My Top Five Tips on Feeding Stubborn Eaters!

Hi everyone!  So today I am going to be talking about kids and food, which if you have kids you know that meal times can sometimes be a daunting task.  Our oldest daughter, Ezrah, who is four now, has ALWAYS been hard to feed.  She is pretty petite and also very active and so she isn't always interested in sitting down to eat.  She can get easily distracted and also, just has a small appetite to begin with.  So today I am going to share with you five tips on how I get my daughter to eat more at meal times and throughout the day.  Even though I have not perfected any of these and we still have our struggles when it comes to eating, I feel like we have made positive steps to ensuring that she is getting enough to eat!

1. Make food fun 

So this might be the most obvious one but making food fun can help your little ones get excited about eating.  You don't have to go overboard with this and do it everyday but it can be helpful.  Ezrah got super excited about this piece of toast that I made look like a puppy, the Nutella ears didn't hurt either ;)

2. Let them help you prepare their meal 

This is one that I am still not the best with because sometimes I just want to get lunch on the table and keep it moving, which is totally fine on those days when everything else is overwhelming.  But I found that Ezrah loves to help me make her meal and it turns out that she gets excited to eat something that she has had a hand in making.  I also think this a great way to encourage independence.

3. Let them go to the kitchen to get their own snacks

Ok, so I may be totally alone on this one because I know many parents don't let their young ones in the kitchen at all BUT I have found that by letting our daughter go to the kitchen when she needs a snack really helps!  It does require some guidance on my part because she certainly isn't allowed to just have her way to her hearts content in there but if she wants to go grab a yogurt, a piece of fruit, or a piece of cheese I am totally fine with that.  She is getting older and knows when she is hungry so I think letting her have this independence (to an extent) has been really great!

4. Add fruit! 

My daughter loooooves fruit of any kind so I try my best to always have it around.  One of the things that helps is to slice it up and put on things like toast or waffles or even in sandwiches.  It is a great way to add something sweet without adding sugar.  And don't kids just love sweet?!

5. Make them eat what's on their plate

So throughout the day I am not too much of a stickler when it comes to Ezrah finishing what's on her plate, I try my best but with a nine month old who also needs my attention, it doesn't always happen.  However, dinner time is a different story (when dad is home to help haha!).  We always try to dish her up a reasonable amount that we know she can handle and we expect her to eat all of it.  If she sits to long and doesn't eat then she goes in time out and eventually she will have to go to bed early.  Not only is this healthy for her to eat all her food but we also firmly believe in teaching discipline even at a young age and this is the perfect way to do so.  Since we implemented this we have seen a huge difference in her eating habits.  She is learning that we take it seriously and that if she doesn't eat within a timely manner she will end up in trouble.  We still have our moments but like I said, she is learning, so if you are in the same boat, hang in there, it will get easier!

Bonus: Offer dessert! 

My husband isn't huge on sweets but most nights I personally have dessert and I always offer some to Ezrah contingent upon her finishing her meal.  I know this is so obvious but I just had to mention it.  Even just offering her one cookie will usually motivate her to get to eating!


Well that all I have for today!  If you have young children I hope this helped in some way and trust me, I know that the battle is real and frustrating but just making little changes can help so much and you can always remember that we are in this together!

Have a blessed weekend!


3 comments

  1. The teddy bear toast is so cute! I always enjoy making appetizing meals and learning about different ways to incorporate fun into food. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Of course! Thanks so much for reading :)

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