Toddler Food Ideas - Mooresville,IN

I am a real big fan of cover up. Meaning that I give them what they need and cover it with something they want. I had to learn to do this with my hubby or the man would never eat anything good for him. I do things like, make chili and add tomatoes, finely chopped green bell pepper, onion. I also will put some peppers in my meatloaf. Nobody can really taste it but they get the benefit of it. Also, I wonder if the veggies you have tried are the sweeter ones like sweet potatoes, carrots, etc. For meat, you can mix tuna or canned chicken in with the usual favorites like mac & cheese. Keep offering the plain veggies. It might just take a while for them to be accepted. Good luck to ya. Hope I was able to help. Shannon G.

hey A. thank you for this post am in the same boat witha bbay gilr and she 14 month we need help ladies

My son loved fish but wouldn't eat any other meats. I would put chicken, sweet potatoes, and corn all in the food processor and pulse it a few times so it wasn't too chunky and he loved it that way.

My kids will eat nearly anything if they have something to dip it in! They like ketchup, honey or gravy for meats, and ranch dressing or french onion dip for veggies. They like those plates that have the little compartments in them so they can separate their food and dip.
My kids also like tofu. I usually just cut it into little bite-size pieces and warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave (I know - it sounds nasty to you and me, but when kids get used to it at a young age, they like it). Tofu is a great meat substitute because it has lots of protein.
Also, I think someone else might have mentioned this, but my kids also like to eat frozen veggies. And I mean actually frozen, straight out of the frozen food bag. Frozen corn, frozen green beans, frozen peas. They're like little popsicles, I guess.
Good luck!
J. B (mother of 6 yo girl and 2 yo boy)

I've found that many toddlers like liverwurst. Its nice and squishy and it has a sweet mild flavor. If you cut a 1/2 inch slice off the roll, and then cut it in half, and turn it so the rounded sides touch you have a butterfly shape which can go onto a cracker. If you want to be really creative you can cut a thin bit of pickle to be the body of the butterfly. Liverwurst is loaded with iron, protein and calcium. Beans are another good source of protein. You can dress them up with a bit of ketchup or BBQ sauce. You can puree chickpeas to make hummus , which is nice and sweet. You can dip raw vegetables and bread and crackers into it.

I have had that problem with my son who is 17 months. He ate just about anything and everything until a few months ago.

He likes when I fix him frozen peas, corn and/or carrots. Easy to pick up and eat I guess. Sometimes I will try to put veggies in something he likes, mac-n-cheese, rice, and believe it or not, even a peanut butter sandwich once. (It didn't look very appetizing to me, but he liked it.) I may need to chop it up quite a bit, such as with broccoli, or he still won't eat it. There are times when I will pick up veggie/meat and put it on the fork with something that he will eat. He then wants to put it a piece on the fork too and it becomes a bit of a game. (That is how it happened with the peanut butter sandwich.) Since he loves crackers, I will put whatever it is that he won't eat on a cracker and he will often eat it then. Another thing that I do is to give him a fruit and veggie blend juice, such as Juicy Juice's Harvest Blend or V8 Fusion. I may need to water it down a little bit before he will drink it.

For the most part though, I just keep giving him a variety of foods and encouraging him to at least take a bite. If he doesn't, I don't worry about it.

I am in the same boat! my daughter loves cheese /pasta/chicken and some other meats...but is starting to be picky! She likes corn/carrots etc too :)
I am all ears!

I understand your pain! I have a 2 year old and she's a very picky eater as well. What I have discovered about her is that she loves juice, so I buy the Bolthouse juice which is all natural, no ADDED SUGAR, loaded with the nutrients she needs. Very healthy choice. There are several varities to choose from (Green Goodness, Berry,Carrot,Immunity Builder, etc.). I'm still working on getting her to eat! I am making some progress with giving her a variety of different foods and making sure the pieces of food are smaller bits, they don't like to chew a lot. Bottom line they will eat when they're hungry:) Good Luck! It will get better:)

Most children like spaghetti (or love it!). When you make spaghetti, use spaghetti squash in place of the pasta. The squash is jam packed with beneficial nutrients, and it tastes great! You can use any tomato based sauce on it, including a thick meat sauce. I don't eat wheat or other grains (except oats, which I love), and the spaghetti squash is a fantastic alternative!

I would watch out when using sauces to cover up the taste of meats. They tend to be full of sugar and salt, both of which are terrible for children and adults alike. Have you tried serving a nice grilled or seared fish to your daughter? Salmon doesn't have that fishy taste, and there are few things that are better for us than wild caught salmon.

