Looking for Suggestions on Meals for My Son Who Just Started Eating Table Food

Updated on May 18, 2008
V.B. asks from Stamford, CT
23 answers

Hi All,

About 3 weeks ago my 15 month old just started eating table foods & I am looking to suggestions what to give him for breakfast? Also he won't drink from a sippy cup. Any suggestions.

Thank you

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So What Happened?

Hi all,

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions on what foods to give my 15 month old. I pretty much was feeding him a lot of the things ex- pancakes, french toast, fruits, eggs, mash potatoes, vegies. I got some great ideals on the mash bananas & also on the sippy cup.

It is good to know there are other moms who have experienced some of the same things. Mamasource is a great tool.

Thanks again

Featured Answers

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J.B.

answers from Syracuse on

I have found that my son like pancakes. I give him them cut up, but no syrup. With these they are soft and he can feed himself b/c I put the pieces right on his highchair tray. Also, I have given him toast broke into smaller pieces as well.

As for the sippy cup, we had problems with that too. I found some smaller disposable ones at WalMart that were in a package of 6 for approx. $4. These tend to be smaller and the tip is a bit more flexible and he likes that. They state right on the package that they may be reused and are dishwasher safe so I wash and reuse them. Also, if we go somewhere and forget one I am not concerned b/c the price is very reasonable as well.

Hope this helps.

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M.M.

answers from New York on

V.,

My 18 month old son loves breakfast - it's the only meal of the day I know I can get him to eat!

Here's what he likes for breakfast: Gerber rice or oatmeal cereal mixed with 1/2 mashed banana and some milk, blueberry or strawberry toasted waffle (plain), whole wheat toast with a little butter, peeled and sliced pears or apples.
Good luck!

Mary

More Answers

S.B.

answers from New York on

V.,
You seem to have gotten all the advice I was thinking of from the other responses! Those throw away sippy cups are great! My son is 4 years old, and we use them a lot to prevent spills.

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R.H.

answers from Albany on

I second the suggestion of pancakes or waffles. We use pureed stage 2 fruit to either dip or spread on them- this way she thinks she's having something sweet, and I sneak fruit into her :)

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B.S.

answers from New York on

Regarding the sippy cup, my son just wouldn't get it. So we did a cup with a straw and that he got! For some reason he was getting that he had to tip the cup. He used the straw method for a long time (the straws do break and wear...just a heads up) and just recently went to sippy cup and "grown up" cup. So you never know!

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T.M.

answers from Utica on

my kids loved my pancakes. i made them and then cut them into little pieces 4" long and 1/2" wide. they loved it. you can freeze them and then warm them up later. they can dunk them in jelly or syrup or eat them plain. my husband used to make my grandchildren vanilla milk. put a little sugar in the milk and a little vanilla flavor to taste. you could put that in the cup only to encourage them to use the cup. also you can melt sherbert and mix it with milk to make a shake type drink and put that in the cup. so they have just water in the bottle and sweet good drinks in the cup. or what ever they are currently used to in the bottle. make the drink cup a special type of drink.

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J.D.

answers from New York on

My son is really getting into eating solids foods now. Prior, he'd always eat oatmeal with fruit in it, but he's hasn't been responsive to anything with a spoon - unless he wants to feed himself but he's just not ready for that (13 & 1/2 months. I let him try but he doesn't eat much and makes a terrible mess...ANYWAY...cherrios, banana's, and blueberry waffles seem to be a hit right now. Have you tried giving your son a juice box or a sippy cup with a straw in it? Maybe he'd like that better. Just keep giving it to him and maybe try different types of sippy cups. My son drinks juice & water from a sippy cup and he likes straws but I can't get him to drink milk from them. Good luck!

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T.H.

answers from New York on

Hi V.,

Cheerios are great for breakfast. You can also try french toast (whole wheat of course).

As for the sippy cup; if he has the option he will continue to go with the bottle. Limit his options and only give him the sippy cup. He will catch on. Kids do what works best for them.

T.

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A.C.

answers from New York on

In addition to the cheerios, you can also try waffles/pancakes/french toast just cut it up small so he can pick it up and eat it. I would skip the syrup unless you like it messy. Also yogurt and fruit.

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M.B.

answers from New York on

My daughter wouldn't drink from sippy cup either - I just gave her a regular cup with a lid on it. They look the same as a sippy cup but they don't have to work so hard to get the liquid out. But it is a bit messy while they are getting used to it.

For foods, I gave my daughter all sorts of fruit - blueberries, cut strawberries, bananas, pears, etc. And she loved eating little pieces of bagel with cream cheese and the whole wheat waffles, just dry (or sometimes dipped in her milk). My daughter was allergic to oats so I could never give her Cheerios but I found that she really enjoyed Crispix, if you want to provide cereal. Finally, I did introduce scrambled eggs with veggies and cheese in it - sometimes she'll eat it and sometimes not.

Have fun!

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K.L.

answers from New York on

Just a few suggestions that my daughter likes a lot... Vegi burgers, tofu, and when you really don't feel like cooking, or preparing a meal for him the Gerber graduates are pretty good. Like I said, I don't give her those foods all the time (even though they say no preservatives... I just don't know about it), but they are quick, and have vegis in them. Look in the baby aisle they are microwavable meals. My favorite thing to give is the vegi burger though. Also a lot of fruits.

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L.S.

answers from New York on

give a little of everything- except of course honey and nuts (and i think some kind of sea food, but check with you dr.). my 1 year old loves bananas, watermelon, peas, corn, avocado. we also give him cut up turkey meatballs, turkey, chicken, mashed potatoes, all types of pastas, pancakes, waffles- anything and everything! if your son is anything like mine, he'll it all, and come back for more!
good luck and sorry about your job loss.

