Why Does My Toddler Refuse To Eat Certain Foods?
Toddlers and tantrums go hand in hand. But things get really serious when they throw a food tantrum. You might try every food in this world; from animal-shaped nuggets to rainbow plates only to get it rejected by the little person in the snap of a moment. Well, you are not the only one who feels frustrated in this situation. Every parent has been there at least once and this food hiatus in toddlers aged 12 to 18 months is pretty common too. But fret not as this is not a permanent problem. As a parent, you would like to get to the root cause of the problem for sure.
Here are the top six reasons why your toddler refuses to eat certain foods:
1- Food Neophobia: “The fear of trying new foods is known as Food Neophobia” and this fear is quite normal when the babies are going through the developmental phase. Known as the fear response, you cannot do anything about it. All you can do is just wait for the phase to pass. Try sitting your child at the table. When they watch you eat the same food, the fear will go away eventually.
2- Temperament: If your child is a strong-willed toddler, there is a high chance they will refuse the food. As they like to be in control and test your boundaries at this time of the age.
3- Taste Buds: Babies tend to have quite mature sweet taste buds and are highly sensitive to bitter foods. Moreover, the number of taste buds is also higher in number compared to the number of adults. Hence, they taste food differently than we do. Oftentimes, certain food preferences run in the family too.
4-Growth Rate: When the kids are at their toddler stage, their appetite automatically reduces due to the reduction in growth rate around their second birthday. That’s why your toddler might refuse the same food that they used to love as a baby.
5- Lesser Gap between Foods: While serving snacks and meals, make sure you keep an optimum gap between the meals. When you serve them snacks right before mealtime, they won’t be able to finish their meals as they already feel full. It is recommended to schedule both of them at least 2.5 to 3 hours apart. Keep separate tableware for snacks and meals to make mealtimes interesting. Twistshake.ca is a renowned baby accessory brand that offers a range of high-quality baby accessories.
6- Teething: While teething, babies experience pain in the gums. This is a very common reason for averting foods. Give your baby pain medicine like paracetamol to top off the pain so they can resume their eating patterns.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Your toddler refusing the food is worrisome for you as a parent but if things don’t seem to be alarming, just wait for the phase to pass.
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