How to Avoid Eating Conflicts With Your Toddler

For a pint-sized person, your toddler seems to have a lot of strong opinions about his diet and the foods on the menu. As you navigate meals with your youngster, take steps to avoid negative eating conflicts from developing between you and your child. It takes patience and even a sense of humor to handle mealtime madness with an unpredictable toddler.

Instructions

    • 1

      Adjust your expectations to the reality of toddler eating behaviors. Toddlers generally do not embrace a wide and varied diet the way you probably do, advises extension specialist Angela Harris, with the Michigan State University. In fact, your little one might not eat more than two or three different foods throughout the day, insisting on eating the same foods repeatedly.

    • 2

      Understand the appropriate serving size for a toddler so you don̵7;t overserve your child and expect her to eat more than she needs to eat. Toddlers need approximately 2 tablespoons of each food served to satisfy appetite.

    • 3

      Expect messes during dinnertime with your youngster, because toddlers don̵7;t care about cleanliness, advises The Children̵7;s Hospital of Philadelphia. Your little one might play with his food, make a mess around his plate, throw food, drop food in his lap or toss it onto the floor.

    • 4

      Overlook drastic swings in eating behaviors, advises the Ask Dr. Sears website. One day your little one might eat everything you serve her and the next day she̵7;s throwing it at you and demanding nothing but bananas. Toddlers often vary eating habits drastically from day to day, so assess her eating on a weekly basis instead of on a daily basis.

    • 5

      Reduce the amount of fluids your toddler consumes if you have concerns about how much he actually eats. Sometimes toddlers will drink so much that they don̵7;t have room left for food. A toddler should drink between 16 and 24 ounces of milk each day, states KidsHealth.org. Toddlers should not drink more than 4 to 6 ounces of 100 percent fruit juice each day, states the American Academy of Pediatrics.

    • 6

      Adopt an attitude of providing healthy and tasty foods for your toddler, but allow her to be in charge of what she eats and how much she eats, advises the AAP. As long as mealtime remains pleasant and happy for your little one, she will be able to regulate the amount of food she needs and wants without you trying to handle this for her. If you step in, try to control portions or insistthat she clean her plate, battles may ensue, which can cause control issues and eating problems.

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