Tips for Encouraging a Picky Toddler to Eat Healthy Foods

This post is sponsored by Happy Family at Target but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

With every one of my kids it’s been the same story. They all start off as great eaters. They try everything. They love fruits and veggies, and meats too. They almost always clean their plates. Then somewhere around the age of two, mealtime becomes a battle. They start to get picky, and suddenly they don’t like anything anymore. Thankfully it seems to always pass so far, but it is seriously frustrating, and at the moment, Theo is the one who is challenging to feed. I’ve found along the way, that there are a few things that seem to help when dealing with picky eaters.So, today I’m sharing what has worked for us. I can’t promise these tips will suddenly turn your toddler into the world’s best eater, but they do help a little, and they make feeding them slightly less stressful, which is always nice.

1. Get your toddler involved

This tip might seem a little silly, but sometimes toddlers don’t want to eat things or try new things because they don’t know what they are. When we go to the grocery store, I like to really talk to Theo about what I’m putting in our cart. He loves naming fruits and vegetables and other foods that are familiar to him, and learning and learning about new things too. Now that it’s spring, we’re about to start planting our garden, and I think that getting him involved with that, and showing him how food grows, will be helpful too!

2. Keep Healthy Snacks on Hand

I know for certain that when there aren’t healthy options on hand in our house, I almost always reach for junk food. That’s why I like to always keep healthy foods and snack on hand for my husband and I, and for our kids too. When it comes to Theo, some of our favorite healthy snacks to stock up on are:

apple sauce pouches

dried fruits

whole grain crackers

string cheese

toddler-friendly granola bars

whole grain and low-sugar cereals

pretzels and hummus

It’s probably obvious by now that Happy Tot Whole Milk Yogurt pouches are a big favorite of ours, seeing as I’ve shared about them a few times now. I love these yogurt pouches for toddlers because they are full of good stuff like probiotics (for promoting tummy health) and Vitamin D, and because they contain no added sugar. Above and beyond that, they are non-GMO and certified USDA Organic. Happy Tot Yogurt pouches are now available at Target too, which means it’s even easier for us to keep them in the house, since we’re there ALL the time.

3. Encourage them to at least try everything

One thing we try to enforce in our house is that you need to at least try something before you say that you don’t like it. We always encourage Theo to take one bite of something, and if he still really doesn’t like it, then we don’t force him to eat it!

4. Find ways to Make Healthy Foods Fun

A good way to try to “market” healthy foods to your toddler is by making them fun! Some good examples of this can be found here and here. If it looks appealing to them because it’s presented in a fun way then they’re much more likely to eat it!

5. Be a Good Role Model

One of the most important things you can do for your kids is be a good role model. Follow these rules yourself and show them the benefits of eating a healthy well-balanced diet. Try new things, keep healthy foods on hand! Lead by example.