Parenting Tips for Your 23-24 Month Old Toddler
It is not easy for a toddler to switch from baby foods to adult foods. Your toddler probably won’t be happy when she finds a new food on her plate. In fact she, like most toddlers, may not eat a new food the first time it’s given to her.
When your child rejects a new food, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t like it. It means she’s a little afraid of it and needs some time to get used to it.
Here are some things you can do to help:
- Serve yourself the same food and eat it to show that you like it.
- Suggest that she might want to taste it, but don’t force, bribe, or punish her if she refuses.
- Serve the new food again within a week or two. The second time, it won’t seem so new to her. Again, don’t make a fuss if she doesn’t eat it. Sometimes it will take 7-15 tries before a toddler will even taste the new food.
Most toddlers would be happy to just eat three or four favorite foods. For good nutrition, they need to learn to like a lot of different foods. Fix many different kinds of food for your toddler, not just a few favorites.
Help her enjoy foods like milk, yogurt, cheese, fruits, vegetables, breads, rice, cereals, fish, chicken, meat, eggs, peanut butter, and beans.
