How to Get Your Toddler to Eat Their Dinner

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By sarahradcliffe
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Get Your Toddler to Eat Their Dinner

Every parent is concerned about their child’s health. When it comes to cooking, you use healthy, fresh, and even organic ingredients, because you want the best for your child. You prepare your meals with love and sit down as a family to eat. Beaming at your two year old, eagerly awaiting her to take a bite, she does… then pushes the plate away and says “I’m done!”

Getting your child to eat can be tough. You want them to eat healthy, but they aren’t interested in eating… snacking on carbs works for them. Follow these simple steps to help your child get the most out of dinner.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Your child
Dinner

Step 1

Don’t allow snacks within 3 hours of dinner. If dinner is at 6pm, offer a snack at 3pm.
Step 2

Do not offer a drink with dinner. Children quickly fill up on juice or milk and then are ready to play.
Step 3

Start off with a small amount of food on her plate. Too much food can be overwhelming. Give her a spoonful of each item, and if she wants more she can always have seconds.
Step 4

Act casually. Don’t make a big deal out of her eating. Sit down, everyone else can start eating, and just ignore her. Talk casually, but do not offer her any other foods, or ask her to take a bite. Putting pressure on her will only make her not want to eat more.
Step 5

Do not allow her to get down. She doesn’t have to eat, but she does have to sit with the family.
Step 6

Eventually she will take a couple bites. After dinner she can have juice or milk, but do not offer a bedtime snack, this will only reinforce her thinking she does not have to eat.

Tips & Warnings

Be firm, and consistent. Most doctors agree; children will not starve themselves… they will eat eventually.
Be firm, and consistent. Most doctors agree; children will not starve themselves… they will eat eventually.