If you ask any mother of a toddler, she will tell you that feeding a toddler can be trying at times. The reasons for this are numerous. One of the first things you need to find out is if the child is not eating due to an allergy. Rarely is this the cause of fussy eating, but it can be one of the reasons.

Feeding a toddler can be a lesson in patience. One day they love peas, the next day they are feeding them to the dog. Much of this has to do with fluctuations in the need for calories. Toddlers go through phases and need more food some days than others.

Another factor is what they are doing around mealtime. Most toddlers would like to continue playing with their toys or watching the TV instead of eating. One thing parents may want to do to ensure easier feeding times is to try to set a schedule. If the child is going to eat at noon, the prearranged time, then consider transitioning from the activity to getting ready to eat.

It is also important, whenever possible, to start including your toddler in the preparation or meals, or even to try setting the table with non breakable items. That way the child knows what is coming up next.

Simply put, children have new taste buds. They are rather sensitive at this age and adding spices, salt, pepper, and other enhancements may not elicit a good response. What may be good for us and our old taste buds may be an inferno on those little taste buds. Ketchup can be your best friend during these trying times.

One tip is to make little meatballs out of ground meat, ground turkey, or even ground chicken. Once cooked and cooled, they can be bagged up and put in the freezer for easy access at a later date. Finger foods are usually fun for the toddler.

Many people suggest avoiding any prepackaged meals or finger foods as they may contain high levels of sodium and possible monosodium glutamate which is added to many quick meals for flavor. Making the food from scratch not only is better for the toddler, but will cost less as well.

Some things to feed toddlers:

Cheerios or o shaped cereal

Cooked plain pasta

Melon cut up in cubes

Cheese cubes

Broccoli Trees

Hard Boiled Eggs sliced up

Be sure to call the items by a fun name, such as Tigger Trees instead of just broccoli. This way he relates his eating to a happy character that he likes. It may him more eager to relate to the food in a more positive way.

Toddlers like to graze. One of the most frustrating things is to feed a toddler his meal and have him get up and not want to eat it all, only to look for it 20 minutes later. It is common for them to do this. It can actually be good because some children are affected by the sugar mood swings.

 One more option is to have sauces and dips. Whatever they are eating, they will try to dip. That way they can experiment in a fun way. When cutting up food for the little one, try to cut them in to fun shapes with a cookie cutter. Whatever you can do to make mealtime a bit fun, do it.

Make sure you include snack times in the day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Also, only introduce one new food per week. That way if a child does have allergies, it can be narrowed down to that new food. Have fun with meal time. Cook breakfast for dinner once a week or even have a liquid lunch, made up of fruit smoothies. Variation is the key.

Try to instill good eating habits now, so the child will come to value the importance of a good diet. Believe it or not, it is recommended that an area is set aside for easily accessible nutritious foods. Also, designate an area in the refrigerator for nutritious drink boxes, yogurt, and any other refrigerated foods your child is able to eat. If the child has some control over his eating, it may make him feel more ‘grown up.’

The bottom line is to make eating a fun and healthy experience. Use this time to set off a flurry of creativity in the kitchen. Bond over the preparation, give little mealtime chores, and even while shopping, have him suggest new items.

Courtesy of Maureen at http://mommymomo.blogspot.com/