Busy Mum tips: 4 ways to get your toddler to eat their dinner

You want me to EAT this corn?? AH-hahahah!

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Do you have little ones that won't eat their dinner?

Are you getting sick of having the same battle over and over again?

Even good eaters can be fussy at times, and for us it was a little after our Sophie turned 2 (coincidence? I don't think so), when she started refusing to eat things she had no problem with before (especially salad and veggies!) 

So we got determined and came up with a plan to address it. These ideas worked really well for us, so I'm sharing them tonight with you!

4 ways to get your toddler to eat their dinner:

1. Give them a bit of control with the little things: Let the kids butter their own bread, dunk their chips (or veggies!) in sauce, or sprinkle their own parmesan cheese on top and they'll take more of an interest in eating their dinner because they helped get it ready.

MYdrap Blue Gingham place mat 

with Fushia Floral napkin

2. Eat together at a nicely set table: Kids love to act like 'grown ups' so give them a chance to 'be grown up' at dinner time - set a place for them at your table with the rest of the family, and make an occasion out of it! You can even set the table together - we are currently dressing our table with these cute place mats from MYdrap - the colours are beautiful, they have great environmental benefits (reusable and biodegradable) and the kids can have fun ripping them off the roll with you! When we make dinner time special and include Sophie as if she's an adult, she takes her cue from watching us eat our dinner and eats hers the same way.

3. Set your expectations clearly and firmly with a low tone of voice: If you want your toddler to at least eat 2 mouthfuls of their veggies, let them know with no confusion: "Show Mum 2 bites of vegetables, please" and be polite, but non-negotiable on it. Then talk about something else with the rest of the family so it doesn't become an attention thing or a battle of wills. If your expectations are reasonable and you hold your ground politely but firmly, you will have a positive result, and each meal after this will get easier and easier. 

4. Praise them when they do eat well: Really show them how happy and proud you are! Kids, just like a lot of adults, respond well to praise and are eager for more. We give hi-fives in our house, and it cracks Sophie up :)


So if you've been having difficulties at dinner time, I really hope these ideas help!

Please share any tips you have, I would LOVE to know them - you can never have too many!

**I was given a complimentary sample of Mydrap to try - my opnions of this product are true and my own.