When children first begin eating solids it is so much easier to make sure they stay healthy. After all, baby food is made from nothing but fresh vegetables, and lean meats. They are low calorie, and highly nutritional, giving parents the sense that their children are eating just the way they should be.

But then the toddler years approach, and a change is seen. Your child is pickier, wants sweets all the time, or they decide that they will only eat macaroni and hotdogs for every meal. This is totally natural, and the stress of constantly struggling to force your child to eat what you are eating can be exhausting.

But pediatricians have come forward to say that it isn’t just about fighting them on what they want. It will about giving them a sense of control in order to trick them into consuming what is good for them. This means allowing them to throw a tantrum or two, and to miss a meal occasionally.

We are obsessed with forcing our kids to eat, and sometimes forget that by the time they can fight it, they are old enough to miss a meal. If they are hungry, they will eat. Just make sure to introduce them to a variety of foods, and they will get it.