Pick your battles when dealing with a picky eater. One day, your child may scarf down carrots and hot dogs. The next day, he'll only eat cheese. The next day he'll eat nothing. This happens quite commonly around 18 months-2 years of age, and it can be a stressful time for stay-at-home moms. Instead of chasing your child all day with plates of food, or forcing him to sit in a chair while you shove food in his face, it is important to relax and recognize this as a passing phase.
Tips on getting through this challenging phase:
- Relax and realize that this is only temporary. As long as your child is eating some things over the span of a week, there's no reason to panic. (If he/she is eating absolutely nothing, or seems to be having trouble eating or swallowing, see a physician.)
- Do not force your child to sit in a high chair when he is screaming and has no interest in the food you are showing him.
Do offer your child food when he is showing interest in it. If he threw pancakes on the floor at 8:00 in the morning and is asking for food at 9:30, give him some food! It is not necessary to maintain a strict meal schedule at this stage in your child's life. It is necessary for him to learn to listen to his hunger cues. - Get creative with meal time. If your child only wants to be outside, grab a blanket and have a picnic in the yard. If your child will absolutely not drink milk out of a sippy cup, give him a cup without a lid and hand him a colorful straw to explore on his own.
- Do introduce new foods of various colors and textures. If your toddler will only eat chicken nuggets and french fries, sneak other foods onto his plate. Slice up some bananas, chop up a cucumber, scoop an avocado. Continue to offer new and interesting foods to your child instead of feeding him the same thing for every meal.
- Encourage a mess. Let your child feed himself without you hovering over his shoulder. Realize that he will probably spill his milk or drop spaghetti in his lap. It is important for your child to learn to feed himself on his own when he is hungry and to stop when he is full. Start handing your baby a spoon when he is 10 months old. He will revel in his independence.
For help planning healthy, balanced meals in our area, I highly suggest shopping at Whole Foods in Union, NJ. Their fresh produce, seafood, meat, and dairy sections are presented beautifully and support local farms whenever possible.
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