4-6 Months, Your Questions Answered
From our experience in our care line, what we’ve heard from Mums and being Mums ourselves, these are the most common problems that we are faced with at this stage.
If there is something that you are struggling with at the moment that’s not on our list, give us a call! Our team is manned by fully trained staff, many of whom are Mums and some who are mid wives and Nutritionists.
Toddlers still bottle-feeding
Sooner or later, all toddlers learn to drink from a cup - the trick is getting them to do it sooner rather than later! Read more »
You can start the transition to a cup by using a light weight plastic drinking cup with a spout and a tight lid to replace the bottle. These tips should help win him over:
- Go cup shopping together; letting him choose the cup will help your efforts
- Let him get used to the cup by feeding his teddy, serving tea to a friend or filling and emptying the cup in the sink
- Always offer the cup before the bottle
- Try offering the beaker with a different liquid such as well diluted fruit juice; once your toddler's used to the cup, you can start filling it with his usual milk
Picky eaters
Just when you've finally found a food you can count on your toddler eating he begins rejecting it. That's typical for a toddler, but mealtimes can become a real ordeal when your toddler is fussy. Read more »
Approximately half of all toddlers have fussy eating habits, which means there's a one in two chance of yours becoming a picky eater. So remember this is normal - and you're not alone! These tips might help you through these 'trying' times!
- Think positive - don't be afraid to offer new foods
- If he refuses to eat proper meals, try tempting your toddler with tasty, healthy snacks such as cheese cubes, slices of fresh fruit and breadsticks
- Make sure he's not filling up on milk or juice
- Remember: toddlers rarely follow a traditional eating pattern - they tend to eat small and regular snacks to suit their small tummies
Refusing vegetables
A vegetable aversion is one of the most common food fads in pre-schoolers - and one that causes parents a lot of stress. Relax! There are many ways to tempt your toddler to sample new and different vegetables. Read more »
One quick fix is to ensure that you include lots of different fruit in his diet - they're found on the same level of the food pyramid and contain a similar range of nutrients.
Make vegetables fun. Try disguising vegetables in a homemade soup (liquidise it to mask the texture), make fun green pancakes (with spinach added to a batter mix) or try funny vegetable faces that resemble friends and family!
Cow & Gate's range of vegetable purees can be handy to add to soups or mixed dishes if you want to introduce a new taste or top-up your toddler's nutrient levels.
It all comes down to persistence; it can take up to ten goes with a new food before it's accepted, so don't give up.
Stay positive, and don't say, "My child doesn't like". Instead say, "My child doesn't like… yet!"
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