Until very recently, my son was a very picky eater.  Looking back on it, he seemed to eat anything…until he was a toddler!  Then the trouble started…

I hope that these tips will help you cope with your toddlers picky eating:

1. Introduce one new food at a time. Don’t try to overload your toddler’s palate with too many new foods at once. Present your toddler with one new vegetable for one week. He may not even try it for several days, but continue to offer it to him each time you cook it anyway. If you offer him too many new foods at once, he may feel overwhelmed and not attempt to try anything new at all. Here’s a great blog about a mom introducing her son to new produce in fun ways: http://greatbigvegchallenge.blogspot.com/

2. Don’t offer alternatives. It’s too easy to get into the habit of cooking two or more meals. Some mothers with two or three children fix something special for each child. Cook one healthy meal for everyone in the family to enjoy. Your toddler will fight with you at first, but eventually will realize that you are not a short-order cook anymore.  Need help with creating family friendly meals? Every week,  DineWithoutWhine.com will send you  meal plans and complete grocery lists that will even please picky eaters at an very affordable price. I encourage you to check them out at http://www.solutionsforbusymoms.com/dinewithoutwhine

3. Make mealtime a family affair. Today’s families are so busy; you can rarely find a day when everyone is home at the same time. It’s often difficult to sit down at the dining table and eat a meal together. Challenge yourself to start eating dinner together as often as you can, even if it’s just twice a week. When your toddler sees his siblings, or parents, eating their veggies and meat, they will be more likely to try whatís on their plate, too. Want to see a great little online video that will inspire you to have dinner together as a family? Check out http://www.solutionsforbusymoms.com/familydinnervideo

4. Don’t make it a power struggle - What really made the biggest difference with my son, was when I gave up the power struggle. You see, he at one point, he only ate about ten foods.  For a while, I would just rotate making those 10 foods. I’d occasionally make something new,  and ask him to try it, but not pressure him.  After about 3 months of not arguing about what he chose to eat, he started trying new things. Now he often tries new foods and even loves Feta, of all things!

5. Try some visual stimulation - Wouldn’t it be great to have some Baby Mozart-type videos about food? The Baby Gourmet Video Series is made just for toddlers to encourage healthy eating! My kids loved them and it really did make them want to try new kinds of fruits and vegetables.  You can find them on a special page in my amazon store by clicking here. There you’ll also find The Visual Guide: How to make a healthy lunch for kids - this is a great guide for moms on how to make interesting, healthy lunches for school or camp — but my kids loved watching it too!  
6. If all else fails, try sneaking healthy stuff into the food he already loves! Here’s a great article on how to do it!    Want even more help? Check out The Sneaky Chef!

7. If your picky eater is really hard-core, I recommend The Picky Eater ebook. I bought it and did not regret it! It’s got even more tips than this article and tons of recipes your toddler and you will enjoy! http://www.solutionsforbusymoms.com/pickyeaterebook

I know that dealing with a toddler who is a picky eater isn’t fun or easy. Try these  tips on your picky eater, and let us know how it goes by leaving a comment

For more fabulous tips on parenting read more of Sarah’s articles at www.solutionsforbusymoms.com.