Feeding a toddler can be a wild ride, but can also be lots of fun as you witness them learn and understand about new tastes and textures. It’s important to consider that eating is a complex skill requiring all body systems so it takes some time to master eating and develop appropriate table manners. Here are some tips that I have found helpful in feeding therapy and with my little ones at home:
1. Allow your toddler to explore the food
Although it can be messy, children learn a lot about foods by exploring them with their hands, so its great to encourage them to touch the foods, and if they want to squeeze or crush them up this can also be helpful to their learning.
2. Leave wiping them to the end
I know this can be difficult if you’re a clean freak, but wiping their hands or face constantly throughout the meal can be aversive for some children and we want eating to be a fun, positive activity – so don’t wipe them until the end.
3. Offer a wide variety of foods
It is great to expose your child to as many foods as you can while they are toddlers and if they don’t want a particular food then you can always have a break and offer it again. Research shows that you need to offer a toddler some foods approximately 15-25 times before they will accept them, so be patient if it takes multiple exposures.
4. Model with your own foods
Every meal that I share with my 1 year old I make some extra on my plate because I know that she is going to want to have some of my food. I intentionally choose foods with high nutrition because she loves anything that I am having! Children are the best imitators so eating together is a great way to teach them about new foods and the job of eating.
5. Make it fun
It’s much easier to learn new skills in a fun environment, so you can include some fun elements in your mealtimes to help your toddler enjoy the experience. This could be by making funny faces, talking with them about the foods or singing songs. Anything that you know makes them smile is great!
If there are any parts of your mealtimes with your toddlers or children that you find stressful or have questions about, our speech pathologists and occupational therapists are equipped to help you out.
Feel free to email or call us!
