You may think your toddler has a secret vendetta against you as he or she flings peas at the ceiling, squishes sandwich into those same peas and then rubs it in his or her hair, but toddlers by nature are messy eaters. This is partially because they in most cases have less than perfect coordination, which leads to spills, tips and missed mouths. It is also a result of their developmental state. The same way a baby mouths everything to learn what it is instinctively a toddler squishes, tastes, flings, observes, and even paints with his or her food to learn what is it, what it tastes like and if they like it.

Considering all of the above, you should avoid punishing your toddler for his or her messy eating. Reaction good or bad may also promote the behavior as an intentional habit later on. If you toddler throws his or her food simply hand it back and say, “Food, mouth please.” Or something short and to the mouth of a similar nature. Do not laugh, praise, punish or condemn. As your toddler ages he or she will learn how to eat in a more hygienic manner.

Another mealtime issue many parents of toddlers face is fussy eaters. Some toddlers will go through stages where they will eat nothing but one single food until you think they may turn into that food. Sadly, you can’t force a child to eat. You can try to make food seem appealing and fun and that’s about it. The that’s-all-you’ll-get method is not recommended for toddlers as they cannot understand the concept that not eating the food they don’t want, will result in no more food.

You can try to make food more appealing by eating it yourself to show your child it tastes good, be sure to express your enjoyment. You can also serve foods toddlers can eat easily and have easily enjoyed textures. As an example, a typical break fast, you could serve Upma/halwa rather than chapattis/dosa as food for which lot of chewing is required throws many kids off, and prepare/present food in different ways to make the food interesting. A simple example is that to make day to day rice, vegetable and sambhar/dal interesting, prepare colorful vegetables and present it in different ways.

Nothing you do will guarantee your toddler eats cleanly or eats at all, but as long as your toddler is gaining weight and maintaining a healthy weight there’s nothing to worry about. If you suspect your child is not getting sufficient nutrition, consult your pediatrician.