I feel like I've asked this question a lot, but I was hoping for some new answers. My daughter just turned one yesterday and I was looking for some recipes for her to eat. She has four teeth on top and two on the bottom with two more coming in. I've always heard to feed them what you're having, but that just makes me so nervous.
My three year old is extremely picky. I can barely get him to eat meat or anything new. So I was hoping to do things differently with the little one. Looking forward to hearing what you do with your little ones!
Thanks in advance!
Let me just say, it is so nice just feeding my daughter whatever we're having for dinner! She comes running anytime she sees someone eating real food now lol.
Thanks for the advice! I probably should have worded my question differently. I was looking for kid friendly recipes. Not something different for my daughter.
At that age, I did feed them what I was eating. But if I was going to spice or season something, I would put much less spice or seasoning on the baby's portion. I would also leave some veggies to steam longer so they'd be softer.
You really can, and should, feed baby what you're eating. Making "special" meals makes for a picky child.
I would assume your 3 year old is picky because you didn't follow the rule of "feed your child what you are eating"
What you do differently with your daughter is FEED HER WHAT YOU'RE HAVING.
I guess I don't know what you mean by that makes you nervous. I guess I don't cook elaborate dinners.... so a typical dinner for me would be a chicken breast, some broccoli and a salad. So, little one gets cut up chicken and cut up broccoli.
If I make pasta - little one get's cut up noodles and sauce.
If I make pork chops and rice, little one gets cut up pork chops and rice.
If I make a habit of making my kids special dinners then they become picky eaters who feel entitled to special treatment.
So - the trick is to make dinner for the ENTIRE FAMILY. Again.... I wasn't making lobster to begin with.... so my cooking is pretty kid friendly to begin with.
STOP letting your son be a "picky eater". Unless he has a sensory issue (which is legit) then YOU are responsible for him begin a picky eater. Now you have to stop the behavior. So, get that under control and don't start it with your daughter.
At that age I was just chopping and mushing up what I was cooking, mostly veges, rice, beans, potatoes, noodles and fruit. I didn't really give them much in the way of meat and dairy because those are harder for little tummies to digest.
Don't make it harder than it has to be!
My first, my son, is a very picky eater. I remember I would make him his own meals that that age. Things that were healthy but that I thought he would like. With my daughter I did things differently...I just fed her what I was eating. I'd cut things very small and put the exact same breakfast/lunch/dinner in front of her that I was having. I gave her small portions. I mean everything...so she'd get a tiny portion of cut up salad or sautéed kale or enchiladas or whatever. I'd just say, try this, you'll like it! And go about enjoying my dinner. After we were done eating I'd put her down. I never tried to get her to eat certain foods or eat more. I would just not mention it. I would praise her when she was enjoying her food. She is 3 and is great at trying new things and liking many foods.
Wholesometoddlerfood.com has a ton of information, recipes, and suggestions for feeding toddlers. It is a great resource. :)
Whatever you eat. You do not need to cook separately for her.
Not sure what you're already feeding her, but fruits are obvious. Cut grapes into quarters. Same with cherries and check for pits. Watermelon, plum, banana, peach, berries. Kiwi might be a little tart but try it. Fruits can be slippery so at least put them in a little bowl (even the lid from a plastic container) or a sectioned toddler plate so they don't slide all over.
Raw avocado, and all kinds of cooked vegetables including carrot cubes, peas, sweet potato chunks, zucchini spears should be easy for her to mash with her gums and a few teeth. You can try things like cooked green pepper, green beans, chick peas and broccoli but don't overdo them all at once as they can make her gassy.
Eggs - chunks of scrambled eggs or an omelette work well.
French toast - make with whole grain bread and egg and some cinnamon - you don't need maple syrup because the cinnamon gives it plenty of flavor. Cut in cubes or even a long shape she can hold and bite off.
Peanut butter or almond butter sandwich cut in cubes. You can flatten the bread a little to make it easier to get in her mouth.
Are you nervous about her choking or about allergies? If choking, just give a few small pieces at a time so she can't shove them all in her mouth. As she swallows, give her a few more.
You may find your older child gets more adventurous if the little one is eating things. Just make a big deal about how delicious these things are. Kids like to dip foods too, so make a little ranch dressing or put out hummus and let him dip away! Same thing for French toast dipped in a little real maple syrup (I really don't recommend the fake syrup - it's all high fructose corn syrup with a little maple flavoring). You can also use a little honey. But I find mixing cinnamon in the beaten egg and then sprinkling some more on the egg-covered toast as it's cooking gives it plenty of flavor.
Try things like zucchini bread too - good way to disguise veggies and introduce the taste. My son thought it was "cake" and that's how I got Mr. Picky to eat!
