Getting my Picky 2-Year-Old Toddler to Eat
As I’m writing this, I can’t believe there was ever a time in my baby’s life when she wasn’t picky at all. Back before she was a year old, my sweet angel would eat anything we gave her - even things we found icky ourselves. She would eat every flavor and variation of baby food (the green ones included). She would eat the blended meals that her grandmother (my mother-in-law) would make her - made of boiled chicken, potatoes, and veggies, and no seasoning whatsoever (yuck!). Bebe, the champion that she was, ate everything in stride. Then one day, sometime after the year mark and completely out of the blue, she decided that she was now a toddler and no longer liked most foods. In fact, the foods she still liked became a shorter list than the long list of foods she started disliking.
The worst offenders for my crazy toddler are:
Most meats - the only exceptions are chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, and pepperoni (but only if it’s on the pizza; not by itself). You will not see her eating a burger, hot dog, steak, or grilled chicken, or any form of fish at all.
Eggs - you will never catch this girl eating one bite of an egg. It’s an immediate “nope” for her.
Most forms of potato. She’ll eat most French fries, but she will not eat any other form of potato. Baked potatoes, steak fries, and boiled potatoes would be absolutely out of the question. And I have not been able to get her to eat sweet potato recently, either.
Cheese (although now she’s warming up to it). For the longest time, Bebe wouldn’t eat one bite of cheese. Just recently, she started eating some cheese - usually cheddar and usually only shredded.
99% of veggies. The only exception to her disdain for vegetables are the one or two bites she will take of a carrot. After that first or second bite, she will put the carrot down and forget all about it. I will sometimes buy foods that have “hidden” veggies, but I know that won’t help her develop a taste for them.
Beans. As much as I would love for Bebe to eat her beans, I just don’t think that’s in the cards for us at the moment. She won’t even glance at them when they are presented to her.
Any form of pasta, including mac ‘n’ cheese. I know this one is a shocker. When I tell people that my daughter does not like mac ‘n’ cheese, they look at me like I’m crazy because that’s a “safe” food for many kids. But for my toddler? Absolutely not. She won’t even give it a second thought.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, here are some of her favorite foods that she will pretty much always eat:
Pretty much any fruit at all. Her top picks would be strawberries, bananas, apples, watermelon, and blueberries. She would eat a huge amount of these fruits if we let her.
Bread, for the most part. She’s almost never picky about bread and usually asks to have some if she sees it. She’s not one for most kinds of sandwiches (especially with deli meats), but a grilled cheese will usually suit her just fine.
Chicken nuggets/tenders. This is her main entree most days. Not the healthiest option, but it’s the option that she will eat happily. Always with BBQ sauce or ketchup, of course. And ALWAYS dino-shaped, as the universe intended.
Applesauce. In our home, we stock up on GoGo squeeZ® and serve them with pretty much every meal.
Various junk foods. Candy, chips, cookies, etc. Typical stuff that every kid likes.
…and that’s it! The list of foods Bebe likes is quite short. I don’t try to get too hung up on this because I know she will grow out of it. I was a picky eater myself until I was in my 20’s. Now, in my 30’s, I have relatively few food aversions.
So, with that being said, here is what a typical day for my picky toddler might look like:
Breakfast: Milk, mini pancakes with syrup, and a banana. Sometimes, she doesn’t want the pancakes and will only eat the banana.
Lunch: Nuggies w/ketchup, strawberries, applesauce.
Dinner: More nuggies w/ketchup, more strawberries, and more applesauce (lunch and dinner are usually identical if we’re eating at home). Something we’ve made her before are breaded green beans, but those are a hit-or-miss.
Snacks: Could be Cheerios, some kind of fruit like apples, yogurt (if it’s a fun flavor), crackers, or whatever she sees me or my husband eating (within reason).
If we’re eating at restaurant, it gets a little tricky and if we don’t choose wisely, she may not want to eat anything at all. One time, we went out for pizza (which she usually likes) and she didn’t eat one bite of her pepperoni pizza. Similarly, my husband and I took Bebe to Jimmy John’s a few weeks ago, and she only ate the chips. The sandwich we had bought for her was entirely untouched. I was probably overly optimistic with that one.
In contrast, we took Bebe to Texas Roadhouse this past weekend and she ate everything on her plate with ease. Here’s what she had:
Plenty of bread (without the butter). At some point, I told her to slow down because she was eating them too fast. A problem we rarely have with her.
Kids’ meal chicken tenders w/ketchup. She didn’t seem to like them as much as her beloved dino nuggies, but she ate most of them.
Applesauce.
Juice (of course).
Interestingly, however, we have been told that Bebe isn’t so picky when my husband and I aren’t around. Her daycare regularly reports her eating things she wouldn’t think of eating at home. Things like pasta w/alfredo sauce, peas, green beans, chicken that is not breaded or fried, etc. The thought of her eating these foods is so bizarre that I’m not sure if I believe them. From what I hear, however, it’s pretty common for kids to be a bit more adventurous with food choices when their parents aren’t around. So, I guess I’ll try not to take it too personally.
Being a toddler parent isn’t easy and it can be so challenging, especially when it comes to eating habits, meals, and food aversions. However, it’s important to remember that almost every kid has certain foods they don’t like (some more than others, of course) and there’s a great likelihood that they will grow out of it eventually. I personally don’t believe it’s ever necessary to try to force a child to eat food they don’t like(unlike my parents when I was little). In the long run, that will only create trauma around food, which often leads to disordered eating. In my opinion, the much better option is to let kids eat the foods they like (moderately and within reason) and lead by example with your own eating habits.
XOXO, Alexis.