8 Frustrating Toddler Eating Habits That Are Totally Normal

Whether your baby was happy to gobble up every bite you offered or had a more discerning palate from the start, chances are high that by toddlerhood, mealtimes are being served with a serious side of scrutiny. Pint-sized eaters are renowned for being picky about what's on their plate, which can result in some table behaviors that are bewildering and, to be honest, a little annoying.

Your 2-year-old isn't trying to be difficult on purpose of course. Just as your toddler has developed a preference to, say, only wear red, she's starting to have opinions on what she does and doesn't like to eat. 

Pair that with taste buds that are hypersensitive to strong flavors (we're looking at you, green veggies), a naturally smaller appetite to match her slowing growth rate, and a general tendency to want to call the shots, and you've got a recipe for food battles.

But mealtimes don't have to lead to meltdowns. Frustrating though your mini muncher's eating habits might be, knowing that they're par for the course can make it a little easier for you to cope. So too can keeping in mind some sage advice focused on resisting the urge to be pushy (you'll only make it worse) and modeling healthy eating behaviors yourself. Oh, and having patience and a good sense of humor. With a toddler at the table, you'll need plenty of both!

Here are eight toddler eating habits that can seem odd (and irritating) but that are actually totally normal. Plus, smart tips on how to make mealtimes a little smoother.

Rejecting every food

As your toddler is developing her own taste preferences, she's also coming to the major realization that she's her own person who can make her own choices. Sometimes (okay, a lot of times) that can mean saying no to different foods (and other things) just for the sake of it. In other words? She wants to have control, and rejecting food is one way to get it!

Other times, your growing gourmand might simply be suspect about trying something different. Research shows that it can often take kids 8 to 10 tries before they're willing to buy into a new food.

When your tot gets a case of the no's, try to play it cool and keep serving those rejected foods. Set food out family style for everyone to choose what they want, which might encourage curiosity on your toddler's part rather than the usual defiance when you plop something unusual on her plate. Another idea: Anchor rejected foods with a familiar favorite — weird black beans seem less suspect next to her favorite cornbread — to make them less overwhelming.

Enlist your toddler's help with meal prep too. She might be more willing to try those blueberries in her pancakes if she added them to the batter herself, and that pasta could suddenly become more appealing when she was the one to stir in her favorite cheese.  

Only eating beige foods

Does your toddler seem to have a natural affinity for all foods white or tan? She's not alone. Beige foods — think bread, crackers, pasta, pancakes, etc. — often feel safer for new eaters, who've come to learn that pale colors often equal predictable, not-scary flavors. Foods with intense hues, on the other hand, tend to taste more intense too. (Steamed broccoli, anyone?)

Thankfully, beige phases don't tend to last all that long. Ride them out by offering those buff-colored items with little splashes of color, like a blueberry happy face on that peanut butter toast or a side of marinara with the plain pasta. If your toddler still says no way, respect her choice. Trying to force her to eat the rainbow is exhausting, and you won't win anyway.  

Worried that your child is getting precisely zero nutrition on her diet of muffins and rice? Try offering some beige foods that are higher in nutrients. Serve hummus with her favorite crackers, for instance, or roll cubes of tofu in whole wheat bread crumbs and bake them like chicken fingers.  

Asking for the same food over and over

Avocado toast or pasta with Parmesan are perfectly respectable fare, but when your toddler gets stuck on one menu item, it can set the stage for mealtime battles. Plus, you might start to worry that only eating bananas or cheese sticks will create nutritional gaps in her diet.

Your move: Acknowledge your toddler's current favorite while gently encouraging her to branch out. Serve a variety of foods at each meal and let her pick what she wants from the options you've set out. Sometimes that can include the coveted menu item, but know that you don't have to serve it at every meal or snack. If your toddler is hungry, she'll pick from what's available. (And if she's not that hungry? She might get mad or throw a fit, but she won't starve.)

Always asking for something different than what you're serving

Even though it can make your heart sink to have your toddler beg for cereal after you spent half an hour cooking dinner, making her preferences known is a healthy, normal part of development. Learning to ask for what you want is a good thing!

