Most nutritional experts agree that as a parent, it’s important to begin examining your very own eating habits because your children will usually fall into the same ones.  Thus, teaching your children eating habits that will result in healthy little bodies, becomes a ” family thing.”

It’s important to prepare healthy meals for the whole family and not just prepare a different one child who is struggling with being overweight.  When eating with children,  it’s so easy for children to become overly self-conscious about their weight if family members are constantly reminding them their fat by excluding them from that amazing 10 pound meat lasagna Grandma sends over 2 times a month! 

The saying, “Clean your plate, there are starving children all over the world,” should not exist in your home, and neither should, “Anybody want seconds?”  These are old school words that have lost all relevance in today’s world with so many over-processed and fattening foods; a home where having seconds becomes habit will surely lead to excess weight in at least one family member!

Children and eating go hand in hand.  they are always begging for their favorite candy or snack, and sometimes it’s merely out of habit.  For the most part, eating healthy for children should include some type of discipline when it comes to snacking. 

It’s perfectly fine to give them that occasional treat at any time of the day every once in a while, but to constantly allow your child to have snacks throughout the day will usually sabotage any chance they have at remaining a healthy as possible.

But there really are a few guidelines you can follow to encourage picky eaters to get an adequate amount of nutrients in their little bodies every day, and to be satisfied with your toddler’s eating habits even if they are erratic at times!

Feeding toddlers has always generally been difficult; by their very nature they can be extremely picky eaters who tend to eat one food at a time.  For example, it’s common for a toddler to sit at their high chair or table with a plate of white rice and tiny cut-up pieces of chicken.  If they feed themselves, most will eat the chicken first,  then the rice, one food group at a time.

After the 1st year of a child’s life, toddlers don’t gain weight as quickly anymore so this tends to affect how much food they really need.  They basically go into “snack mode” where  two or three crackers become much more appealing to them than sitting down to a real meal!

The easy method to feeding a toddler consists of buying regular food for the family as if nothing’s changed, and perhaps throwing in a few healthy snacks into your grocery list for your toddler, cooking food in a nutritional manner.  and not becoming stressed or discouraged if your toddler doesn’t eat all the time or if he or she misses any meals.  As long as they’re eating something of nutritional value while ingesting at least 1,000 calories a day, they’re going to be fine. 

Many doctors recommend liquid vitamin drops for toddlers from 1-3 years of age, so if you want to supplement your toddler’s diet, consult with your physician.  A good one that people swear by is Dr. Greene Toddler Multivitamin Drops.

In summary, the easy method to feeding toddlers has more to do with you accepting the fact that toddlers will choose when and how much to eat,and it’s up to you to make sure there are a few healthy snacks in your cupboard and refrigerator to accommodate their needs.