Getting Your Toddler to Eat New Foods

We all know that toddlers are demanding little creatures that will fight their way through anything to get their way. So what do you do when you are trying to introduce something new and healthy to their diet, and your little angel snaps their lips shut? I know there are cookbooks out there that rely on sneaking veggies into their diets; but really, do we have to sneak to have our children eat healthy? A proper diet is something we should be teaching to our children to enjoy. Sneaking is not only demeaning to the child, but it also seems like it is setting them up for failure when they have to make their own food choices. Here are a few things that have worked for us to get Scarlett to eat new colorful foods:

• Taste it First.

When Scarlett rejects a new food, Scarlett's daddy and I taste it in front of her. We talk about how tasty it is to each other and completely ignore her at first. We only talk about how WE like the food. ("MMMMMM! Isn't this zucchini salad GOOD, Dada?!" "It sure is! I could eat this all day! YUMMY!") After we get her attention, I ask her if she wants to try a bite and she usually says yes. I also recommend giving the new food before the rest of her meal, so that way your baby is hungriest and more willing to eat it.

• Have Grandma do it.

No joke, my mother-in-law has a knack for shoving food into my daughter's mouth before she even knows what hits her. She doesn't even have a chance to say no. Grandmas just have a way of getting kids to cooperate when mothers can't. If you can't get your kid to try new foods, have Grandma (or another close relative) try to feed them.

• "The Airplane"

"WHEEEE! Here comes the airplane! Open wide!" Okay, I know this method has a bad reputation, but I personally use it and occasionally get results! The key is to use it BEFORE they are finished eating, instead of after. If your child is full, they shouldn't be encouraged to eat more. That's why our nation has an obesity epidemic. It's your child's stomach, let them decide when they are full. Using the airplane method when trying a new food, however, is excellent. You are making new foods fun to try, and not encouraging over-eating.

• Eliminate Other Options

If your toddler only insists on Goldfish crackers for breakfast, lunch and dinner, maybe you should stop buying them. You are the parent, you are in control of what food comes into the house. Eliminate the unhealthy options and those new foods might become more attractive!

• Keep Trying

Introduce new foods OVER AND OVER again. It is said familiarity breeds contempt, but anyone with a toddler knows it is the opposite. (If your baby isnt a toddler yet, just wait. You will see what we mean after you have read Goodnight Moonfor the 500th time in a week.) Introduce the food over and over again. They will eventually get used to it and maybe even like it!

• When all else Fails, put it it Macaroni and Cheese.

When I chop up veggies in my daughter's mac and cheese, she eats them. 'Nuff said.

Remember, toddlers are allowed to have their own opinions and tastes. If they try brussel sprouts and don't like them, that's okay! They can have another vegetable instead. The important thing if that they are trying new healthy foods and eating a wide range of colors and flavors so they grow up with a taste for something other than processed junk.

Do you have any methods for getting your kid to try new foods?