Parenting a toddler can be extremely exhausting. Toddlers have few worries and endless energy. As their motor and thinking skills are developed substantially, toddlers often prefer to do things themselves. And when they can’t quite do what they’re trying to do, children become frustrated. As cliched as it may sound, patience is the key to surviving your child’s toddler years. You have to form a partnership with the child, encouraging their independence but assisting when they cannot complete a task.
Mealtimes can be incredibly frustrating. But again, the rules are simple. Stay patient and trust yourself. If toddler meals are testing your patience, here are a few things to remember.
- It’s Normal for Children to Be Picky
As they grow, children begin to assert their independence through food. This behavior sometimes presents itself through children preferring a single type of food or refusing to eat something. However, being picky about specific types of food doesn’t make them picky eaters.
If your child only eats mac and cheese, don’t lose sleep about depriving them of other essential nutrients. Keep reintroducing new foods but keep the favorites on the menu as well. Most children will eventually come around and become flexible. Present a healthy array of options, allowing the child to pick and choose but don’t give in to the demands of preparing a specific meal that’s different from the one already prepared.
- Force-Feeding Can Backfire
Force-feeding can backfire because you’ll be making the child feel helpless and frustrated. They could also develop a lifelong aversion to food. Some children have sensitive tastebuds, making them refuse certain types of foods. Sometimes, children diagnosed with autism may experience anxiety when you introduce unfamiliar foods. Forcing them to eat can increase mealtime anxiety.
Threatening or scaring children into eating creates more problems. It could turn mealtime into a power struggle and even create self-esteem issues.
- Do Not Bargain
You may be tempted to bribe children to get them to eat healthy food. Do not offer cookies or other sweet treats in return for eating something they don’t like. Such practices don’t work in the long run. Besides, they are unlikely to develop a love for that food through bargaining. Dessert shouldn’t be an incentive for healthy meals for kids.
Also, control the urge to lecture about the nutritional benefits of eating food the child has just refused. Instead, you could arrange a play date with a toddler who is more likely to eat fruits and veggies. Children are more likely to try new foods when they’re with friends. Read More Blog On https://blogspinel.com/
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