I have friends who are working on a web site that will be up soon. It deals with the ideal diet for the human body, and it addresses: weight, blood pressure, emotional well being, A.D.D., chronic pain, and all sorts of conditions. This plan (it's not diet alone!) helps to bring the body into balance. I can attest to its effectiveness.

In February, before I began this health plan, I was suffering from chronic pain caused by migraines, diagnosed fibromyalgia, TMJ, arthritis, and stress. My conditions still exist, but I have not had any of the old pain (not even one migraine, after many years of several full blown migraines per month) since beginning this plan. My traditional M.D.s have all told me they with they could get all their patients to eat the way I do, and they have been extremely impressed with my progress.

Try to feed your family foods that are fresh and free of additives. It's the healthiest way to eat. Use honey, maple syrup, or stevia as a sweetener in place of sugar. The aspartame type sweeteners are not good for us! Yummy fruits (those with lower glycemic index values) are a perfect choice for a sweet snack.

Have fun experimenting, and take care!

A good way to get certain foods in a picky eater is to sneak it in. Our daughter isn't very picky, but I have found that I can get things in her without her realizing. I put veggies and a variety of beans in quesadillas, omelettes and pastas. If your daughter still picks these out, you can puree veggies and add them to all kinds of things. I have also found she'll eat many things as long as she has something to dip it in (like ketchup). There are also a good variety of morningstar type frozen items that are veggie burgers, veggies and cheese in a breading -- they look much like nuggets, but are vegetables.

Hope some of this helps!

This might help with flavor on the veg's. Try putting a cheese sauce or mushroom soup for the sauce on them. A lot of kids like the cheese sauce added flavor.
Cheese sauce can be powder form besides out of a jar.
Also, try putting the veggies in macaroni/cheese. You could even do that with some meats.
That helps with my daughter.

I agree with most that she'll eat when she's hungry. Just keep offering her all kinds of different foods. The dipping is also a great idea. And, she doesn't need teeth to eat. Yes, things like raw carrots or apples, but if the food is soft enough, she'll do just fine. That doesn't mean that you need to go the extra mile to make it even softer. If you're cooking pasta, cook like normal, she'll do great. My daughter only had 4 front teeth and refused to let me feed her. She ate everything.

I like the gerber graduates diced peaches... Or my son does :O) I also give him the toddler "lunchables" they are made smaller for the toddler, with little meat, cheese and crackers. I buy the small microwaveable containers of dinty moore beef stew.. and also add some bread and butter (dipped in the gravy) he loves the carrots in there (cooked obviuosly). Ravoli, beefaroni, my son loves when I make grilled chicken and cut it up for him, mashed potatoes. For breakfast my son likes Quaker Oats, strawberrys in cream,blueberrys in cream, bananas in cream and peaches in cream. I am sure there are all kinds of good nutrients in there

My daughter is almost 18 months old, and I'm convinced she lives on sunlight and air. It crazy! She'll go for days and only eat a little bit of food from each meal. At least, that's how it seems to me! Then she'll pig out for a few days, then back to the not eating. It's so frustrating! We just keep offering her 3 meals (whatever we eat) and healthy snacks (fruit, applesauce). I can't force her to eat. I figure she'll eat when she gets hungry. She also will go through stages where all she'll eat are noodles. Then all she'll eat is meat. I'm still waiting on the all veggie stage, but I'm not holding my breath ;) She could also be getting some teeth. I know when my dd got her molars I couldn't get her to eat anything that required chewing. If you're concerned that she's not getting the nutrients, give her a vitamin. They make drops and chewables.

When I was growing up and with my boys now, the key to eating veggies and meat was making it appetizing. They like catsup on all meats or BBQ sauce. They want it in small bites and the sauce on the side. They don't like any foods touching each other. They don't like foods to mix. I try to put melted cheese, red sauce, or ranch dressing on veggies or sauces on the side. They like colorful plates of food. I have put mandarin oranges on a plate with spaghetti and red sauce. Or I often make them fruit plates, which they absolutely love. Cut up several pieces of fruit, crackers or dried fruit and arrange them: bananas, grapes, mandarin oranges, peaches, pears, kiwi, watermelon, honey dew melon, cantalope or try dried fruit: raisins, bananas, pineapple, mango, papaya, coconut; mix with snackable items such as: chocolate chips, marshmallows, pretzals, gold fish crackers, chocolate graham crackers, cinnamon graham crackers, fruit snack packs, cereal bars, chewy granola bars.

Try, try again. Toddlers are notoriously picky, my daughter was and still is at age 4. I have a cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld called Deceptively Delicious, and it has wonderful recipes to hide fruits and veggies!!! You might try tofu, since when you cook with it, it often picks up flavors of different foods, and is a great source of protein. Kids this age only need maybe a table spoon of fruits, veggies or meats to get what they need on a given day. I used to stress out and it made me and my kid miserable, so try not to worry.

