6. Lead by Example

This one is hard for me… or will be when I start trying it. This means being a good example in what foods you eat. Are you drinking soda while “teaching” your little ones to be content with water? Let me tell you, you are teaching more loudly with your behavior than with your words! I’m not doing anyone any favors by munching a cookie while feeding my little one peas and carrots either! We try to keep our “bad” habits of munching sweet things to nap and bed times, but I know we need to get much better at it… and fast.

Basically… our toddlers are imitators! They imitate those closest to them… namely, us. If they see us munching on carrot sticks during the day and enjoying our cauliflower at dinner, they will be much more likely to want the same. Likewise, if they see us smothering cheese sauce on our veggies just to get them down or pouring salt over top of everything on our plates, they will want to imitate that!

Things get even more tricky when our toddlers get a little older and start paying attention to their peers! What are we to do when our little ones learn about sugary snacks or junk food at a friends birthday party? Or what can be done when they see all the yummy looking things on television commercials (though we take care of this one by not having a TV in our home at all)? If we can’t stop our little ones from being introduced to the things we would love for them to avoid, we can at least teach a distinction between what happens at home and what happens outside the home. If your toddler or preschooler asks for chips or candy like she had at her friends house, at the party, or at the pool, explain that those things are for other times. Help them see that food at home is different than food other places.

Just a freebee from me… make a point of getting excited about serving fruit in a fun way, or find a healthy dessert to make from time to time. If your little ones can get just as excited about the healthy things you want them to eat as the junk food available other places, you are winning your little one over for good health!

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