How do You Introduce a Wider Variety of Foods to Your Toddler
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My 19-month-old son will only eat six things: strawberries, peas, cut grapes, pasta with marinara or cheese sauce, yogurt and black olives. No matter what I try, I cannot get him to eat other things. I keep introducing one new food (and repeat those foods on a regular basis) along with the foods that he likes at each meal. He still will not try the new foods; or if he does try them, he spits them out. He hardly eats any vegetables. What can I do to get him to eat a wider variety of foods, especially more fruits and vegetables? Also, he has been eating only these six foods since he was 11 months old. He does drink water, milk and occasionally prune juice for constipation.
Picky eating in preschoolers is one of the most common feeding problems I am asked about in my pediatric practice. The first goal is to not create mealtime battles. Battles at the dinner table usually serve to make a picky eater pickier. It's not worth the battle! Realize that toddlers one to three years old have small appetites and don't seem to need to eat as much. Their appetites can vary day-to-day and meal-to-meal. Life is just too exciting, and there are higher priorities than sitting at the dinner table. You can see it in all aspects of a toddler's behavior, as they continuously seek new levels of independence and control. If you are trying to control them from touching the TV set, they see it as a game, and will go on touching it and look you right in the eye while doing it! If you are trying to control every bite of food, they see it as their job to do the opposite. Developmentally, toddlers are generally quite capable of self-regulating food intake, and parents sometimes must learn to respect their natural appetites and variations.
The variety of foods your son does eat is healthy, and represent a few food groups you are trying to get him to eat. Try to show your enjoyment of eating foods such as fruits and vegetables. When you offer new foods, try to stay neutral about your desire for him to eat them. Keep offering the new choices along with fruits and vegetables, and one day, he may try some new things. You can also make a healthy smoothie shake with fruit and vegetables or vegetable juice. Sometimes the presentation of a food can help a toddler try new things. Also, cut fruits or vegetables into fun shapes and see if that helps.