Keeping your toddler in tiptop shape includes managing what your toddler eats. However, there are certain toddler feeding blunders parents make. Here is how you can avoid them.

Mistake # 1: Setting A Bad Example

The most common mistake parents make when it comes to feeding their children is setting a bad example. If you do not eat well yourself, how can you expect your toddler to do the same? Eat a lot of nutritious foods in front of your toddler. If you say no eating of chocolates before dinnertime, do not sneak out and grab a bar. When your toddler sees you enjoy fruits and vegetables, he will more likely have a healthy attitude towards eating right.

Mistake # 2: Force Feeding

If you pressure your toddler to eat a certain food, you create a power struggle which will only upset the two of you and make him feel he has no freedom. Remember, children do not accept new foods right away. They need time, so try not to make a big fuss when your toddler refuses the food you offered. Serve him foods you know he will like and just try again after a couple of days.

Mistake # 3: Short-order Cooking

Do not serve your toddler a different dish just because he is a picky eater as this will only increase the bad habit. Offer your toddler the same food you prepared for the family but give him choices. For instance, if you are having sandwich for breakfast, have him choose between peanut butter and jelly or tuna filling. If you are having vegetables for dinner, make sure there is at least one item your toddler will enjoy. Hide vegetables in food (e.g. broccoli mac and cheese, puree vegetables and mix them in dips or sneak them into soups or meat).

Mistake # 4: The Clean Your Plate Rule

Asking your toddler to finish his food will only result to overeating and make him uncomfortable with food. Serve your little one child-size portions so he is more encouraged to eat. Also, if he stops eating because he is full, let him leave the dining table.

Mistake # 5: Giving Up Too Fast

Just because your toddler did not like green beans once does not mean he will never like it again. According to pediatricians, it takes about 10 to 15 tries before a toddler accepts new food. Let him watch you eat it. Place a few servings on his plate. Have him touch it, put it in his mouth and let him spit it into a napkin - eventually he will accept it.

Mistake # 6: Depriving Sweets

Minimizing your toddler’s sweet and sugar intake is fine, but completely eliminating them to his diet is not okay. Children love sweets and the more they are deprived, the more likely they will overeat them. Plan balanced snacks. Allow him to eat dessert after dinner. Try healthier dessert alternatives such as low-fat pudding or yogurt or strawberries with whipped cream.

The secret to avoiding these mistakes so you can provide your toddler a nutritious diet is to strike a balance between controlling his foods and giving him some freedom of choice.