It can be so. dang. hard. to get your toddler to eat. Sometimes, not even the tastiest McDonald’s chicken nugget can get the little one to sit at the table.
Mom Emily (@emmshap) was having this exact problem with her 2-year-old son — so she decided to get creative. Now the mom has gone viral for her toddler feeding hack and people are calling her tip absolutely brilliant.
The mom said her new hack "saved" her family at meal times — and you’ll soon see why.
The video is from June 2021, but recently bubbled up again online. About a month of two before she posted, meal times turned into a “battle” with her son — which boy oh boy, can we relate.
“I was so tired of the fight,” she wrote on the video’s text overlay. The video shows Emily chopping up a whole bunch of foods — apples, cucumbers, and she even puts a handful of blueberries in a small bowl.
So for breakfast and lunch the mom started creating "snack boards."
The mom then places the assorted snacks on a revolving tray.
“Much more fun and less pressure to sit and eat a meal,” she explained. “I set it up and he grazes while he plays.”
The mom finished off her son’s meal with some frozen pizza (“the horror,” she joked) and then brought it to him with a sippy cup full of water.
“I’m sweeping constantly but it’s better than the stress that mealtime was causing,” she added.
People LOVED the mom’s tip.
"Like we as adults like snacking why wouldn't a mini person love snacking," one commenter joked.
"Thanks for the idea!" someone else wrote. "My son is 21 months almost and meal time is so stressful."
"It's like baby charcuterie! a third commenter chimed in. "Love it. You have to do what works for your family."
Other people admitted that they do it, too.
"I started this with my oldest when he was around a year and he still just asks for a snack tray some days," wrote one mom.
Another mom wrote: "Yep! I also have a grazer. Maybe three times a week he’ll sit down and eat a full meal. Toddlers are too busy to stop and sit to eat!"
"I'm a nanny and I do a variety plate for the kids," another commenter shared. "They have a little bit of everything so they have choice and if there is one thing they don't want."
But I think all parents can agree with another commenter: "dude whatever works lol as long as they eat."
