Toddlerhood is the stage when children, around age 12 to 36 months old, begin to shift from dependent infants to independent individuals. This is when they begin to show a sense of identity so ‘no-saying’ or saying ‘no’ to anything and everything in common.
As a daycare in Brooklyn, New York, we can assure you that it is not surprising to find that they also become picky eaters at this stage.
Fortunately, there are ways to go around this. At Petits Poussins Brooklyn, your trusted preschool in Brooklyn, let us list down some tips you can use to encourage your toddler to eat.
- Limit distractions. Enforce a no-screen policy and make sure that everyone in the family follows it.
- Hold your foot down. Don’t make another meal if your child refuses to eat what you’ve served as this only encourages picky eating.
- But do not punish them for refusing to eat. This can make them dislike the foods you’re serving.
- Make food fun by cutting ingredients into shapes and arranging them in colorful and creative ways.
- Involve them in the meal preparation process. There are simple and safe ways they can do so such as stirring batter, counting the ingredients, ‘painting’ the bread with butter, etc.
- Don’t give up; try and try again. Keep offering foods your child didn’t like before. Sometimes it can take up to 10 or more times for a child’s taste buds to grow into it.
We hope these tips helped! Make sure to check back next time for more childcarefaf-related content.
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