Has your baby gone from being a great eater, breast feeding or having bottles on a schedule, to now being a toddler who is a fussy eater? This is a normal part of the growing up process for parents. Yes, it is time for the parents to learn from their toddler, here are 10 tips to feed fussy eaters the way they want to be fed.

1. Mom and Dad, give finger foods to your toddler. Those little fingers need something to do at eating time. Sitting and look at mush in a bowl is not fun. Your toddler wants to look, feel, taste, and throw their food.

2. Have your fussy eaters enjoy eating with everyone else in the family. It might distract you from eating for a little while, but the interaction and playfulness of the table with others will keep them interested in their food, too.

3. Offer options, but not substitutions to your toddler. If you are having challenges getting your little boy or girl to eat, put several options on their plate for them to try. Do not run and get other foods when they are fussy. This just teaches them to be fussy in order to get special treatment. You do not want to reinforce the behavior.

4. Snack times are for grazing. Choose snacks which can be carried around in their hands and nibbled on as they play. Your fussy eaters may not be protesting about the food choices, but about the captivity. Allow a little extra freedom during snacks.

5. Vary the choices of foods. While you believe your fussy eater only loves bananas, bread, or their other favorite choice, you need to experiment. Offer new kinds of fruits or vegetables and let them explore. You will probably discover they have a wide variety of favorites you would never have expected.

6. One thing about fussy eaters, today’s yucky food, is next weeks yummy food. Reintroduce foods to them even if they disliked them a couple weeks ago. Your job is to learn patience from your selective eater. They will teach you the importance of trying again.

7. All of us can learn an important lesson from fussy eaters. Just because it is meal time does not mean we are really hungry. A meal might turn into a light snack, or be skipped completely. When they are hungry, they will eat.

8. Make their favorite foods hard to find. Our fussy eaters are much like us. We love certain foods, and often over indulge. For healthier living we need to put those special choices out of sight and out of mind.

9. Do not give your fussy eater juice, milk, or other filling drinks at meal times. They are likely to quickly drink the cup empty, and their tiny stomach will be full. Why eat when you are full? Offer only water at meal times, which is healthy for us, too.

10. Ignore what the “good children” are eating. Your fussy eaters will have their own tastes, their own favorites, and their own eating patterns. You would not want someone else telling you what foods you love. Comparing children will just frustrate you and your child.

Following these few tips will help you survive your fussy eaters. They are giving you new lessons on how to treat them everyday. It is up to you to discover how they want to eat.