have a 17 month granddaughter and she only wants to snack any ideas on getting her to eat regular food and not only snacks all day?
I had a strict schedule with my kids, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and then one last snack before brushing. They had no problem eating meals, might be worth a shot.
My son was a grazer as well . Always kept a plate of veggies and a plate if fruit and healthy crackers .
Sit and eat meals together and get a schedule set up for snacks and food
What are the snacks? Are they healthy?
It really depends on what you mean as snacks. Fruit, veggies, cheese, yogurt, or cookies, candies, processed foods? Toddlers are often grazers. Offer only healthy snacks and mini meals. I always had my gets sit with us at meal times and offered them what we were eating along a few things I knew they liked but never forced them to eat or clean plates. Kids will eat when they are hungry. It’s up to us to make sure what they are getting is healthy.
Just offer healthy snacks. At that age my daughter snacked all day too, they have little stomachs so they need to eat smaller amounts more often but it doesn’t mean you need to give them junk all day
We do “polite bites” where my son try’s everything once. I don’t force anything if he does not like it. He also started trying more things when he “helped” me make things. Help her cut the food, stir it, shake it. When they put in effort they are more willing to try new things!
Look up turning healthy foods into snacks…. Or just offer healthier options. If you only watch her while her parents are at work than just offer healthier snacks and let her parents feed her when she gets home to them.
“This too shall pass away”
Find alternative healthy snacks she likes. Cut out junk. If you don’t buy it they won’t eat it. Kids eat when they are hungry, eventually she’ll realize she’s not going to get them and eat better. Even if she is just at grandparents house for the day or something. She’ll learn what she can and can’t eat with you. It’s all about your discipline in giving her these things.
Also children that young mostly snack during the day anyways. As long as she’s eating she will grow out of it eventually. Give her meals in snack size proportions.
Don’t give her snacks. Put out fruit or raw veggies and dip (lots of littles like to dip), but NO SNACKS.
Children will not starve themselves. If you continue to only offer healthy food, she’ll get hungry and eat.
I raised 9 children and have 15 grandchildren. They all eat healthy.
She’s still young. As long as she’s eating for her weight and age, and also eating some healthy stuff, I wouldn’t push the issue tbh.
From what I remember you put a teaspoon of each food on the plate and that’s good if they can eat that much
Pick your battles. At this age… Food isn’t one of them
My kids eat better when I offer snack trays. Like a kids charcuterie board however. I have 1 kid who eats all day basically. He’s just not a meal eater. It isn’t a big deal as long as she’s not shoving chips and chocolate in her mouth all day.
A long time ago I learned to get out of the mindset of “regular meals”. You don’t have to have breakfast, lunch and dinner. Make small healthy snacks and let them eat. If my kids want a snack before dinner, I’ve never said no.
Snacking is all she needs, just let her snack on health options a portion of the day
Give healthy snacks and I found with small kids less on the plate or tray is better, it’s seems to over whelm my grandson if you give him everything at once . Just keep giving more instead of a plate of food at once . One of my kids would eat more if I let them walk around and eat . I would just hand them different snacks and she would eat it . Even now she doesn’t like to sit down to eat and she is 22
Her tummy is the size of her tiny little fist. She NEEDS to have healthy foods to “snack” on all day & evening.
Toddlers rarely eat “meals”.
Keep plenty of fresh fruits, raw veggies, chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, dry cereals, applesauce, yogurts, puddings, jello, lunchables, snack crackers, & ice cream on hand & seriously dont expect them to eat big servings of anything at this point. Just feed small helpings if healthy snacks & as much milk & fresh water as they want.
They are growing fast & burning lors of calories, so small healthy snacks often are much better than 3 bigger meals.
Yeah good luck. My five year old lives on snack foods
Little ones have very little tummies. She is snacking bc she doesn’t need that much food before she feels full. Serve smaller meals and let her graze throughout the day when she’s hungry. The strict mindset of three meals sets up kids for failure as adults.
Just make sure that her snacks are healthy as well.
healthy Buffet style…try give options…kind of like a lunchable/mini scharchuteri board/meat, cheese, fruit tray type of thing…but in small portions to not overwhelm.
Try to withhold snacks until she eats the healthy food. Tell her she has to eat this FIRST then her snacks
Maybe stop buying snacks?
Good luck. My kiddos a snacker to
Regular food or regular meals?
You can snack on "regular " food, and “meals” are literally just time frames, if snacking all the time there isn’t room and no hunger for a meal, so cut back on snacks
Steam vegies and give them in chunky pieces to chew , broccoli florets, carrots, cauliflower
Don’t give her the snacks all day sit her down for meals… Don’t buy junk… Only healthy snacks…
Offer small portions of meals instead of snacks… I’ve yet to meet a kid who will starve themselves.
Get a compartment plate. All small amounts of different healthy food.
Stop feeding her snacks! Make food, sit her in a highchair and let her feed herself.
What do you mean? How do I make her? She’s a baby, for God sake! What is wrong with you people?
Turn regular food into snacks - you’re welcome
Stop buying junk snacks
If all you have is healthier stuff, she’ll eat it when she’s hungry.
But, do mot force anything she actually hates.
Yep, but I was raised old fashioned so it’s an unpopular fix:
Put what she can have in front of her - and that’s all she gets. Fresh daily till she eats it. Don’t buy any more “snacks” until she gets it in her head she has to eat the healthy stuff first, snacks are for later if and when it’s deemed appropriate by you: the adult.
Small amounts on the plate to get her used to the new foods first make the first few meals bright n colourful