Of course, learning that you can't always have your way is an essential skill too — and your toddler will pick it up quicker if you resist the urge to play short-order cook. To get the message across (and eventually curb the mealtime orders) make one meal for the family to eat and just say no to special requests. 

That doesn't mean you can't include some of your toddler's favorites, though. It's always a good idea to have at least one item on the table be something that your child will predictably eat. If she's truly hungry, she'll have some — despite her protests for graham crackers or cheese toast.

Eating practically nothing

It might seem sometimes like your toddler is subsisting on little more than air and the occasional Goldfish cracker. But if her growth is on track and her energy levels are good, she's likely getting all of the calories she needs. (If she's not gaining weight or you have concerns about her energy levels or behavior, call her pediatrician.) 

Your toddler may not need as much food as you think — and if she ate a big meal earlier in the day, she simply might not be hungry for anything else.

What's more, it's a good thing for your little eater to learn to listen to her belly's cues. Continue to offer regular meals and snacks at predictable times and let your toddler decide if she wants to eat.

If she's not interested, that's okay — just give a gentle reminder that there won't be another chance to eat until the next meal or snack time. Giving in to requests for little noshes and nibbles all day long is a surefire appetite killer.

Eating really slow

Learning to self-feed is a big skill, and scooping up each bite of chicken or spoonful of soup can take practice. But it can sometimes cause meals to feel like they're going on, and on, and on ...

Even though waiting for her to finish can sometimes be painstaking, it's important to let your toddler take her time with her food whenever you can. If breakfast is making you late getting out the door or dinner is pushing bedtime back, try to start meals a little earlier to give your tot the time she needs and offer a five-minute warning before the meal will end.

Keeping toys and TV out of the equation can help limit distractions that might otherwise slow her down further.

That said, eating is different from playing, and you don't necessarily have to wait until your cutie has cleared her plate. When your toddler goes from gobbling up mouthfuls to squishing her peas or putting pieces of pasta in her milk, that's a clear sign that she's had enough, and it's perfectly fine to end the meal.

Refusing all vegetables

Sure, you may have heard about a 2-year-old who happily gobbles up beets and broccoli. But most toddlers simply aren't fans of vegetables, which tend to have strong flavors, unusual smells and challenging textures. Admit it — cauliflower is harder to love than cookies!

It's fine to mix some veggies into entrees if you're concerned that your toddler could be missing out on key nutrients. (Think shredded zucchini in your meatloaf or pureed butternut squash in your mac and cheese.) But you should continue offering up a variety of vegetables on their own without pushing them.

Even if your toddler says no thanks today, at some point, she might decide to take a bite of that broccoli or green bean. But that can't happen if the food never even makes it to the table.

Set a good example yourself by piling the veggies served at mealtime onto your own plate too. And above all, resist the urge to motivate your child to eat her vegetables by bribing her with dessert. It'll only encourage more mealtime negotiations on her part and send the message that treats are more valuable than other types of food. 

Rejecting a favorite food

Most toddlers have a few foods that they'll reliably eat no matter what, which can be reassuring when they're going through a really picky jag. But even a beloved food can get boring after a while, especially if your child is eating it day in and day out. Sometimes favorite items can be rejected when a tot is teething or has a cold too.

Rather than make a big deal out of the about-face, stop serving the food for a while and offer other options instead. Fussing over the fact that your toddler suddenly hates yogurt will only fuel her picky fire. 

For the time being, let her choose from other foods that you decide to make available and trust that after a break, she'll probably come back to her old favorite. (And if she doesn't, don't worry. She'll find something else to latch on to.)

It's practically a given that your toddler will be fickle with food at some point — and that's okay. Annoying as it can be on the inside, keep cool on the outside and stay the course by offering a variety of wholesome foods at meal and snack time and letting your toddler pick what and how much she wants to eat. The mealtime mania will even out over time, and she'll have a solid foundation of healthy eating habits to show for it.