Making Mealtime Easier

Mealtime with your toddler can be stressful. One day it can go smoothly with most food making it to the mouth and some nice conversation. 

Then there’s those “other” kind of days.  The ones where more food makes it to the floor (or thrown on the wall/furniture) than the mouth, a few tears are shed (mostly from your toddler), a tantrum may be thrown and the meal ends with you feeling defeated.  Maybe this time your toddler just didn’t want to eat or maybe they decided they didn’t like what you made.  Regardless, it’s these kind of days that make mealtime stressful.

But of course with time, and a few children, comes wisdom.  There are a few tips and tricks to making mealtime easier with a toddler.  First things first, make the food fun.  Consider using cookie cutters for sandwiches and creating shapes.  This can gamify the eating experience for your little one.  Next, make things easy to eat. Toddlers tend to really like food they can hold so consider cutting things up into sticks.  If a toddler needs to rely on a utensil, or if the food is too hard to eat, they can become frustrated and we all know what that leads to.  Remember, coordination still isn’t at its finest just yet so forks and spoons can be tricky.

Anytime you can give your toddler what you’re eating, consider it a win. At this age, your toddler will be particularly interested in anything you’re doing.  What you’re wearing, what you’re working on, where you are and what you’re eating.  Anything on your plate that can make it to their plate is a victory.  This also means you can eat as a family since everyone’s food is done at the same time. Your toddler is still very impressionable at this age and if everyone else is eating, this must mean they have to eat too. 

Another way to make mealtime easier is to make sure you include something in the meal you know your toddler loves.  It’s never a good idea to try all new foods at one time. 

Finally, don’t forget to have a little patience and be kind to yourself. Mealtime won’t always be a win, but hopefully with these tips it will be easier.