Simple Dinner Table Strategy To Try With Your Picky Toddler
This simple technique includes 1) exposure, plus 2) direct and low-pressure encouragement, to try something new.
Here is how to do it:
- Serve your child their favorite food with their meal. Serve just enough so that you know they’ll ask for more. Then, when they do, break off a teeny tiny piece of something new they’re still learning about, and place in front of them on their plate.
- Then, say, “sure! broccoli first then, strawberries. Let me go get the strawberries.”
That’s all.
Stand up, and head to the kitchen to wash and cut some more strawberries/whatever food they are requesting.
During this time, your child is waiting, hungry, excited for more strawberries, happy and feelin’ good – maybe they feel chill to nibble the broccoli? Maybe they discover they like it?!
Do this one thing regularly for a month or more, and see what happens.
Like with any learning, learning new foods takes time. So, a month is a fair enough amount of time to recognize if something is or isn’t working.
{Related}:
How To Set Up Your Space So That Cooking With Your Toddler Is Simple And Enjoyable
Why it works
By offering a tiny piece of a new food, you are:
- Making them feel less overwhelmed because it is small. Some toddlers get overwhelmed by large amounts. Small pieces feel safer and more manageable.
- Giving them an idea of what to do while they wait. Sometimes all we have to do is plant the seed and let our toddlers stew in the idea until they take action off of what we suggested.
- Encouraging them to try new foods in a calm, controlled manner at the dinner table, and moving on. To keep things low stress and respectful, all we need to do is create the setting and suggest. Nothing more. This is why I say to give this strategy a try for a month, because your little one may take a while to warm up. Then, fiiiinally take action.
There’s not just one perfect way to get a picky eater exploring more foods. Different toddlers react to different strategies, and to help you minimize stress at the dinner table, it’s all about discovering what those strategies are with YOUR child.
{Related}:1 Super Simple Thing That Can Get Your Picky Toddler Trying New Foods
If you want more ideas on other strategies that work, check out The Picky Toddler Challenge ‘Learning My Foods’. With this free challenge, you receive printables of food activities, helpful wording, affirmations, mindset tips, mealtime strategies and picky eater eBook “Shiva The Ship Sails To A Land Of New Foods”, that‘ll help you approach picky eating as a whole, with more ease and get your toddler happily hands on, learning about new foods they’d never touch before.
These strategies have helped more than 20 picky toddlers become more trusting, adventurous eaters, and they might help your child as well.
Note: This article (and all others on this site) is not to be replaced for medical advice. Check with your pediatrician with any picky eating concerns you have, especially if habits seem severe, such as – only eating a handful of the same foods and refusing all others.
