Toddlers & eating

Yield: 1 servings

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Try to relax at mealtime. Food preferences change often at this age; a food rejected one day may be accepted a few days later. Keep offering a variety of foods from each of the four basic food groups.

Serve small portions; toddlers have small appetites. By discouraging constant snacking, you may increase a toddler's interest in meals.

Instead of making a fuss over spilled or not eaten, praise your child when he does eat well. Set a good example by your own food choices; foods you enjoy will seem more appealing to your toddler.

Remember to bring your sense of humor to the table. Now is a good time to begin teaching simple manners; encourage your toddler to say "please" and "thank you." Decide what rules about eating are essential - no feet on the table, no talking while you chew, or whatever - and let other things go.

HINTS: Present food in different ways; try arranging a plate of fruit snacks into a face for example. Talk about Peter Rabbit and other story characters who like nutritious food such as vegetables. Let your child make choices, such as between two kinds of juices. While helping you child eat, here is a cute little rhyme to sing, "Through the teeth, Past the gums, Look out tummy, Here it comes!" *From Toddler Time book by Laurie Krasny Brown* -Posted for you by Michelle Bruce Submitted By MICHELLE BRUCE On 02-09-95

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