As your baby grows up, it has already become challenging for you to deal with the picky nature of them. Your healthy baby now starts toddling and become decisive about what to eat and what to not. They might not be taking the amount of food they need till the end of the day, even if they are starving. You have already tired of making the animal-shaped nuggets, and now your toddler has become bored of it. This won’t be happening with you only, the instinct of selectiveness when it comes to food specially develops in the baby as they grow.

After a long hunger strike, when your child finally wants something to eat, you have no choice other than giving them the food they love. Well, moms usually think that this could be a sign of any serious medical issue, and how to deal with it. Do they need medical help?

Is it normal or a serious health issue?

It is the frequently asked question, is it normal that toddlers not eating? As a baby grows up to toddling being selective is a normal thing, there is no fault of parenting skills. When your toddler starts turning their faces from whatever you put in front of them, it is the normal developmental stage.

Usually, the selectiveness of food is observed between 12 to 18 months. When children are in their first year, it becomes difficult for them to gain weight. They eat food in smaller portions, and from that age the hunger strike begins. They start to avoid food and ask for more milk.

What Mommies Should Do?

As you now know, this is not a health problem, it is the phase that makes your child picky. All you can do is, be creative. These tips will surely make the mealtime successful for you and your kid both.

Let them choose!

At this stage, children are excited to choose for themselves. Bring your children to the kitchen and let them choose whatever they want. Give them options such as do you want to eat bananas or apples? Do you want to use a folk or spoon? Which plate would you like to eat in? Involve them in stirring, shaking, and baking. Induce food independence as much as you can.

Make Tweaks in Everyday Meal

It might take your extra 15 minutes, but it will make the meal successful. Making meals and snacks toddler-friendly is a fun thing. The change in shape, texture, and color convince the toddler of even two years to eat it. You can use a cookie cutter to shape fruits and vegetables. Arrange the food on the plate that recognizes a similar image. Give silly names to the meal.

Bring New Food

Children love to try something new. Why not try it on meals? Your kid might already get bored of the food he eats daily. Introducing new food is part of developing eating habits in kids and the best way to feed them healthy. Add colors to your child’s plate, do not stick with one, and change the meal after every 1 to 2 days.