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Give Peas a Chance: The Foolproof Guide to Feeding Your Picky Toddler
Toddlers' ideas about acceptable nutrition rarely align with the dietary desires of their parents. This book is a godsend for every parent who has begged for one bite, who finds mealtime a battle of the wills, who has wondered if the handful of Cheerios constituted adequate nutrition, or who finds the "sneaky chef" technique onerous or ineffective. Give Peas a Chance includes clear, practical, clinically tested techniques from a registered dietitian that not only ensures that your child is getting adequate nutrition, but also promotes a healthy relationship with food and expands the repertoire of the pickiest of eaters. (Some recipes included).
- GenresParentingNonfiction
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 13, 2019
a really useful work for understanding and expanding my picky toddler's eating habits. i won't say he's quite eating like a french kid yet, but we've expanded the amount of vegetables he eats in a week, and things he'll try overall, so i'm sure he'll be pounding escargots and stinky cheese in no time.
November 17, 2017
If you are a parent, I’m sure some version of the words “why won’t my child eat???” have escaped your lips on at least one occasion. In my case, it’s way too often. Max, who is almost 4, is a terribly picky eater. Some examples of what he will eat: any breakfast food that resembles bread or pancakes, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, a variety of things with peanut butter and jelly on them, cereal. Examples of things he won’t eat: pasta, even mac & cheese; any sort of raw vegetable. And other people will give you all the advice in the world, which just makes you want to scream, “It’s not that easy!!” Honestly, in my experience, the struggle to expand my son’s diet is second only to potty training in frustration levels. The best thing about this book is that it eased my mind.
Kate Samela is a registered dietician with a masters in clinical nutrition, certified as a specialist in pediatric nutrition. All this means that I trust what she has to say! I found the tone of the book gentle and non-judgemental. There are a ton of examples of kids who are picky eaters, and have various diagnoses, whether they’re low-weight or over-weight or deficient in something particular. It’s always nice to read about other families that are struggling with the same things you are. You are not alone!
The most enlightening thing I read in the book is that your child may only eat one “good” meal a day, and that’s perfectly normal! Realizing that you should look at their diet over the course of a week rather than day-to-day makes it a lot easier to see the big picture. This book is chocked-full of ideas for expanding your child’s diet and getting them to eat more, from encouraging activity before dinner to creating the right ambiance to what food are good substitutions or look/taste/feel-alikes for your child’s favorites. She also gives good, simple explanations for things like micro- and macronutrients. What carbs should your child be eating? What proteins are best for them? What type of milk should they drink? There are so many examples of foods they should eat, including what brands and types tend to be most liked by toddlers.
Not everything in this book is going to be for everyone, but it’s easy enough to skip sections you think don’t apply to you. Overall, this book helped me feel a lot better about what my child is eating and how I can get him to eat more/better. I expect I’ll be referencing it for years to come.
Note: I read this on my Kindle, but it might be better to have a hard copy to flip through and reference. There were a number of tables that were more difficult to parse in e-format.
Kate Samela is a registered dietician with a masters in clinical nutrition, certified as a specialist in pediatric nutrition. All this means that I trust what she has to say! I found the tone of the book gentle and non-judgemental. There are a ton of examples of kids who are picky eaters, and have various diagnoses, whether they’re low-weight or over-weight or deficient in something particular. It’s always nice to read about other families that are struggling with the same things you are. You are not alone!
The most enlightening thing I read in the book is that your child may only eat one “good” meal a day, and that’s perfectly normal! Realizing that you should look at their diet over the course of a week rather than day-to-day makes it a lot easier to see the big picture. This book is chocked-full of ideas for expanding your child’s diet and getting them to eat more, from encouraging activity before dinner to creating the right ambiance to what food are good substitutions or look/taste/feel-alikes for your child’s favorites. She also gives good, simple explanations for things like micro- and macronutrients. What carbs should your child be eating? What proteins are best for them? What type of milk should they drink? There are so many examples of foods they should eat, including what brands and types tend to be most liked by toddlers.
Not everything in this book is going to be for everyone, but it’s easy enough to skip sections you think don’t apply to you. Overall, this book helped me feel a lot better about what my child is eating and how I can get him to eat more/better. I expect I’ll be referencing it for years to come.
Note: I read this on my Kindle, but it might be better to have a hard copy to flip through and reference. There were a number of tables that were more difficult to parse in e-format.
October 6, 2017
A helpful book. My son was having some digestive issues and this book helped to clear many of my concerns. A great reminder for myself to model good eating habits as your toddler will naturally follow what you do and eat.
August 28, 2022
My toddler's not a particularly picky eater, but a friend gave this to me, and I found myself thumbing through it the other day. I ended up learning quite a lot about child nutrition and will be making some minor tweaks to my son's diet as a result. A very helpful book!
July 1, 2013
Helped me to realized that my picky 15 month old is completely normal. Really helped me to understand just how much food he needs to be eating (a lot less than I thought). I loved all the tips and food suggestions that I was able to start implementing right away. It has only been a week and I already feel like my son's eating has improved and he seems to be gaining weight again. Highly recommended!
August 14, 2014
I loved this book! It made me feel empowered about feeding my 17 month old, and made me realize that she is normal and not to expect too much from her. I also loved the different and easy ideas for lunch, breakfast, dinner, and snacks, because I often times get in a rut of feeding my daughter the same foods. Easy to read and understand; I recommend it to all moms of toddlers! I will probably purchase a copy of this book someday.
March 21, 2017
A good reference to what kids should be eating when. Nothing super original or any magic bullets on how to get kids to try new food (offering it a dozen times or more, etc), but some good hints on distracting kids when they say they are done/don't want it (ignore them and change the conversation to keep them in their seats).
I do appreciate the quick product recommendations (not just foods, but specific brands/items that she's vetted).
Looking forward to improving Evan's diet this year!
I do appreciate the quick product recommendations (not just foods, but specific brands/items that she's vetted).
Looking forward to improving Evan's diet this year!
July 17, 2013
Lots of good advice about getting a toddler to enjoy eating a variety of foods, with sound nutritional guidelines that aren't overwhelming. After reading this, I actually felt like I am raising a champion eater and have no reason to be anxious, but I will definitely use some of the suggestions.
May 20, 2017
Has excellent background info on proper nutrition which is reassuring to know what is healthy or not. Also provides ideas on dealing with "picky eaters". More detail than I would have liked. Good skim read.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews