Tips on How to Encourage Toddlers to Eat Healthy Food

Hello, moms! This article is a response to many messages that I have been receiving asking me about how I encourage my 3-year-old Tala to eat fruits and vegetables. Please allow me to share these five tried and tested tips on how to encourage toddlers to eat healthy food.

1. Model Healthy Eating Habits

Toddlers are experts at copying the people around them. More often than not, their actions and behavior are a reflection of how we act and behave around them. Do not be surprised when you find out that they also eat the way that we do.

Tala loves eating vegetables and fruits because we always have fruits and vegetables on the table. When she sees me eating a banana, she would also ask for a bite. (She only eats a bite or two because she gets easily constipated with bananas). When she sees her Tatay nibble on okra, she would ask for some, too.

As explained by Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, children learn by observing their environment and imitating their role models. Well, at home, we, parents, are their models! Therefore, if you want your child to appreciate vegetables and fruits, you should show them first that you enjoy these healthy treats, as well.

2. Give Healthy Options

Toddlers love it when they are given the chance to make their own decisions. They feel empowered when their opinions are asked and valued.

During meals, it is good for toddlers to feel the same sense of confidence when they choose the food that they want to eat. Like what Erik Erikson stipulated in the Autonomy vs Shame & Doubt stage of his Psychosocial Development Theory, young children want to have a certain level of independence and control over their lives— including the food that they eat. The more autonomy they exercise, the more confident they feel inside.

I know a lot of you will say, “Of course, my child will choose chocolates and chips over apples and milk!’ That is true to most kids, I think.

That is why it is important to always give healthy food items as options. “Sweetie, do you want to have mangoes or grapes for dessert?” or “What are you having for breakfast, cornflakes with milk or rice and eggs?”

For our kids to learn to eat healthy food, it is important to always stock up on healthy food so that when it is time for them to make a decision, we are prepared for our healthy options.

Not only will they be forced to choose between two healthy options, but they will also feel empowered to make decisions for themselves – a milestone that leads to confidence and good self-image

3. Give Plenty of Praises

Appreciate the efforts of your little ones to eat healthy food. When you see them eat a slice of apple, praise them for eating fruits. When you see them finish their milk, show a “thumbs up” sign and flash a smile.

Praises reinforce good behavior, and when we acknowledge their efforts to eat healthy food, trust me, they will do it again and again and again.

That is the power of rewards! Have you heard about B.F Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory? His message is simple – reward good behavior and your child will do it again.

4. Tell Them About the Importance of Eating Healthy Food

We should not underestimate the ability of our children to understand. To help them appreciate fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods, we should tell them why eating those is important.

In our case, Tala knows that she should eat vegetables and fruits because these help in her regular bowel movement.
When she became constipated one time, we explained to her that it happened because she did not eat a lot of healthy food. Right now, she does not resist munching on fibrous food because she knows its relevance.

5. Make Eating Fun and Enjoyable

Eating should always be made fun and enjoyable. After all, we are enjoying the blessings that God has provided for us.

However, we sometimes fall into the temptation of forcing our kids to eat a spoonful of leaves even when they are already crying or throwing up.

I went through that when Tala was one year old. Eating time was always crying time. I did not like it, and I am sure she hated feeding time, as well.

Feeding time became more relaxed when we used our creativity in making feeding time more fun. We started serving food that kids find appealing and exciting to eat. We also looked for toddler-approved recipes that are both healthy and yummy. Right now, eating time is certainly a fun-filled family bonding activity.

I hope you learned something from this post. Forgive me for injecting a few theories. My love for Psychology resurfaces when talking about topics like this (but seriously, applying theories to child-rearing is helpful!)

There you go! I wish all of us the best! Let us all inspire each other to become the best moms that we can be to our children!

Remember, this is Moms Inspiring Moms! Let us be the reason that someone gets inspired today!

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