Easily Get Your Toddler to Eat More at Meals with This Simple Game

We’ve all been there. Little one won’t eat, not even one bite. Maybe she doesn’t like what’s for dinner. Maybe he doesn’t think he is hungry. It could be that your child is just distracted. But you know that if dinner goes uneaten, hunger will strike before the dishes are done. Well, here is a simple game we stumbled upon years ago that has worked magic for our kids at mealtimes. We no longer have a problem getting our toddler to eat at meals. I hope it helps you too!

Mealtime is necessary. It also has the potential to do a lot of good for our families. Eating together strengthens our families and provides physical and mental benefits for our children. I love gathering around the table, eating a healthy meal, and hearing my kids share about their days and their feelings. We laugh a lot around the table.

However, meals don’t come without their challenges either.

Mealtime Challenges and Solutions

First, we have to decide what to make and get it on the table. Check this out for help with meal planning or this to download a meal plan we used to feed our family. Next, we have to get everyone to the table and keep them there. Read this post for the expectations we have that help meals run smoothly.

So, now we have food, and we have the family. But what do you do when you can’t get your toddler to eat that food?

Problems with Uneaten Meals

Uneaten meals can lead to greater waste, proliferate pickiness, and importantly, increase snacking.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, toddlers should eat two or three healthy snacks a day. When kids don’t eat at meals, this leaves them hungry for more than the recommended number of snacks. Additionally, snacks are often less healthy.

Too much snacking is not good for teeth. The more often teeth are exposed to carbohydrates (think sugars, breads, crackers, etc.), the more likely they are to develop cavities.

To top it off, feeding kids all day is simply not how we want to spend ALL of our time.

Deciding when to Help Your Toddler Eat

It is recommended that children should decide for themselves when they are full. However, this is where your parenting ninja skill of discernment comes into play. You know your kids better than anyone. Pay attention to how your child eats. The amount of food eaten will change from meal to meal, but you can learn to understand the cues your child is sending.

If my kids are not eating because they don’t like what is offered, they are distracted, or they would rather be playing, this is when I choose to help them eat more. It is our responsibility as parents to help kids learn to make healthy choices as to when and what to eat. When you get your toddler to eat the meals you prepare, this teaches manners, gratitude, and healthy eating patterns.

So you’ve decided that your toddler needs to eat more. This is when meals can quickly move from positive experiences to World War III. However, that need not happen.

We’ve all done the airplane sound effects as we fly a spoonful of nutrition into our child’s mouth. I’ve also had a lot of success with spoons that masquerade as choo-choo-trains pulling into the mouth station, cars, boats, and even rockets.

And sometimes in our desperate moments, genius is born.

The Best, Simplest Eating Game Ever for Young Kids

Many years ago when Little #1 was two years old and not wanting to eat a particular meal, I stumbled upon what has since become my go-to move: Boinger Bites.

With one hand, I hold up five fingers representing five bites that need to be eaten. Kids can feed themselves, or depending on the mood, we’ll spoon the bites for them. Each time a bite is eaten, the child gets to push one finger down and the parent says, “Boing!” The more animated, the more the kids love it.

When the last bite is eaten and the last finger pushed down, all five fingers go back up and the child gets to push them all down as many times as they want for an explosion of “Boing, Boing, Boing, Boing, Boing!”

Whether it’s the last five bites on the plate, or the only five bites you can manage, you can heap those spoons full and pack quite a bit of nutrition into them. (Sometimes I even sneak in extra bites. Most little kids don’t notice if you show three fingers twice. 😉 )

“Boinger Bites” Work Wonders for Toddler Eating

This little game is incredibly simple, yet my kids have all loved it. They can see how many bites they have left and know they won’t be eating forever. This is really helpful for the picky or distracted eater. There is a silly sound effect that makes them smile. But the effectiveness surprises me. Even though I haven’t figured out why they like it quite so much, I appreciate it. This easy game allows us to enjoy the end of countless meals and ensures night after night that our young kids get full at mealtimes.

I hope you don’t have to use Boinger Bites every meal, but it’s a great tool to have in your belt. Give it a try the next time your Little doesn’t want to eat, and let me know how it goes! Do your kids like Boinger Bites as much as mine?

What do you do to help your Littles eat their food? Share in the comments.

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Related: Meal Planning for Families

Want even more help planning your meals? Check out Mealtime Managed. I know you’ll love the video tutorials and resources to get your family not just fed but also connected around the dinner table. And if you want all in on raising healthy, happy kids, checkout Mom Spot, the membership where we’re helping each family member thrive, moms included.