Here are tips to help ensure balanced nutrition—and happier mealtimes.
Concern
Tips
Examples
“My toddler refuses to eat vegetables”
Puree vegetables and hide them in foods and recipes that your toddler enjoys. Make sure the puree doesn’t change the colour, flavour and texture too much, and your toddler will never know they are eating vegetables!
Try juicing. Juice some vegetables with your toddler’s favourite fruit.
Try different dips for cut up vegetables like peppers, carrots, celery, sugar snap peas or broccoli.
You can puree sweet potato, carrots, squash or cauliflower and hide them in dishes such as macaroni and cheese, pizza, bread, muffins, soups or brownies.
Try combinations such as apple with carrot, beet, celery or spinach.
Dip vegetables in hummus, yogurt, ranch dressing, melted cheese or even ketchup.
“My toddler refuses to try new foods”
Be patient and continue to offer “new” foods. Some toddlers need to see a “new” food at least 10 times before they will try and accept it.
Get your toddler involved in preparing the new food.
Introduce “new” foods to your child when other children are eating and enjoying that food.
Get creative. Present foods in creative ways.
Have your toddler do age appropriate tasks like adding items to dishes or washing fruits or vegetables.
Cut sandwiches into fun shapes with cookie cutters, design a face on their plate. Give food funny names like broccoli trees or ski slopes (mashed potatoes).
“My toddler wants the same food every day”
Let your child have their “favourite food”. Try to make it as nutritious as possible.
Serve the same thing with a twist.
Gently introduce new things. Try something familiar and favourite with something new and different.
If a big fuss is NOT made your child will soon move on to another favourite food.
If pasta is their favourite food, offer whole grain pasta and sneak in some pureed vegetables.
If it is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that they enjoy, try making peanut butter and jelly muffins instead.
“My toddler eats very little”
Respect your child’s awareness of his own body. A child’s appetite can vary from day to day and from meal to meal so he may not be hungry. A skipped meal every once in a while is not a concern as long as your child is growing normally.
Serve smaller amounts of food.
Make sure snacks are served well before meal times (e.g. 1-2 hours).
Avoid becoming a short order cook—children should get used to sharing the family meal.
“My toddler refuses to drink cow’s milk”
Offer small servings (125 mL or 1/2 cup) but don’t force it.
Offer alternate sources of calcium such as yogurt, cheese or Enfagrow®A+®toddler nutritional supplement.*
Use milk instead of water in cream soups, puddings and hot cereal.
Try making different smoothies and milkshakes with milk.
Add flavour to milk by mixing in a bit of Enfagrow®A+®vanilla nutritional supplement.
*Yogurt, cheese and Enfagrow®A+®are good sources of calcium, however, they do not provide the same amount of vitamin D as milk. Talk to your family doctor or a registered dietitian before deciding if he needs a supplement
