When you’re raising a toddler and they suddenly hit a picky eating phase, you might initially feel shocked and betrayed. “What happened to my adventurous baby who would eat anything?!” you think. But after consulting your parent friends, you discover it’s practically par for the course in the toddler years. So, you buckle up and decide to wait patiently as you ride this phase out. 

Maybe it’s Picky Eating—or Maybe it’s Iron Deficiency 

First things first: Rule out a common nutritional cause for picky eating—iron deficiency. The body’s iron status can alter the production of ghrelin, a hunger hormone. The result? A decreased appetite. Additionally, iron deficiency can alter taste perception, which can further suppress one’s appetite.  In a recent analysis by Health Canada, 10 percent of boys and 12.5 percent of girls aged five to 13 experienced iron deficiency.  

Beef is one of the best food sources of highly absorbable iron. Thankfully, there are a lot of kid-friendly ways to prepare beef, from tacos and kabobs, to stews and spaghetti sauce. Pork, poultry, fish and shrimp contain this form of iron to a lesser extent. Vegetarian foods like eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes also contain iron, but this form is less absorbable.  

If your resident picker eater is not consuming adequate amounts of iron-rich foods, you may want to consult their primary healthcare provider to get their iron status checked. Typically this includes a physical assessment and a simple blood test. 

Avoid After-School Grazing 

Dinner is the meal where most parents report frustration. There are a few reasons why kids tend to have lower appetites for supper: 

1. They often front-load their day and eat more at breakfast and lunch. 
2. There tends to be more variation in the dinner rotation, which means the offerings are often less familiar to kids.  
3. They’re tired. After a long day at daycare learning, some children feel really wiped by the time dinner arrives and they don’t have the tolerance for both new and familiar foods.  
4. They come home hangry and end up grazing on snacks until the proverbial dinner bell rings. 

Get Your Kids Involved 

We get it, we’re all in a time crunch and there are so many competing things that need attention, from PTA meetings and extracurriculars to or that nightly walk you want to get to. When schedules get busy, it’s easy to get into the mindset of “I’ll just do it myself” and not invite children into meal preparation.  

But, it’s a missed opportunity, especially for picky eaters.

So, we know first-hand that children are more likely to try foods if they’ve been involved in the preparation. That’s a whole new level of intrinsic motivation to can tap into.  

Depending on your child’s age and ability, there are some ways they can be involved in food preparation, for example by mixing ingredients.

As well, each week, let your child choose one dinner to add to the family meal plan. It may not seem like much, but this small act has a big impact: 

• It gives your child a sense of ownership and responsibility. 
• It teaches them that meal planning is a shared effort. 
• It shows them that everyone’s preferences matter—sometimes we eat their favourite and sometimes it’s someone else’s turn. 

Family Meals and Modelling  

When picky eating drags on into the school years, it’s easy to fall into the trap of removing “rejected” foods entirely from your family’s meal rotation. But this is actually one of the biggest mistakes we can make. Why? Because kids can’t learn to like a food they’re no longer being exposed to. Exposure—without pressure—is foundational and one of the most effective ways to help kids expand their palates. 

This is where family meals become incredibly valuable. When a child sees their family members—especially parents—enjoying a variety of foods, it sends a powerful message. They start to see you experience joy from meals and will eventually grow up to enjoy those same foods. So even if your child doesn’t touch the beef-and-veggie stir-fry on their plate today, simply seeing it, smelling it and watching you eat and enjoy it is working its magic behind the scenes.  

The Bottom Line 

Picky eating isn’t just a toddler phase—for many families, it lingers well into the school years. And that can feel frustrating, especially when mealtimes turn into daily battles. But take heart: With these intentional strategies, you’re laying the groundwork for raising a confident, competent eater. 

Do what you can to stay consistent with food exposure, modelling enjoyment at family meals, involving your kids in the kitchen and ensuring they’re meeting key nutritional needs (like iron!). This way, you’re creating an environment in which to raise a happy, healthy eater. 

Article Source: Parents Canada

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Discovery Point Nursery and Academy is a daycare in Woodbridge, Ontario.