Toddlers That Are Picky Eaters and Things You Should Do To Help

First "Picky" eating is when a child (or adult) refuses foods often or eats the same foods over and over. Picky eating usually peaks in the toddler and preschool years. Many parents worry that their picky eater is not getting enough nutrition to grow. But in most cases, he or she is. 

10 Tips for Parents of Picky Eaters

* Share a meal together as a family as often as you can.

*If your toddler refuses a meal, avoid fussing over it.

*Tempting as it may be, try not to bribe your children with treats for eating other foods.

*Just because a child refuses a food once, don't give up. Keep offering new foods and those your child didn't like before.

*Offer a variety of healthy foods, especially vegetables and fruits, and include higher protein foods like meat and deboned fist at least 2 times per week.

*Toddlers are especially open to trying foods arranged in eye catching, creative ways.

*Put your toddler's growing interest in exercising control to good use.

*Some cooking tasks are perfect for toddlers (with lots of supervision, of course)

*Once a food is accepted, use what nutritionists call "Food Bridges" to introduce others with similar color, flavor and texture to help expand variety in what your child will eat. 

*Try serving unfamiliar foods, or flavors young children tend to dislike at first (sour and bitter), with familiar foods toddlers naturally prefer (sweet and salty).