THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY GENERAL MILLS BUT THE CONTENT AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN.
These days, my four-year old is very particular about what she wants to eat. If it was up to her, she would interchange between oatmeal and cereal for every meal.
What do you do when your toddler is a picky eater?
I GIVE MINE CEREAL!
At our last doctor’s visit, my four-year old was declared healthy.
This eased some of my mom fears about the lack of variety in her diet.
If she eats cereal all day, I know that I have to sneak in other things throughout the week, but it doesn’t make me a bad mom for giving in to her desires!
Cheerios (in all flavors) is a staple in my house.
I love that Frosted Cheerios is packed with whole grains and now Gluten Free!
These days, my four-year old is very particular about what she wants to eat. If it was up to her, she would interchange between oatmeal and cereal for every meal.
On the days that she is feeling adventurous, I try these tricks to make sure she gets the nutrition she needs:
Puree Veggies Into Their Favorite Foods
I love a good mom hack as good as the next mom. One of my favorites is pureeing veggies into my kids meals. I’ve pureed spinach into her lasagna and squash in curry chicken. The trick is to not overdo the veggies so that it changes the color or flavor of the food.
Toddlers tend to want the same things, so if the appearance or taste is different, the food is off-limits.
Vitamins
Vitamins come in all shapes, colors, flavors and consistencies. This helps with picky eaters.
There’s a vitamin for everyone! If your child loves gummy candy, try giving them gummy vitamins instead of the hard ones.
Introduce a New Food at Least 10 Times
I’m sure you read this in a baby book somewhere, but the advice still applies. Just because they didn’t try squash the first 5 times doesn’t mean they will never try it. Keep introducing it mama!
Your child will also be more apt to try a new food if they see their family eat it. I can’t tell you how many times my kids have tried something new (years after the fact) straight off my plate.
Invest in Cookie Cutters
Cutting sandwiches into your child’s name, or favorite character can be a lifesaver! This also allows you to incorporate education into their food.
Turn your Food into Art
We like to make words and numbers with Cheerios. Since my children are two and four, they are very interested in numbers and words. They get so tickled when they see their names spelled out in cereal!
What has helped you conquer the battle of your picky eater?
Nina says
June 9, 2016 at 4:56 pmHi! I totally concur that a mom should try anything she can for her kids to love food. You presented some fun ideas and suggestions. It goes along well with my post this week http://www.millionsofpeachesblog.com/#!Vivi-LeDish-is-Sponsor-of-June-Giveaway/zgf9t/5752d4160cf2cc77abf80eca if you want to have a look and maybe enter to win a cookbook for children? Vivi LeDish is sponsoring my giveaway. Thanks.
Diedre says
June 9, 2016 at 9:05 pmI will! Thanks for stopping.
Stacy says
June 9, 2016 at 5:32 pmWe are big Cheerios fans in my house! Also just found your blog and it’s great! I’m biracial raising multiracial kids! My daughter is fair and people def used to think I was her nanny!
Diedre says
June 9, 2016 at 9:04 pmThanks for stopping by Stacy! I hope you can relate to what I write. You can correct me if I get something wrong 🙂 What hair care products do you love?
Erin says
June 9, 2016 at 10:05 pmI love the idea to turn food into art! Cereal is a favorite in our house, too – perfect for an actual meal and for snacking! One of my best tips these days when dealing with my picky 18-month-old’s eating habits is to be flexible and not worry. 🙂
Diedre says
June 10, 2016 at 12:01 amErin, great tip! That should probably be first on the list
jeeyoung says
June 10, 2016 at 9:49 pmI love cereal for dinner, for myself LOL. Our go to meal is a quesadilla or rice wrapped in seaweed!
Diedre says
June 11, 2016 at 1:39 amOoh..That sounds heavenly!!
Natalie says
June 11, 2016 at 10:49 pmMy favorite would have to be the gluten free Apple Cinnamon Cheerios! Those have always been my favorite!!
Diedre says
June 11, 2016 at 10:50 pmThat was one of my favorites as a child Natalie!
HS says
June 13, 2016 at 8:56 pmFollow and tweeted the post@kraftmaking. My family loves chocolate Cheerios.
HS says
June 13, 2016 at 8:57 pmkraftmaking at gmail dot com (HS)
Diedre says
June 13, 2016 at 9:08 pmThank you so much for sharing!
Livivua says
June 14, 2016 at 7:47 pmI followed on twitter and tweeted @vivaciousgold
and our favorite cereal is trix
liviviua….yes.4eva.r@gmail.com
Diedre says
June 14, 2016 at 10:48 pmThank you so much! Good luck in the giveaway!
Breanne says
June 28, 2016 at 11:10 pmI follow and shared. https://twitter.com/RazzMyBerry/status/747930123727478787
I love Cheerios. Thanks for the chance!
Diedre says
June 30, 2016 at 12:11 amThanks Breanne. Good luck!