How to Feed Your Toddler: Tips for Caregivers

All caregivers want their kids to be ‘good’ eaters. We think of ‘good’ eaters as children who like eating, are interested in food, like eating with the family, will eat foods offered to them, and have good mealtime manners.

As the child’s caregiver, you are the key to getting them to this place.

The #1 key to raising healthy eaters is the division of responsibility – Parents (Caregivers) Provide, Kids Decide!

• Parents and caregivers are responsible for what, when, and where.
• The child is responsible for how much and whether to eat. 

The division of responsibility applies at all ages, infancy to early childhood to adolescence.

• In infancy, it is important to feed your baby on demand, letting him determine the timing and tempo of the feeding. (See section Feeding Guide: 0-5 month old.) 
• As baby develops and becomes more regular in his eating patterns, you as the caregiver gradually take on responsibility for when and where to feed. 
• Most children are ready to join in with family meals and snack routine by the end of the first year. At that point parents focus on what, when, and where.

Your Job:

Whether your child is picky, eats too much or too little, or is too big or too thin, the solution is the same: do your jobs with feeding and let your child do his jobs with eating. Improve the mealtime experience with your kids with guidance from the Satter approach.

• Set a good example.
• Buy healthy food.
• Provide regular meals and snacks at the designated times for your family.   A normal routine brings comfort and consistency to a child’s life. 
• Offer small portions and allow the child to ask for seconds. 
• Make eating times enjoyable.
• Teach good manners at mealtime.
• Don’t let your child have food or beverages (except water) between meal and snack times.
• Do not use food as a reward, bribe, or a way to quiet the child.
• Let your child grow into the body that is right for him.

Child’s Job:

Part of your feeding job as the caregiver is to trust your child to:

• Eat the amount he needs.
• Learn to eat the food you eat.
• Grow predictably in the way that is right for him. 
• Learn to behave well at mealtime.

“Good” Eaters

We consider kids to be “good” eaters when they:

• Like eating
• Are interested in food
• Feel good about eating
• Like being at the table
• Can wait a few minutes to eat when hungry
• Can try a new food and learn to like it
• Like a lot of different foods
• Can eat until full
• Can stop when full
• Can eat in other places besides home
• Can say “no” politely when they don’t want to eat
• Can be around new or strange foods without getting upset
• Have good table manners
• Can “make do” with less-favorite foods

Every caregiver wants their child to be a “good” eater, but it takes time, patience, and consistency to get there. By being consistent with the division of responsibility, your child will eventually become a “good” eater!

For more details on what foods you should be offering to your child, check out these feeding guides: 1-3 year olds or 4-5 year olds.

Have a picky eater? Check out this article.