Every parent has been there: you’ve made the meal you know your child loves, and somehow today it’s the worst thing they’ve ever seen. Fussiness around food is so common in toddlers it’s almost a stage of development, but it doesn’t have to mean tears (yours or theirs).
Over years of feeding many, many small humans at Toddies, our kitchen team has picked up a few approaches that genuinely work. Here are the ones we’d recommend to any parent fighting the daily dinner war.
1. Serve new foods alongside old favourites
If broccoli is the new thing this week, put it on the plate with something they already love, maybe pasta, or a cheese sandwich. Don’t replace their favourite with the new food. They get to choose, they feel safe, and curiosity often takes care of the rest.
2. Repeat, repeat, repeat
Research suggests a child may need to see a new food 10–15 times before they’re willing to taste it. So if today’s offering ends up on the floor, that’s fine. Try again tomorrow without commenting on yesterday. Persistence is everything.
The first day a new food is “yuck”. The seventh day it’s “okay”. The twelfth day it’s their favourite. We’ve seen it hundreds of times.
3. Let them help
Children who help wash, chop or stir are dramatically more likely to taste the food they’ve prepared. Even a two-year-old can rinse lettuce or sprinkle cheese on a pizza base. The ownership matters.
4. Skip the negotiation
It’s tempting to say “one more bite and you can have a treat”, but it teaches children that the new food is a hurdle and the treat is the reward. Instead, serve the food, sit with them, eat together, and don’t comment if they don’t try it. Take the heat out of the moment.
5. Eat together
The single most powerful thing? Sit and eat the same thing alongside your child. Watching you enjoy a meal does more than any encouragement ever could.
Most fussy eating phases pass. Stay calm, stay consistent, and try not to make food the battlefield. Your toddler will get there.
