If your toddler is a picky eater...?

Singingmama

For those of you who have toddlers who are picky eaters, what are you doing to encourage them to try new and/or previously rejected foods?

JM1226

I'm curious to hear some responses as my DD just started to become one.  Maybe its the age or something.  Her worst meal is dinner and I feel like she likes to snack towards the end of the day...which of course ruins her appetite for dinner. 

DarcyLongfellow

I just continue to offer new things to her.  I give her things I know she'll eat, but I also give her new things.  I also try to make sure she sees me eating the things she's not sure about.

I really try hard not to push her because I think that's the surest way to make sure she digs in her heels and refuses.

My DD ate nothing but oatmeal three days ago.   I just try to make it as healthy as I can and figure there will be another day where all she'll eat is fruit so it evens out!

iumegan716

DS has been a picky eater since transitioning to table/real food (as opposed to baby food, which he ate everything we gave him).  We brought this issue up at our 2 year check up a couple of weeks ago and the Dr is not concerned.  He said that in his 25 years, he has only had one patient (an 18 year old with Asperger's) grow up and only eat 3 foods.  DS will eat waffles, cereal, crackers, fruit chips, and chicken.  We still offer other foods regularly (put them on his plate), but DS constantly refuses. 

We have also tried the "this is your dinner so if you want to eat, this is all you're getting" method, but with limited success because the time between getting home from daycare and going to bed is about an hour & a half so there isn't much time there to really build his hunger/motivation to eat.  

So, for now, we are just going to relax a little and continue to offer other foods, but we're not pushing it.