I received product and compensation from Mead Johnson Nutrition to create this post written by me. All experiences and opinions expressed in this post are my own and not those of Mead Johnson Nutrition. You can contact Mead Johnson Nutrition with product related questions or comments toll free at 1-888-777-3395.
When my daughter was a baby, she was the best eater! She would eat every type of food that was given to her and I was thrilled. When she turned 2, things started to change….she became the dreaded picky eater!
I don’t know why she became so picky all of a sudden but it has lasted over a year now and it is a constant struggle.
She will eat fruit, which is great, but she won’t hardly touch any vegetables or meat (besides chicken nuggets!).
If you have a picky eater, you know how chaotic and frustrating meal times can be. I want my child to eat healthy foods so that she can get the proper nutrition that she needs to grow.
After dealing with this for over a year, I have found some things that have worked to help give my picky eater the proper nutrition that she so desperately needs.
Gummy Vitamins
When I started worrying about filling in the gaps of my daughter’s nutrition, I talked to her pediatrician about some things that might help.
She suggested giving her a daily multi-vitamin. I was nervous about giving her anything that looked like medicine. She is the type of child that kicks and screams whenever she has to take medicine.
I tried giving her the gummy vitamins that they have now and she loved them! I let her pick out the shapes she wanted (dinosaurs were the winner) and now everyday, she happily gets to eat her dinosaur of choice.
You should always talk to your child’s doctor before you start giving them vitamins to take but this is something that was painless for us to do.
Hidden Veggies
Another way that I have gotten her to eat more vegetables is by being sneaky about it. I like to try hidden veggie recipes to sneak them in when I can.
You can puree vegetables and mix them in with mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, smoothies, and more. This is great for both kid and adult picky eaters!
Play with their Food
When it comes to making sure my child eats her food, I am willing to do whatever it takes. I found that by playing pretend, she is more likely to eat what is on her plate.
To get her to eat spaghetti, I tell her that the noodles are worms and that she is a baby bird that has to eat them up. It’s silly but it works!
When she is given carrots, I tell her that she can be a little bunny but in order to stay a bunny, she has to eat the magic carrots.
This may not work for everyone, but it’s worth a shot. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Enfagrow® Toddler Next Step™
Since she became an extremely picky eater at the age of two, I worried about her getting the proper nutrition for brain development since 85% of brain growth happens in the first three years!
I knew she wasn’t getting the amount of DHA that many experts recommend so we use Enfagrow® Toddler Next Step™ to help bridge the nutritional gap.
Enfagrow Toddler is a milk-based toddler drink for ages 1-3 that has DHA as well as prebiotics and other important nutrients that toddlers may not get enough of.
My daughter likes drinking her Enfagrow Toddler with dinner instead of having milk or juice. They come in convenient 32 oz. liquid bottle, which is what we use, or a powder formula.
I like being able to let my daughter try something before going out to purchase a full sized bottle. I don’t like wasting money if she isn’t going to drink it.
If you are like me, you can go to the Enfagrow Toddler site and request some free samples to let your little one try. If you need it, the Spanish version of the website is also available.
Fun Plates & Utensils
My daughter has a plate with her favorite movie characters on it. I tell her that she has to eat her food so that she can see their faces again and it usually works!
They have all kinds of cute plates and utensils available now. I have even seen some that look like dump trucks or construction sets.
These are just some ways that I have been able to give my picky eater more of the nutrition she needs. I hope they help give you some ideas if you are dealing with a picky child as well.
Just remember to always keep offering new foods to your child because one day they may surprise you and eat something that they said they hated yesterday.
Some days are easier than others, but that is the life of a parent!
This is sponsored by Enfagrow® Toddler Next Step™.
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