Toddler-iffic table tips

A smorgasbord of secrets for successful small-fry suppers Christina Schmidt, nutritionist and author of “The Toddler Bistro: Child-Approved Recipes and Expert Nutrition Advice for the Toddler Years” (Bull Publishing Company, 2009) offers help for parents who want to serve nutritious meals to toddlers and to keep their kitchens mêlée-free toddler bistros. Create a toddler-friendly eating area for your child. Toddlers like their own spaces and may eat more of your lovingly prepared meals at a table sized just for them. Also, be sure to accommodate with plates, cups, forks, and spoons that are just for your kid. Be creative by using colorful place mats and matching dishes decorated with your child’s favorite cartoon characters, cars, trucks, princesses, animals, etc. Outsmart that little rebel. If your child likes to test his limits by saying “no” a lot when it comes to the foods that you offer, be sure to turn away from his tantrums. Giving attention to his protests often fuels the fire. Instead, offer him just a few choices. By giving your child a choice or two at mealtimes, you’re letting him feel that he is still part of the decision-making process and that he has some control. Invite your grazer to the table ... but still give him room to roam. Focusing on food is sometimes an insurmountable task for toddlers. They may be grazers who rarely sit and finish a meal and would rather snack throughout the day. Don’t worry—if you make progress with one out of three meals and some snacks, you are doing very well. Keep up a consistent mealtime and snack routine despite your little one’s obliviousness to the plate. Expect the unexpected. Toddlers can be highly unpredictable. One day it’s “I don’t want it!” and the next week the same kid can’t get enough of the once-hated food, or vice versa. Whatever it is, as long as you keep offering healthy options to your toddlers, it’s a win/win situation. Commit to being copied. Now is the time when you can make the biggest difference in your toddler’s eating behavior. Studies show that food preferences are shaped between ages 2 and 3. Be a role model for healthy eating and manners in front of your toddler. Remember the three bears. Food should be presented to your toddler not too hot, not too cold, but just right, which is warm or close to room temperature. Make each bite count. Pack each bite with nutrition because you never know when pickiness or loss of appetite will rear their ugly heads, sabotaging your efforts for the day. Your goal is to maximize the opportunity for your toddler to eat healthy, so make sure all of the foods that your toddler is eating are full of the vitamins and nutrients that he or she needs. Keep the pressure in check. Don’t overreact, scold, bribe, beg, or reward with a treat to get your toddler to eat. Over-controlling your toddler’s eating behavior turns down the volume of the natural internal cues for hunger and fullness. Studies show that unpressured children will instinctively balance their diets. An alternative to the “clean your plate” concept. Your job is to choose the menu and dining times for your child. Your toddler may decide which of your daily specials to eat, if any. If your child isn’t wolfing down everything on the plate, avoid requiring that it be cleaned. Instead, try requesting “courtesy bites.” You may get your child to take a few bites of those peas without all the drama and stress that goes along with cleaning the plate. Don’t replace food with fluids. Prevent your toddler from filling up on excessive fluids before meals. Offering sips of water or milk to quench thirst is fine. Two full sippy cups before a meal, however, may be the reason the plate goes back to the kitchen untouched. Avoid short-order chef syndrome. Allow your little purists their eccentricities, such as not wanting foods to touch each other, but don’t cater to special food requests at each meal. This will only reinforce finicky behavior. Offer limited choices (broccoli or carrots?), and serve one sure winner with each meal. Try this trick: Offer a tablespoon of the suspect food with an old reliable favorite when your toddler is hungriest. It works. Think weekly. Obsessing over getting all of the food groups into your toddler just might drive you bonkers. Instead, think weekly. Toddlers’ diets magically tend to balance out nutritionally over a few days to a week, so don’t panic if you come across a day that isn’t quite as nutrition-packed as you would have liked for it to be. For more information, visit www.BabyBistroBrands.com.