3-min read
2025-08-26
3-min read
Development isn’t a race. It’s a flow.
Every child—and parent—is figuring it out at their own pace.
Instead of milestones, we encourage you to focus on this amazing moment.
Your child’s brain makes more than one million neural connections per second in these first three years. Simple, consistent interactions with them today can have profound, lifelong benefits.
Here’s how little one’s brain is developing this month, and how you can support their progress.
Developmental Highlight
Right around the time that little one bravely ventures out into the world, you may notice they become highly selective about what goes into their mouth. Picky eating can be a source of great worry and frustration for parents, but it’s a developmental leap forward. Little one’s making choices, and choices are how they’ll stay safe throughout their life.
Food they once loved may now raise suspicion, especially if it’s green or has a crunchy or chewy texture. Little one’s selectivity comes from a keen ability to notice details and an amplified desire for consistency and control in a big, ever-changing world.
This stage could last a while—we’ve all heard of little kids who only eat beige food! The best way to respond is to keep patiently offering tiny tastes and to enjoy a variety of healthy, delicious food on your own. Eventually there will be something little one can’t resist.
Brain-Building Activity
Just One Bite
Routine: Mealtime
Remember that no child has ever willingly starved themself or overdosed on buttered noodles. Rather than getting into a tug-of-war over mealtime, consider these tips:
- Offer a tiny bite to little one. If they like it, they can exercise their power to ask for more.
- Instead of heaping a new food on little one’s plate, consider the “no, thank you” bite. This gives them the option to take one bite and say “no, thank you” if they don’t want more.
- Don’t bribe, coerce, or shame little one into eating. Insistence breeds resistance.
You’ve Got This
Your worries over little one’s picky eating come from deep love and the desire to give them the healthiest, happiest life. Food is fuel, but it’s also a source of pleasure, comfort, expression, and identity. (We’ll explore more in month 21.)
Eating at the table with family and friends is an opportunity to connect, decompress, and make new memories. Even if little one isn’t eating everything on offer, they still benefit from the ritual of gathering. And so do you!