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K.M.

answers from New York on

I used to give oatmeal. It's easy, nutritious. Some fruits like banana, apple. I diluted juice if I give some juce (cause of cavity) I used baby grinder a lot. It was very handy that you can grind anything! And let your child eat by himself so he learn to eat, instead of spooning everything to his mouth. Sometimes he shampooed his hair with his food! But after all her learned to eat very well.

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S.K.

answers from New York on

Our doctor started us on table food at 9 months and it was hard trying to come up with a menu. She usually eats oatmeal,pancakes( you can by the frozen ones they're not bad.)Usually I also give her fruit as well. They have the Gerber graduates already dice in jars if you don't want to cut them up. I give her scrambled eggs occassionally too. Doc told us no more that twice a week.
I had the same problem with the sippy cup til today!! I gave it to her in her highchair and what happened was I tried to squeeze the mouthpiece to see if the liquid would come out. The rubber piece on the inside got stuck open so the liquid was dripping out into her mouth but I guess it gave her the idea because after I fixed it she got it. If I had only known. I would have tried this sooner. My daughter is 13 months old.

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D.B.

answers from New York on

Hi V.,

Try taking your son to the store and let him pick out his own special sippy cup. That way he knows it's special for him. As for breakfast my nephew would eat eggs, pancakes & cereal with milk. Hope this helps.

D. B

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A.L.

answers from Rochester on

My fifteen month little girl loves scrabbled eggs for breakfast along with toast w/lots of butter. Bolonga is always good for lunch with some soft vegtables (cooked carrots, broccolli). Dinner can include chicken, potatos, pasta. Have fun experimenting! I found my daughter to be much more cooperative during meal time when table food was introduced.. meaning she could do some self-feeding.

I am also struggling with getting my daughter to take a sippy cup and she is only interested in milk. I can not get her to accept water or juice.

A. L- Greece NY

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J.R.

answers from New York on

Hello. My daughter is a great eater! Here are some ideas that I did with her.
Ask your Deli Counter to cut meats like Turkey, ham etc...about 1/4 inch thick then cut them into little strips for him. Also can do with cheeses.
Annies or Natures Best Mac and Cheese. You can add Peas to it when serving left overs.
Broccoli florets. I cut just the tops of them in small bites. (steamed)
Minestrone type of soups. they can eat the veggies and mac.
small bites of PBJ or Grilled Cheese.
Sausage, Omletes with cheese or small bits of meats or veggies.
Thats is just a few. I hope that I helped SOMEONE.

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S.M.

answers from Buffalo on

My favorite thing to give my kids to eat at that age (also their favorite thing to eat),was yogurt mixed with cereals like cheerios or kix. It was easy to feed them and a good food for them to learn to spoon feed themselves with because the yogurt would keep the cereal stuck to the spoon and prevent it from running off, like with milk. Yogurt is still to this day one of their favorites. As far as the sippy cup thing, try to take out the plastic insert that keeps the liquid from spilling out. Let him experiment with it like that for a while with small amounts of liquid first. Then put the insert back in and he should get that he just has to suck a little harder to get it out. Hope this helps and good luck!

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L.E.

answers from New York on

You may want to try the NUK sippy cup that is sold at Walmart for ~$1. It has a soft rubber on the top that my son and daughter both preferred to the standard sippy cup, and it has a hourglass design that makes it easy for little hands to hold.

Cut up bananas, waffles, nutrigrain bars and Kix have been staples for both my daughter and son, now 22 mo. and 3 yrs. These items are convenient for mornings were time is short and we are going somewhere in the car. Waffles are nice because they are easy to make, freeze and toast when you need them.

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L.D.

answers from New York on

Regarding the sippy cup - I found the 'take and toss' ones that don't have the 'spill proof' mechanism worked well with 'learning' how the cup works (i.e., suck and liquid goes into mouth!). When I tried the spill proof ones - because you have to suck so hard - she just didn't get it. Now she does use the spill proof kind - after a few weeks of the cheap take & toss ones. Good luck! Oh - and as for table food - you may want to try the Gerber 'puffs' before cheerios and even cut them in half. They really melt in a toddler's mouth so there is no gagging. Also, I did canned fruit cut up really small - she loved fruit so it was an easy food for her to try and get used to the feel of food in her mouth.

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S.P.

answers from New York on

HI. My daughter is a macaroni junkie. I will by mini farafalle or just cut up any kind of pasta. She loves any kind of pasta with either tomato sauce or butter and grated cheese. That is her favorite table food. For breakfast, she likes pancakes and waffles with a little syrup and she likes bananas as well any time of day. She also really enjoys soft boiled eggs.

Good Luck. My daughter is a very picky eater.

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J.L.

answers from Elmira on

I have a 16 month old daughter and she has luckily been eating and drinking what my husband and I eat and drink since 11 months! She will not drink out of a sippy cup either, she would never do it. She does however and has since the day we quit the bottle drink out of a straw cup. That way they don't have to use all that arm energy if they feel like being lazy, also, she can drink while she's walking around. I give her oatmeal or cheerios for breakfast. Let him have whatever you are having, if he sees that mommy is eating it too, he will be more inclined to eat a little bit of everything.

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W.H.

answers from New York on

Hi V.,

Cheerios are always a hit! My kids loved scrambled eggs, toast, pancakes in different shapes using cookie cutters after you've cooked them. You can use the cookie cutters on american cheese too. Kix cereal, oatmeal, mashed banana or sliced, french toast cut into strips. Muffins are always popular w/ my kids too and there's such a variety, blueberry, pumpkin, cranberry, banana . . . You can put almost any fruit and some veggies in them too.

Hope these ideas help!

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