A toddler is great fun to have around the house, and that boundless energy can be infectious.
But, as any toddler’s parent will tell you, they are extremely fickle and can change their minds at the drop of a hat! And nowhere is this fussiness seen as much as during mealtimes; toddlers are notorious at being picky eaters.
Make mealtimes less of a battle and more of a fun episode by changing your toddler’s attitude towards food. And the best way to do it is through books!! Here are 10 must read books on healthy food for toddlers and preschoolers.
10 Must Read Books on Healthy Food for Toddlers
1.Lunchbox: The Story of Your Food
As our food gets more and more processed, we get more disconnected from its actual source. This book is, as it’s name indicates, a story about where the food on your plate comes from. Lunchbox staples are selected and their journey is traced from their starting points – very informative for young minds!
2.Mealtime
Part of the Toddler Tools series, this book focuses not just on nutrition, but on manners and good habits as well. The book emphasizes the importance of small but important acts like washing hands, using a napkin and the all important one – try at least one bite! With detailed illustrations, this book is sure to appeal to youngsters.
3.Why Should I Eat Well?
Anyone with a young child is familiar with the incessant torrent of questions they ask everyday, most of them beginning with ‘Why?’!! Well here is the answer to the ‘why’ of eating well; a book that is part of the ‘Why Should I’ series. Like the other books in the series, an important question is addressed here, and the book explains why it is important to eat only good, nutritious food.
4.Good Enough to Eat: A Kid’s Guide to Food and Nutrition
This book may seem a little advanced at first, but it is probably the best book to explain the importance of healthy food for toddlers. With a lot of emphasis on pictures rather than text, kids won’t get bored and can learn a lot from the illustrations that encompass a good deal of detail.
5.Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z
What do you do when you want to teach your child the alphabet along with the names of fruits and vegetables? You get a book that does both, of course! This beautifully illustrated book features a number of fruits and vegetables for each letter, some familiar and some not so much. The pictures are very inviting and are sure to draw the kids in. Tip: After reading, get them to make a collage of food starting with each letter.
6. Picky Nicky
Which mother hasn’t faced a fussy eater at some point in her life? Well, Picky Nicky is just like that and she will eat only her favorite food! The text is very funny and young kids can ‘read’ aloud, by naming the pictures in between the text. Will Picky Nicky listen to her Mom and Dad and eat something else? Read and find out!
7. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato (Charlie and Lola)
Charlie and Lola fans, rejoice! This book is a great example of how an older sibling can influence a younger one’s eating habits. Charlie urges Lola to eat foods she doesn’t like by giving them some creative back-stories. It’s still not an easy job and whether Lola is convinced or not remains to be seen!
8. Burger Boy
If you have a McDonald’s or KFC fan at home, this one’s for you. Benny loves burgers and only burgers. Like all exasperated Moms, Benny’s Mom says that at this rate he’ll turn into a burger one day. And that is exactly what happens!! What follows is a funny adventure that’ll have little ones in splits, and think twice about a burger next time!
9. Carrots grow Underground (How Fruits and Vegetables Grow)
This is a lovely little book for young kids and describes how carrots grow from under the soil. In this age of urban living, this book brings back the feel of playing in the mud, sowing seeds and watering them lovingly. Who knows, even your little prince or princess may be inspired to grow some carrots!
10. Green Eggs and Ham
When compiling a list of books about healthy food for toddlers, how can we leave behind the much loved Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss? Sam repeatedly offers our protagonist green eggs and ham, which gets refused all the time. The text is rib-tickling hilarious and is a great exercise in reading as well.
Be sure to pick up a few of these books on healthy food for toddlers based on your child’s current temperament. Young kids love pictures so try pointing out the details in the illustrations to hold their attention. To reinforce what they’ve learnt, make simple crafts based on the books. Before you know it, your little picky eater will be more willing to try out the green stuff on his plate!
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Article By Fabida Abdulla
Fabida is a
n erstwhile Software Engineer and current Freelance Writer cum Stay at Home Mom to her boisterous 6 year old. In between all the writing, baking, nagging, reading and cuddling, she manages to blog a bit about her crazy life at Shocks and Shoes.