It’s not unusual to hear a mom complain: “My baby only eats ________.” You can insert any manner of descriptive food words there. The reality is that most babies pass through a “picky eating phase” to the displeasure of many worried moms and grandmoms.
Why do they do that?
Who can understand the mind of a baby? Especially when you’re serving things that they previously liked. . .just yesterday. Babies go through phases and eating only orange foods, or sticking to a diet of chicken nuggets is entirely normal. And despite what many people think, it’s fine too. As long as your baby is growing, chances are good that he eats more than you think and is eating enough of it. That’s not to say you shouldn’t keep trying, but it is to say that you don’t have to stress over this.
My Two Best Tricks for Instilling Good Eating Habits
I actually have lots of tricks for sneaking fruits and vegetables into unwilling palates but I’m not going to share those today. What I will share is two tendencies that I notice in very young children that can often make or break what they’re willing to try.
Grazing–Young children love to graze. I don’t know where we adults got the idea that we all need 3 square meals a day. . .but young children have no such notions. Consequently, it pays to plan their grazing accordingly. Every morning I prepare a tray of cut up fruits, vegetables and sometimes I even have some type of dip. (You would be amazed by the way by what kind of nutritional goodness you can sneak into a dip.) There’s easy access to it and all children, toddling babies included, know that the grazing tray is never off limits. Not even before dinner. It is after all fruits and vegetables and I’ve never heard of a child spoiling his dinner on vegetables. Even if he does, I have to say I wouldn’t care too much.
Imitating–You are the coolest person that ever existed to your child. Consequently, if they see you eating vegetables and fruits regularly, chances are good that they’ll want some as well. Good eating habits start with you!
But should your child not be persuaded off the macaroni and cheese diet, don’t fret. Pediatricians say that it’s very normal to go through a picky eating phase and they’ll likely out grow it.
Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.
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