This article first appeared in Newsymom.
I’m convinced a toddler’s favorite phrases are “no” and “I do it myself!” That makes it a little difficult to introduce them to new things—especially food.
We have plenty of toddler dinners in our home- turkey and cheese sticks, chicken nuggets and French fries, Mac n cheese and hotdogs… But we like to introduce our kid to new flavors, too. So far she’s really enjoyed shrimp, pork belly, broccoli, and fish! It’s a long, hard, uphill battle, but if you’d like to expand your toddler’s flavor profile, try these 5 tips.
5 Tips for Introducing Your Toddler to New Food
- Make food fun. Use eye catching shapes and colors, plates and bowls. Little trees? (Broccoli) Smiley faces? (Oranges) FUN!
- Involve your kids in the planning and prepping! Raising little chefs will help them become little foodies.
- Use “food bridges.” Connect well-loved food (mashed potatoes) with new foods – mashed sweet potatoes, cauliflower, etc.
- Sit together as a family. Sitting down at the table together and sharing a meal is the most encouraging setting for your little one. Make conversation and don’t just stare at them while eating- no one likes that!
- Try again. It’s exhausting and, at times, frustrating, but continue to offer new foods and food experiences to your child.
Don’t panic if it feels like your kid lives on goldfish and nuggets. They will be okay and eventually try new foods.