An enormous amount of energy and stress is needlessly wasted by parents around mealtimes.  Trying to force feed an otherwise well nourished toddler against their will using various encouragements, games or threats mostly results in food everywhere but in the child's mouth.  A flustered parent and a child who has not had a single morsel more than what they wanted to in the first place.

   Toddlers are as varied as adults, some are fat, some are thin, some are fussy and some mimic a garbage disposal unit, where everything edible and occasionally inedible goes in the mouth.

   It is very very rare for a toddler to starve themselves to illness.  The survival instinct will mostly overpower fussiness.  However if you have a toddler who is underweight or malnourished and very fussy it would be prudent to get medical advice to ensure there are no underlying medical problems.  If however your toddler is in a normal weight range, then there is nothing to gain by making every meal time a battlefield of opposing wills. 

   Some tips include:

1.   Have meals in a fixed location without distractions.  TV dinners are out!

2.   Keep meals simple and nutritious (nothing is more frustrating than spending hours on a meal and then baby takes only half a bite.

3.   If baby insists on feeding themselves, give them a good scooped bib (so spilled food can be recycled) and an appropriately sized spoon and give them a helping hand as required.

4.   If your child refuses dinner, simply place unused portion in the fridge and offer it to them later (ensuring it is still safe to eat!)  DO NOT ALLOW top up snacks of sweets and milk and cookies after an uneaten dinner.

5.   Let children eat at their own pace.  If they are slowly nibbling away, let it go.  Some will always finish before you and even borrow some food off your plate.

6.   Encourage adult healthy eating habits, but stay flexible.  Eventually pier pressure and maturity will encourage them into an eating pattern more like yours.

7.   If your toddler dislikes variety (as many do), then repetitive nutritious meals are just fine.  It can also help to make meals look interesting.  Food cut into interesting shapes, food faces and simple food pictures are always popular.

   Don't worry if your toddler is just a snacker.  If you are concerned about their nutritional intake, keep a food dairy.  Write down every bite of food that gets into your toddler's mouth.  You may be surprised that their constant snacking on a piece of cheese, some sultanas, three bites of a chicken salad sandwich, two bites of apple, a chocolate biscuit with a slice of tomato and so on, actually ads up to be a well balanced diet.

   Naturally to be avoided are reliance on sweet sugary drinks, potato crisps, sweets, cookies and other very fatty and overly sugary foods.