How can you ensure that your toddler learns to eat a wide variety of foods and flavors?

Question

I know of many parents that have to feed their kids plain foods like chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, etc., because their kids refuse to eat anything else. How can you ensure that your toddler learns to eat a wide variety of foods and flavors? Or is it something you cannot control? Advice from experienced parents of 'good eaters' would be appreciated:)

Answer 1

From my completely non-scientific study of the moms I know there are three things you can do to prevent picky eaters:

1) Breastfeed. Breastmilk tastes like what mom eats particularly garlic and spices. And contrary to some folk wisdom garlic and spices do not upset the babies stomach. Some studies show babies consume MORE breastmilk after mom has garlic.

2) Don't use babyfood. None of the moms I know that did "baby-led introduction to solids" have picky eaters. My 16 month old eats everything. He eats olives, jerk chicken, steak, brussel's sprouts, asparagus, etc, etc. I have yet to find something he won't eat. Baby led basically means that you wait until your baby is old enough to feed themselves (the only real sign of developmental readiness, it works for every other mammal afterall) and let them eat appropriate family foods. Of course you don't give them chocolate covered peanuts -use common sense! But don't limit spices ...if garlic makes them drink more breastmilk it is going to work for broccoli too!

Also spoon feeding allows a parent to start solids before a baby is ready. Doesn't allow the baby control over how much or what (it is easy to place the food far enough back that they are forced to swallow). Both of these can cause negative feelings about eating. Also babyfood teaching toddlers that food doesn't have flavour or texture and then suddenly you teach them it does. Just when they start getting really stubborn makes no sense.

More on baby-led:
http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html

3) Eat a healthy diet with a variety of foods yourself. You can't expect your toddler to eat his carrots if you never do.


Good Luck!

Answer 2

Start giving them lots of food from the beginning. I had a food grinder that we used to transition from baby food to table food. it was great because I could grind just about anything. My daughter is now 15 months old and LOVES all kinds of food. She eats all the veggies I put in front of her. and she has "grown-up tastes" in that she likes ketchup on her scrambled eggs, sauce on her chicken (not nuggets!!) and even loves steak! I cut her tiny peices of whatever we are eating every night at dinner. she won't have it any other way. she always wants what we have. Even tacos! I rinsed some of the spice of her meat and chopped her up a taco salad (no chips either) and she loved it. she eats fish, all meats, most veggies, and any kind of potatos.
I am very strict with her in that she gets NO sweets, junk, or choclate. she gets fruit, yogurt, Gerber fruit snacks. I let her have an occasional sweet treat on a holiday or special event....she had some vanilla soft serve when we went to the fair this week. But no candy at all and she has never even tasted chocolate. she is a very good eater in that she eats a wide variety. even brocolli and green beans. and only plain milk. no flavors.
start the child early and don't just give in to the easy food.....lots of mom's use Mac and Cheese as an easy out for cooking. instead, I get healthy Gerber graduates or make meals ahead of time so she can eat healthy food and not starchy staple food. good luck!!

Answer 3

Don't give that rubbish in the first place. Start off with the healthy things right from beginning to give solids, and never resort to these junk foods.
I have a cousin who at five years old would prefer a plate of spouts to a packet of sweets! I think that it is within the parents abilities to controll what the children eat and if they didn't start of with the chicken nuggets, then the children wouldn't want to eat them.

Only offer the healthy, home made things, and ensure the children see you eating the healthy stuff and let them know how you enjoy it too.

That's about it :)

Answer 4

if you give them a variety to start with they will eat almost any thing then at the age of about 4 they will tell you which ones that they don't like but it is what the parent introduces has a baby what they get use to mac Donald's and nuggets are lazy meals and this is what a lot of mothers do for quickness

Answer 5

I have never given my toddler anything but a variety of healthy foods. At every meal he has a fruit or veggie, whole grain cereal or toast, lean home-cooked chicken and fish. Even at restaurants we give him steamed veggies or something.

Also we never fed him baby food. We would simply mash up carrots, squash, sweet potatoes and stewed fruits etc. at home with a fork and he went to tiny pieces within a week. He has been feeding himself (with his hands) since he was 7 mos old.

He can't insist on chicken nuggets and mac-n-cheese if he has never had them.

This seemed like common sense to me.

Answer 6

My son is 2 years old, he is a picky eater. At daycare he gets all the nutrition he needs. At home I make whatever I want to make, if he likes it he'll eat it. If he doesn't like it he won't. But I won't give him any snacks unless he eats a little bit, maybe 2 spoonfuls at least. You can't force him to eat it, but when hes hungry he'll it. People that make chicken nuggets and mac and cheese all the time, those are the kids that will be obese.

Answer 7

I always offered a wide variety of foods and NEVER offered mac and cheese or "chicken nuggets" they have no nutritional value whatsoever and are totally junk. If you don't want your children eating crap don't bring it into your home and don't let them see you eating it. Children learn by watching their parents.

Answer 8

I would suggest trying to make the food look fun by cutting it into fun shapes. It might also be good if you got the toddler involved in the cooking (If they are old enought) by letting them add stuff to the bowl or something like that. They might be more willing to eat it if they know that they had a hand in making it.

Answer 9

My suggestions would to provide alot of different choices. Make it fun by letting the child go to the store to pick out fruits and vegetables and then when you take it home, let them watch you cut it up. You also have to be positive. Even if you don't like a food, don't let your child know that or they probably won't want to try it either. Slowly introdue new things into their diet and make it fun and they might just like it.

Answer 10

give them a variety of foods like things most kids wont eat like spinach ,beets, turnips ,and odd foods and also stick with the favs like cheerios ,toast with jelly ,different kinds of meats . also introduce cheese as well as long as a lot of kids dont like cheese . good luck and you will do fine .