She should be able to eat many things so long as she has a few teeth.Kids eat when they are hungry and if you don't offer her say pudding but do offer her apple sauce she should eat it if she is hungry.Some children have texture issues so I know many moms that just stick with baby food until they start asking for what every one else is eating.Keep her hydrated and try mixing stuff with rice cereal, some times that helps.

If you have the time, i would get the book deceptively delicious written by Jerry Sinfeld's wife. You actually puree fruits and veggies and put them in different foods. There are all kinds of good recipes in it and your little girl will never know she's eating it :)

we struggled with this also when my daughter was about 18 months... one day, my friend was babysitting & her older kids were eating their food with ketchup, so my friend also gave her ketchup. and she loved it! she loves dipping her food in different dips (sour cream, pizza sauce, peanut butter, but mostly ketchup) & it helps her eat foods she normally would turn away from. i know ketchup is full of sugar (trust me, my mother in law has told me this EVERY time she sees her eating it!) but it's also a way to get her to eat a variety of food...like snap peas, brocolli, etc. i guess if you don't mind the extra bit of sugar (we're not sugar-holics here, either, that's about the most sugar she gets all day), it's worth a try!

It's not your job to make sure your child eats. It's your job to offer a wide variety of healthy choices and your child's job to eat it. A child will not starve if there are healthy options available at predictable times each day. Some adults simply don't like certain foods and kids are the same. Some kids need to see a food on their plate 30+ times before they'll nibble on it. Try to have at least one item each meal that you know your child will eat, but otherwise don't cater to her. By their first birthday, kids should be eating whatever the rest of the family is eating (assuming it's healthy).

My oldest always ate whatever we put in front of him. My 2nd just turned 3 and is (I think!) finally emerging from her picky eating stage. I swear that child went more than a year with no more than a few random nibbles of veggies. She's perfectly healthy. Her doc wasn't concerned and even said vitamins were necessary... she was getting nutrients from other sources (that and about once a week I snuck veggies into some foods I know she likes). So for a year I'd put a few veggies on her plate even though I knew she probably wouldn't touch them... but eventually she did. Our youngest just turned 1 and she's eating pretty much whatever we give her so far.

In a nutshell... just keep offering and putting the meat and veggies on her plate. Offer lots of alternatives... like if she doesn't like meat she can get the protein and other nutrients meat has from beans (my kids all love eating black beans just rinsed and cold from the can). And don't forget that dairy has protein, too. My 3 year old also rarely eats more than a nibble of meat in any form.

If you start the 'short-order cook' thing now, it's a very hard habit to break later on!

this is easy hide veggies in foods you know she will eat and keep offering the same food everyday i.e broccoli until she tries it but dont force her..if she sees you eating it and it being a part of her regualar routine chances are she will be more willing to try it at least..

Have you tried the Gerber Graduates?? Our daughter is a picky eater, but she loved the Graduates ham and chicken bites (little squares of meat) and the meat sticks. Then we had to move up to lunch meat/deli cuts as her finger food. It's rough getting them to that point where they eat what's put in front of them. We are still in a struggle and she's almost 4.
Keep at it-good luck!
R.

I find my kids are more likely to eat veggies if they are mixed in with other things they like. You may have tried this trick already, but one of our favorite quick lunches is a can of italian wedding soup (Progresso Chicarina is our favorite), with an added bag of frozen peas. It has little meatballs and pasta and the added veggies freshen it up. I also add a whole small bag of mixed vegetables to a can of new england clam chowder. The additions make enough food for me, my 4 year old, and my 19 month old. Green beans with parmesean or crushed saltines sauteed in a little butter is good, too. Hope this helps.

Cheese sticks are a good source of protien, calcium, etc. and can be used in place of meat. So can hard boiled eggs. As for the meats try rolling a slice of turkey, chicken, or ham around a pretzel. A fun finger food.

Carrot sticks, celery sticks, etc. are good but you may have to put a little cream cheese (I found pineapple worked well with the celery or other fruit flavored cream cheese) or peanut butter in the celery. Use a cheese dip for the carrot sticks and let her dip them herself. It adds fun to the vegetable thing and she may even find cucumber slices, broccoli etc. will be fun to dip and eat.

It is so easy to fall into the chicken nugget and chicken finger routine. I don't care for them much so I cut chicken, turkey, pork, and beef into stripes myself and cooked the meat then offered them with something to dip them in for the youngest. This way the meat can be served hot or cold. He really liked to dip in barbeque sauce, ketsup, and Miracle Whip. Now he is into Spicy brown mustard and Ranch Salad dressing.

I know this is a touch time for you, you can always make sure she takes a vitamin to help balance out what you think she is missing.