Toddler Nutrition – 5 Tips for Picky Eaters

My toddler is a picky eater. Here are a few tips that are helping me through this time of trying to find healthy foods to incorporate into my child’s diet!

Before I became a mother, I thought I would be able to persuade my children to eat just about anything I put in front of them.

I knew that they would have no problem eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and more. I would judge other moms if I saw their children eating junk food and promised myself that I wouldn’t be that mom.

Well, truth is, after I became a mother, I realized that I did become “that mom.”

I can’t say that my children have a perfectly healthy diet, but we are making big improvements. When I went to my daughter’s two year wellness checkup recently, I found out that she’s a bit underweight for her age. It’s tough to hear that as a mother! I felt that I wasn’t feeding her enough and was a bit discouraged.

After leaving the appointment, I found myself researching ways to add more calories to her diet as well as what supplements to try so that she could gain weight and get the quality nutrition that she needed to be strong and healthy.

Dealing with a picky eater can be difficult, but be patient! If you’d like to know how we are making improvements with our toddler’s diet, read these 5 tips for picky eaters.

Toddler Meal Planner Food Ideas for 1 Year Old Toddler

Toddler Meal Planner – Food Ideas for Toddlers

5 Tips for Picky Eaters

Allow your toddler to experience a variety of healthy snacks.

Fill an ice cube tray with finger food snacks including fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

Allow your toddler to explore their tray of healthy foods and you’ll be able to get a good idea of what new foods that he/she prefers.

My five year old loves these snack trays! We don’t use them everyday, but when I do prepare them, she gets so excited when she can try something new from her tray.

Offer nutrient dense foods for your toddler during mealtimes and at snack time.

Examples of nutrient dense foods include peanut butter, Greek yogurt, eggs, cheese, sweet potatoes, and avocados.

Quick Healthy Snacks for Kids

Cut healthy foods into shapes.

Use cookie cutters to cut a variety of healthy snacks into cool shapes including stars, hearts, dinosaurs, and more! Make food fun!

Plant a garden.

Plant a small garden full of fruits and veggies!

Use containers if you are limited on space. Allow your toddler to help care for the garden as well as pick the fruits and vegetables when they are ripe.

Toddlers may be more interested in eating foods that they were able to help grow.

Here are some great gardening supplies for kids.