Toddlers can be very picky about their choice of food. You will feel irritated at times due to their tantrums during feeding time. Till the age of one year, toddlers mostly drink milk. After that, you need to give them water, juice, and solid food. From this time, you need to teach them healthy eating habits. Here are some tips for teaching your toddler healthy eating habits.
Introducing new food
Toddlers who are one year old will put anything in their mouths. So, take this opportunity to let them try out new food. At the age of two, they will become picky and give you a hard time feeding them. During this period, you should provide colorful and different-textured food with various flavors. This will give them good nutrition.
The food you should avoid
You must avoid sweets like cookies and candies. These will reduce the appetite for nutritious food. Also, it may affect the child’s teeth and promote unnecessary weight gain.
Make mealtime enjoyable
You should create an atmosphere so that the child enjoys mealtime. You can provide your child with attractive dishes and utensils. You can decorate the meal and present them in interesting ways. Make sure your kid doesn’t watch TV during mealtime. The chair and table should be comfortable. They should be mindful about eating.
Besides developing an interest in new and healthy food, you need to teach them how to eat by themselves by picking food or using utensils. You should also teach them to communicate with you or others when they are hungry or full.
You must consult the doctor to know when can babies drink water or dry food. If good eating habits can be developed at an early stage of life, then they will stick to the habit for the rest of their lives.