your toddler much easier

Living with a toddler is not the easiest thing to do. You leave alone until you start feeding them and it becomes a tag of war which parents rarely win.

By now, you have introduced a variety of foods which will present a new challenge.

Toddlers are famous picky eaters. They can decide to only eat one thing which they particularly love or refuse to eat anything other than junk food.

Despite all the research one can do on raising a toddler, sadly there is no one size fits all mold.

When your toddler refuses to eat it can be very frustrating for a parent. The least you should do is force feed them. Not only will they ruin your day, but they will start resenting meal time which will be compounded to a much more bigger problem.

To make it easier for the two of you, here are some tried and tested methods that can make feeding your toddler a tad easier.

At that young age, toddlers are at a curious age where they want to discover. This means touching food with their hands. To keep it less messy for everyone, feed them foods they can hold and feed themselves.

Despite many of us skipping breakfast, it is one of the most important meals of the day for your child too. Jump start your toddler’s day with some real food. Think in the lines of low-sugar organic yogurt, porridge, whole grain bread with peanut butter, fruit and eggs.

Kids have a habit of eating from adult’s plates and once they discover their food has been tasting bland, your toddler will soon realize there is a difference in taste and he or she will never eat their food again. When cooking, cook for the whole family.

Kids have a sweet tooth and if given the option they would eat junk food every day every time. So why not think along those lines and make them happy with sweet snacks like whole grain cookies, a serving of grapes, oat bars, natural fruit yogurt, dark chocolate etc.

Instead of juice which contains additives and preservatives that are not good for children, make your toddler a smoothie instead. If made right, not too sweet or bitter, they are a great way to load on the nutrients for kids and they will love it.

Don’t be too rigid with your toddler’s food. To be honest, it’s never that serious. Don’t fight them when they refuse to eat. To make sure they don’t sleep hungry once in a while bend the rules and give them a healthy option they will enjoy. An example is scrambled eggs, soup with an accompaniment etc.