I've also seen a lot of recipes for things like mac and cheese with cauliflower or butternut squash mixed into the cheese. We make burgers with a little grass-fed beef or bison, some ground turkey, and lots of add-ins like black beans, flax seed, sesame seeds, grated onion, chopped spinach (just defrost a little from a bag of frozen spinach), and other things we have lying around to be used up (great use for peppers that have started to go a little soft). The veggies help add moisture to lean meats - a few cubes of burger are nice and soft for a young child.
My daughter always wanted what I was eating, so I just made sure to cut it into really small pieces for her. She especially liked scrambled eggs.
I was listening to John Tesch a few years ago and he talked about a study done at a major medical school. The study concluded that at 3 children refuse to eat any new food. This goes back to the days when humans were hunter/gathers and at 3 the children were allowed to start picking food. If they didn't recognize a food item they wouldn't pick it because it could be poison.
The theroy is that children still have this instinct to not eat anything they do not recognize at 3 yrs olds. This ends usually around 5 yrs old.
As a result feed them everything you eat, no substitutions and they will learn to eat a well balanced diet.
We always just fed our kids what we were eating. We even added the spices and flavorings, unless it was something especially spicy and then we'd be nice and not burn their poor little tongues with it.
By 1 my daughter's favorite food was chicken curry!
Just make sure it's cut or mashed up in a way that it won't pose a choking hazard.
I was going to recommend the website Wholesome Toddler Food but it looks like someone beat me to it. That's a great site with a lot of ideas on how to prepare every day foods so little ones can eat it.
My kids will eat anything and everything. I always just put it in front of them and eventually they tried it. That's really what you have to do. I read once that it can take up to 12 times of offering the same foods before a young child will try it or like it. You can get protein from many other sources other than meat. A favorite around here was scrambled eggs with melted cheese in them. Easy for them to eat and packed with great nutrients.
Their gums can chew a lot more than you think. Even a child with no teeth can handle meat and lightly cooked veggies.
DO feed her what you are having- for several reasons. 1- it's so much easier on you. You are not a short order chef. If you start making your kids different meals now, they will expect it in the future, when you are busy and life is running away from you. Seriously. Take this one to heart.
2- it gets them used to so much more food early. They become great eaters if you feed them well at this age. Your 3 yo is picky because 3yo ARE picky. Its all about texture for them. He will get over it. You need to be ready for it.
3. Time- see reason #1.
4. Better nutrition. If you are making real food for the family- and no, I am not talking anything from a box, but real food that you made from scratch yourself, she will have better nutrition. And it will taste better.
5- people will be really impressed that your kids eat real food and not just chicken nuggets, hot dogs and grilled cheese.
I fed my kids off my plate. I didn't make them separate meals, or anything. Just cut it up smaller or watched them closely. We all ate together as a family. None of this- feed the kids at 5 and myself at 7 kind of thing. We all eat at the same time- even now when my boys are 16,13, and 9.
You are worrying too much! Relax!
babies do not need a recipe. feed them whatever you eat.. just cut it up.
canned fruit is soft.. cut it up in small pieces.. canned veggies are soft cut them up in small pieces..
rice is good and you can make it a bit sticky so it is easy to pick up.
noodles spaghetti and pasta.. cut them up and baby can pick up.
chicken cut up is cook and so is hamburger..
That is why your 3 yr old is picky. You should be eating well balanced meals and if so then chop up small portions and put them on a high chair tray in front of your one year old. They can eat whatever the rest of the family is eating as long as it is not too spicy.
I spent time with my nephew and wife and their four year old last summer. They are vegetarian and put a big bowl of salad in front of their son each meal and he eats it, because that is all they give him. KIds will eat healthy if you feed them healthy food and do not let them have unhealthy snacks in between.
Parents are the ones that put their food issues on kids. You can do this. Be consistent and do not buy junk or fast food and just feed healthy stuff.
I agree with the other posters on feeding your 1 year old. For the 3 year old, don't ever talk about his eating habits to him or within his earshot. Pretend it is not an issue whether he eats or not. Do not compare him to his sister. Don't insist that this food or that food is really yummy. Just put what everyone else is having in front of him in small amounts. If he doesn't want it, fine. Talk about other things.
You need to remember that kids will not starve themselves. If he is hungry enough, he will start trying new foods. If he tries it and eats it, don't say, "See, I told you it was yummy." Just act like he was supposed to eat it. Kids need to taste things multiple times before they will get used to the texture. Don't cave it or he will count on you caving if he throws a big enough tantrum (or whatever he does when he is upset).
Only keep healthy foods around. They will have plenty of opportunities to get the junk when they go to other people's houses...
