The grazing tray or nibble tray is a great way to get your picky eater to try new foods and eat at his or her own pace. If you are worried about your toddler getting enough food, try this trick.
A grazing tray, filled with lots of nutritious choices makes it easy for your toddler to graze his, getting in more of the stuff he needs without you having to beg, beg, beg or spend the entire day at the table. It avoids putting unhealthy emphasis on food and engaging toddler battles of will.
Basically, you provide a variety of bite-size food that is colorful and interesting and won’t go bad if left out for a few hours. Your toddler can visit his grazing tray as he wishes throughout the morning or afternoon. You’ll want to teach him to stand or sit at the table as he eats, to make the association between food and where to eat it, as well as to avoid any potential choking issues.
First get your tray ready. You can use a variety of things for you tray. Some good choices are ice cub trays, muffin or mini muffin tins, benzi boxes, and sectioned toddler plates.
Next add the food. Don’t worry about filling each section with something completely different. This could drive you crazy, especially if you are using an ice cub tray. Instead, make sure you have at least three or four different foods and fill the sections with duplicates as needed.
Here are some food ideas. Make sure that food is cut up small and is finger sized. Avoid the normal hard choking hazards. Some suggestions I have for food include cut up grapes, bites of apple, Cherrios or other cereal, hard boiled egg slices, soft cooked broccoli, whole wheat bread cut into sticks or squares, slices of banana, pieces of avocado, bites of American cheese or string cheese, cold pasta and fish shaped crackers. You could also include ranch dressing in one of the compartments to be used as a dip.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.
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