If you adore your little one, you naturally want them to thrive. But feeding a toddler can often feel like an uphill battle. My son, for instance, begins his daily hunger strike around 3 PM and doesn’t eat again until morning. My friend recently offered the sage advice that I should simply serve a dinner my son enjoys. But I reminded her that my cousin used to fall asleep at the dinner table every single night rather than take a bite. Memory can be a funny thing.
Here’s a light-hearted take on how to navigate feeding your toddler dinner in 18 amusing steps:
- Whip up a meal you know your toddler will appreciate: buttered noodles (no sauce, of course!), chicken (make sure it doesn’t look like chicken!), and peas (keeping them separate is a must!).
- At the last moment, because you enjoy a challenge, you decide to add a tiny piece of salad to their plate to help broaden their palate and foster growth.
- Present the dinner to your toddler and immediately regret the salad, praying to the toddler gods—Dora, Daniel Tiger, and Elmo—that they won’t notice it. Please, don’t spot the salad, little storm of emotions!
- Of course, they see the salad.
- Cue the mini meltdown! You’re left with two options: A) Bail and protect your remaining sanity or B) Stand your ground and teach your child that it’s not appropriate to declare, “Yucky! Gross! Call Grandma!” every time they encounter their meal.
- You opt for the latter because you know readers expect you to stick with it. You’re bound to receive unsolicited parenting advice about how this salad moment could define your child’s future.
- Being the firm parent, you endure about 20 time-outs over the next 45 minutes, just in time for the rest of the family to sit down for dinner. Perfect timing!
- You try to savor your meal amidst the heart-wrenching sobs that are both painful to hear yet oddly gratifying, as maybe—just maybe—they’re learning something.
- You silently remind yourself that you say this to yourself every night.
- The rest of the family finishes their meals, does the dishes, tackles laundry, and enjoys some TV time while you’re still in the trenches.
- Your toddler suddenly declares they are full and demands dessert, as if it’s the most reasonable request.
- You glance at their plate, noting they’ve consumed approximately zero bites of food.
- You respond, “You must eat three bites and try the salad before dessert.” You don’t know why those words came out; sometimes, your mother just seems to emerge from within you!
- But since your toddler is blissfully unaware of counting, they shout, “No, five bites!”
- Your older child begins to explain, “But five is more than…” until you shoot them your best “hush up or the iPad is gone” glare.
- The family now carefully avoids eye contact with the toddler, who won’t even think about taking a bite while being observed—like a bashful giraffe.
- Miraculously, your toddler manages to eat five bites (and even tries the salad!) all by themselves, three hours after everyone else has completed their dinner.
- They might earn that dessert after all, especially since you know that oatmeal is hidden in that cookie, and the calories might just keep them going for another day.
For even more insights into parenting, check out this post from one of our other blogs. And if you’re looking to boost your fertility knowledge, Make a Mom offers excellent resources. Don’t forget to visit News Medical for in-depth information about pregnancy and home insemination!
Summary
Feeding a toddler dinner can be a challenging yet amusing endeavor. Understanding their preferences, navigating meltdowns, and ensuring they eat a balanced meal is a journey filled with ups and downs. With patience, a sense of humor, and a little creativity, you can make mealtime enjoyable for everyone involved.