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Toddler Eating Habits and What To Expect

Toddler Eating Habits and What To Expect

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">As toddlers begin to find their independence&comma; a lot of parents find that mealtimes may start to become a little more difficult&period; Whilst this is understandably frustrating&comma; fussy eating is a normal phase that toddlers go through as they develop from a baby into a child and it is important to remember that it will get easier with time&excl;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">As a parent&comma; you obviously want the best for your little one&comma; and that includes making sure that they are eating and drinking enough&period; If you are finding that you are going through a difficult phase with your toddler&comma; try not to get anxious about mealtimes&period; If you’re able to maintain a calm and positive attitude towards mealtimes&comma; then this will be much easier for both you and your toddler&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">However&comma; as challenging as mealtimes with your toddler maybe&comma; this is a great time to start teaching them healthy eating habits&period; The patterns and food interests that your toddler develops now will likely be ones which they take with them into adulthood&comma; so starting off on the right track is important&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">Coping With Fussy Eating <&sol;span><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">Most toddlers tend to go through a phase of only eating a few choice foods and refusing the rest&period; This is largely due to something called <&sol;span><b>food neophobia<&sol;b><b>&comma; <&sol;b><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">which is a fear of trying new foods&period; Toddlers tend to experience this when they reach the age of two&comma; but this is a phase and it will pass&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">Your toddler will likely stick to eating what they know and will need time to learn that new and unfamiliar foods are enjoyable and ok to eat&period; Your little one will gain confidence in eating these foods by watching you and other people eating and enjoying foods which they are not so sure about&period; It might also help to ensure that your toddler is getting plenty of exercise&comma; especially if they are going through a particularly fussy period&period; Running around and being active will help to create a larger appetite when it comes to mealtimes&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">Take Cues From Your Toddler<&sol;span><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">As parents&comma; you&comma; of course&comma; know best&comma; but it is important to recognise that small children are able to recognise both when they are hungry and <&sol;span><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">when they are feeling full<&sol;span><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">&period; Some days&comma; it might seem like your toddler doesn’t stop eating&comma; whilst other days it might look as though they aren’t eating enough&period; This is completely normal and nothing to worry about&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">Children who tend to be pushed to have &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;one more bite” soon learn to ignore their bodies’ natural signals&comma; which can then lead to overeating and weight issues later on in life&period; You should continue to offer your toddler healthy meals and regular snacks&comma; but if they decide not to eat it&comma; then that’s ok &&num;8211&semi; you can always offer something else later&period; If your child consistently doesn’t finish meals&comma; you may need to reduce the portion size and let them ask for more if they are still hungry&period; Remember&comma; if your toddler is still growing and developing&comma; you can be confident that they are on track&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">Make Mealtimes Fun<&sol;span><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">When you are a busy parent&comma; you understandably don’t want to create more work for yourself with cleaning up&comma; but when it comes to making sure that toddlers enjoy their meals and mealtimes in general&comma; it’s best to make it fun and interesting for them&period; By letting them get messy and eat their food the way they want&comma; then they will naturally be encouraged to try new things and eat more&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">Cut foods up into fun shapes they recognise&comma; use &lpar;naturally&excl;&rpar; bright coloured foods&comma; such as broccoli&comma; oranges&comma; strawberries and so on to grab their attention and introduce them to foods which are messy &&num;8211&semi; such as pasta bolognese&comma; curries and stews&period; There are some great tools available now that help with messy toddler mealtimes and reduce the clean up afterwards&comma; such as <&sol;span><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">coverall bibs<&sol;span><span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; 400&semi;">&comma; suction bowls and plates and spill-free cups&period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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