As parents ourselves we know just how frustrating it can be feeding fussy eaters at Christmas can be.  Invariably you've cooked the festive feast whilst juggling multiple magna-tile induced meltdowns, crayons up the wall and your little one saying every minute "I'm staaaaaarving". And then once you've rustled up a feast with all the gusto of a Michelin stared chef and you place the plate in front of your ravenous toddler it's received with a push away and "that's disgusting". Some gratitude....

We hear you! We love cooking for our own kids but it can be soul destroying when your culinary efforts aren't appreciated and a frenzy of fussiness erupts around the table. So we thought we'd share our top tips for how we manage our toddlers when they're being fussy as we found it can be even more frustrating over the festive period. 

1. Role Model Eating at Christmas Dinner

Wherever possible we try to eat as a family when we can; we eat the same food and sit down together. We have always been struck by how much our kids are watching, learning and adapting to our behaviours. And it's no different with eating. If we eat something different from them they consciously think there must be something wrong with their food. By eating the same food as a family we reinforce to our toddlers that it's good food to eat and we are together. 

2. Discuss Foods to Encourage Picky Toddlers

As a family, we don't subscribe to the hidden veggies mantra but rather we talk to our kids about the composition of different foods and why it's important. For example, if one of them is being picky about a piece of chicken we'll explain that it's important we eat the chicken as it's good for their growing muscles and keeping them full. Or with broccoli we'll discuss the importance of iron in their diet. Kids are like a sponge with information and they're so inquisitive to learn more so we've found this is a useful way to help them understand different foodstuffs and why they're important. 

3. Consistency & Boundaries during Gestive Meals

Ok so this one is probably the hardest one to enforce sometimes, esp. when the metaphorical world is about to end because you've put gravy on the turkey breast and your toddler has now decided that everything is ruined. But being consistent and sticking with your boundaries will help keep you sane during these moments and ensure your little one understands that there's no alternative to what's on offer. We've found that when the inevitable meltdown arises and our boys refuse to eat their dinner if we explain that it's the only option available, 99% of the time they will (admittedly begrudgingly) eat their dinner. It's a tough one to keep to when you're tired, stressed and have a million and one other things to sort before you can get to bed but it really does work over time. 

4. Lots of Praise

Kids love positive reinforcement so we always look to praise our boys if they try a new food or eat their dinner once their meltdown has calmed down. We think it helps them to regulate their emotions whilst also giving them a sense of achievement. 

5. The Sweet Stuff

Ok that all sounds great but what about the masses of sweet foods they just want to eat the whole time? With all these things, it's a personal parental choice how to manage the foods your kids will eat. But for us we give our kids puddings, chocolates and sweets. We just try to ensure that it's not that regular and we don't make a big deal out of it so we give our kids the impression that it's just another food stuff. 

Oh and a note on More Toddler Meals

We believe toddlers should be given a broad range of high quality ingredients to fuel their rapid development as they progress from being a baby to a pre-schooler. Our meals are packed full of veggies, real flavours and textures as we want them to offer the quality of a home cooked meal when it's not practical to offer one. 

Parenting is the biggest rollercoaster ride and feeding a fussy eater can be super stressful. Our top tips are not exhaustive and are only based on our personal experience. You will probably have better ideas based on what works with your little one but we hope they provide some ideas about how to manage a fussy toddler this Christmas period!