Most households have at least one child that has very picky eating habits. It can be tiring trying to get toddlers to eat healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables, rather than pizza and chicken nuggets. So how do you coax a toddler into eating something that is good for them instead of just what they want to eat? Below are some tried and tested tips to get your toddler to eat those foods that he normally turns his cute little nose up at. These ideas will make meal time a lot easier for both of you.

Try dressing up the food that your little one is eating. Toddlers want food to be fun. A smiley face, colourful food, or a different shaped food can distract your toddler from the fact that it’s healthy and actually get them to try something new. Let them eat finger food or try using fun cutlery or even adult’s cutlery to encourage them.

Try to serve a good variety of food rather than the same old thing. If your child doesn’t like something new, don’t rule it out, just try again in a few weeks time. Get your child to help choose new fruits and vegetables at the supermarket so they will become excited about trying them.

Don’t ever make a toddler eat something that they don’t like. It can give them an aversion to that particular food for a lifetime even into adult hood. Instead try the food a little on down the road. After all your tastes change, your toddlers will to. Eat the same dish as your child, they will be encouraged by watching you eat.

Often toddlers will push food away without even trying it. You can disguise healthy vegetables in a pasta sauce, use whole grain pasta instead of white pasta and add pieces of fruit to yogurt. This way you ensure your child has a healthy diet without them even realising.

Let your toddler help in the kitchen. It is much easier to get a child to eat something if they helped to prepare it. As well as taking your toddler shopping with you, get them involved in the preparation. Let them do the stirring, pouring, and sprinkling. The mess will be worth it in the long run.

The one thing you want to avoid is a fight at every mealtime about what your toddler will and won’t eat. Try something new along with the favorite foods and do insist that your toddler tries it. If they say they don’t like it, don’t push them. Just try it again later.