This post about encouraging toddlers to eat well has been made possible because of my ambassadorship with Stonyfield Yogurt. This month, Stonyfield has partnered their ambassadors with Tommee Tippee and I was crazy blessed to receive items from both companies to use as the inspiration for this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
One of the hardest and most rewarding things about motherhood is seeing that tiny baby you brought home from the hospital morph into a not so tiny thing anymore. We’re in the thick of the toddler years here now…. Lola is no longer this tiny beautiful newborn.
(c) Paul Specht Photography
Instead, she’s this spunky 21 month old sprite who keeps up with her five year old brother and cousin.
Every day she’s getting a bit more independent and her vocabulary is exploding. The other day I turned my back for just a second and found her on top of the kitchen table, sitting and chomping on an apple from the fruit bowl (how dare I go to the bathroom alone!).
I simultaneously love and hate this age at the same time.
Things I hate:
- Tantrums
- Her love for waking up at 5:30 am
- Her disdain for clothing
- Her love for tossing food on the floor when she’s finished
Things I love:
- New words and hearing her voice
- Seeing her interact with her world
- Seeing her gain new skills
One of the my favorite parts of toddlerhood is the art of encouraging toddlers to eat well. Most days, I don’t know if I should laugh or cry at just how messy it seems to be.
Lola wakes up in the morning most days (at o’dark thirty) asking for the following things- babies, bows, and blankies. It isn’t long before she finds her way into her high chair and climbs up to demand breakfast. She’s been on a yogurt kick lately, which is fine by me. We alternate between YoBaby and YoToddler (it depends on which grocery store I’m shopping at for the week, some have one but not the other). I like the fact that it is whole milk yogurt and I can pronounce the ingredients. Lola likes it because it is tasty.
Recently, we had the opportunity to put a few items from Tommee Tippee to the toddler test. After using their Easi-Roll Bibs, I ditched all the other bibs we own. They make my life a lot easier…. they wipe clean, roll up very easily for on the go moments, and are unable to be ripped off (they don’t use Velcro).
We also received the Easi Scoop Feeding Bowls With Lids, an Easi Mat, Feeding Spoons, the Insulated Sipper Tumblers, and Closer to Nature Fun Style Pacifiers.
The Easi Scoop Bowls “click” into the Easi Mats. Can we talk about how genius this is? Lola still manages to toss her food onto the floor, but bowl stays in place and on her high chair tray. The top of the bowl has a place for a spoon to click in, which makes snack time on the go really easy. We loved the tumblers- they’re leak proof and not a pain in the rear to clean.
10 Tips For Encouraging Toddlers To Eat Well
1. Make peace with the mess. Toddlers are lovers of mess in general, food included.
2. Control what you can control. As a parent, you can control the what, where, and how often. Let your toddler control the how much and how to and you’ll save yourself from a huge power struggle.
3. Offer something new with something known to be a true favorite.
4. Eat a wide variety of foods, including things you don’t love but want your child to eat. If you want your kiddo to eat broccoli, you’ll have to it too.
5. Give them tools designed specifically for their age range (use a toddler sized fork and spoon instead of an adult sized one).
6. Help them make a connection to where their food comes from. Take them with you grocery shopping, to the farmer’s market, or to pick up your CISA farm share.
7. Cook with them. Little ones might not be able to help make the entire recipe, but toddlers can dump measuring cups and stir!
Malone at 2 (now he’s almost 6) pours himself a glass of fresh pineapple juice.
8. Offer bites of food from your plate. Food always tastes better when it is on mom or dad’s plate!
9. Follow their lead.
10. Make food fun.
Just in time to kick off summer, Tommee Tippee & Stonyfield would like to give away a few things to one lucky reader (value is approximately $50.00).
This gender neutral (in color) prize pack includes:
- Coupons for six packs of YoToddler yogurt
- A set of Easi-Roll Bibs
- Easi Scoop Bowls with Lids
- Easi Mat
- Feeding Spoons
- Insulated Sipper Tumblers
- Close To Nature Fun Style Pacifiers
To Enter, use the widget below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I’d love to try the bowls and mat! I’m going a little crazy with my daughter’s growing independence simultaneously prompting her to do everything herself and also refuse food by throwing it on the floor.
Lisa recently posted..Maternity Sewing: Faux Cami
i would love the bibs!
the easy scoop bowls look great 🙂
I’m most excited about the Stonyfield yogurt coupons.
I love those bowls, but all the prizes are terrific!
I’m loving those bibs and bowls! Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
Erin
I love it all.
[…] the past, I have given you tips about how to feed your toddler without losing your mind and those are still true. Eat the food you want them to eat, don’t talk about food […]