4 New Habits That Will Change Your Picky Toddler's Ways
Hey toddler mom – there IS a light at the end of the picky eating tunnel, I promise. And, picky eating habits can be changed simply and through what feels like play. Now way?! Yes way. Let me tell you about it…
As part of an overall picky eating strategy, these four things can make a world of difference to get you out of the stressful cycle of picky eating and mealtime stress.
Now, these things might seem simple – too simple. BUT, they do work. Personally, they have worked for over 20 toddlers that I have worked with, from semi-picky to extremely picky. And, I have heard countless stories of similar techniques working for feeding therapists and fellow moms.
With time and consistency paired with a calm, cool, collected mindset, a food-focused activity plan, some dinner table techniques, and a stress-free mealtime mantra (“I free myself of the stress of my toddler’s picky eating because I am exercising a plan to change the behavior away from the dinner table, at the play table…”) You WILL see change.
{Related}: Check out the free Picky Toddler Challenge for a comprehensive 4-week plan to transforming picky eating.
1. Have Them Grab Foods At The Store
Have them grab foods at the grocery store – lift them up and out and let them. Or, if you have all your groceries delivered, invite them to unload the foods with you.
Fear and control are KEY reasons as to why your toddler is picky.
- They have fears about certain foods and want to exercise control at mealtime.
So, what you want to do is – help your toddler overcome fears (about the unknown/new foods) by educating them about different foods. Exposure in many different settings, counts. And often, has greater impact than dinner table exposure does.
Getting them hands-on with foods at the grocery store is low-pressure. Non-mealtime/playful/learning settings are ideal for food exposure, because your toddler is comfortable, happy, curious. Whereas, at the dinner table, they feel pressured, scared and overwhelmed.
If you solely get food delivered, have them help you open and unload the boxes.
2. Let Them Scoop Their Own Foods
Let them scoop foods onto their own plate. And, allow them access to choosing their own plates, cups and utensils. Having a low cupboard designated for their supplies or even a drawer, will give them more control they crave, which will make them feel more involved in the mealtime process, and happier.
To keep mess down, you can simply scoop some food into a bowl for them to scoop from. This way, the rest of the food can remain intact and you can minimize mess. Hand them one or two options to scoop with. This allows them to make even more simple decisions.
Does your toddler like to do things themselves? Most do. And, empowering toddlers to be actively involved in the foods they eat will give them pride, which can lead to more interest in eating.
Bonus tip to try: Let them choose a funky bowl (tupperware container or adult bowl, or small pot) to scoop the food into and eat from. They might just think that is so cool and be excited to sit down with it.
3. Read Them Books With Pictures Of Real Food
Story time is a beloved time for most toddlers, making it a prime setting for food exposure. Using books with pictures of real foods will give real-life visuals of the foods they see at the dinner table, and allow them to learn about them in a no-pressure setting. It’s a learning setting and it’s interesting.
They feel safe, happy, excited, intrigued, curious, relaxed… perfect!
Want to take it even farther at story time? Bonus tip to try: Bring some ‘food props’ with you and let your child hold, feel, smell, break, drop (maybe even lick or bite!?) the foods you are reading to them about.
4. Have Them Track What They Discover & Like
Start a food journal and have them tell you what they like and don’t like right now/maybe later. Ask – is it sticky? Is it creamy? Is it crunchy? Is it warm or cold? Is it wet or dry? Let’s put that in your journal.
For younger toddlers, you can use a piece of construction paper, draw a line down the middle to make two columns. Then, write ‘like’ one one side, and ‘don’t like right now/maybe later’ on the other. You could also make a paper with multiple columns that focuses less on tasting foods and more on ‘discovering’ them. For example, the columns might be: long, short, warm, cold, soft, crunchy, etc.
From here, you can recognize what they like, what they’re drawn to and build more meals off of those foods, and foods that are similar.
These are a few of my go-to activities that focus on teaching toddlers about foods and giving them the control they crave.
Incorporate these 4 things and see what happens.
Toddler mom pro tip: Plan it out! Until it becomes a part of your routine, take a look at your time and plan on when you’ll fit these activities in. By doing this, you will not be overwhelmed by adding this added to your to-do list.
And, if you want more support with your picky eater, take a look at the free Picky Toddler Challenge. It’s a free, comprehensive 4-week plan of activities, affirmations, dinner table strategies and more, to help you make change with your picky toddler’s eating habits, with less stress and more confidence.