14 things our toddler would MUCH rather be eating than their own food

Creating nutritionally-balanced, organic, homemade baby food for your little one is a real labour of love, but totally worth it, right?

Well, no, actually.

Instead of eating up every bit of your specially-prepared meals, there's a tonne of other 'exotic' things they would much rather be eating.

From baby lotion to crayons, floor food to car seat debris, your little one has acquired a taste for the unusual, and what you serve them up at dinner just isn't good enough anymore.

They want colour, they want vibrancy – heck, they want what the dog is eating and if they don't get it, you're going to hear all about it that's for sure!

It's a struggle we all face on a daily basis but at least we're not alone. These are the things we've found out our little one would much rather be eating...

1. Our dinner

If they don't get a spoonful of what you're eating they'll explode!

2. Floor food

The five-second rule is out of the window! If it's on the floor, they have to have it.

3. Other kids' snacks

The packed lunch you slaved away making last night just isn't to their standards. They want what their buddy is having (and you just know it's something they'd usually refuse to eat at home).

4. Car seat debris

Forget about that organic snack you brought for the journey, it's chunks of stale 'car seat' biscuit all the way!

5. Dessert (before or instead of dinner)

When they know it follows swiftly on from dinner what's to say they can't just have it now?

6. Pet food

They've obviously acquired the taste for dog biscuits. Oh, and don't even get us started on the fish food…

7. Vaseline

We have no idea where this latest obsession has come from but if there's a pot lying around they're nose deep in it.

8. Colourful objects

Be it crayons or playdough, if it's brightly coloured it's bound to taste good, right? It's a shame they don't feel the same way about beetroot, peas or carrots...

9. Pocket debris

Biscuit crumbs, half eaten sweets or last week's lunch – we have no idea how they've managed to find so much but they have, and it's already in their mouths.

10. Dirt and mud

Mud isn't just for running and jumping in, oh no, it's for eating too. It's all natural and organic so surely it counts as a meal?

11. Baby lotion

A portion of baby lotion and a side order of baby powder please mum!

12. Small insects

If it's small and it crawls they'll catch it, eat it and we won't even have a second to stop them. Ewww...

13. Poo

The doctor said they'd be fine, just make sure it doesn't happen again. If only we could tell the bird that keeps using the car as a litter tray the same thing!

14. Sand

We love seeing the kids playing nicely in the sandpit together. One of them is building sand castles, another is playing cars and our little one? Well, they're having lunch!

Has your child ever eaten something out of the ordinary? Comment below!