I have a daughter who will be two in August. She has always been a really good eater for me. We typically give her a separate dinner from what we eat. She eats lunch meat, canned chicken, cooked veggies, fruits, cheeses. Lately, however, she hasn't been eating much other than fruits. I'm not sure if it's because it's summer right now, and hot, or if she's just getting tired of what we feed her. So, I'm looking for some new ideas. Maybe things that are "cooler" and will be more enjoyable to eat during hot summer days. She's allergic to eggs, mayo and ranch dressing, however. Any suggestions?
I like the pepper idea already getting their veggies in before the meal!
Ranch alternative
Kens sweet vidalia onion lite dressing
I was trying to find a website but I didn't have any luck.
I love ranch but recently at a friends house that couldn't eat it, so she had this instead!
Here's my two cents. Concentrate on breakfast! Kids are hungriest in the morning and will eat anything you put in front of them. I feed my kid organic scrambled eggs, veggies, avocado, full-fat milk, etc. in the morning. (Anything but cereal!) If I'm in a hurry, we eat homemade popsicles in the car. I make popsicles "en masse" on weekends: In a blender, mix- some kind of frozen fruit, banana, 1/2 avacado, and a dollop of full-fat unsweetend yogurt. NOTE- avacado and ORGANIC eggs are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which young kids need for brain development. (We need it too!) Too bad she's allergic to eggs. I wonder if you can keep trying to overcome this allergy, as eggs are a wonderful easy source of protein. Ask a doc.
My children have loved watermelon and other kinds of melon at a young age. At a picnic at my sister's house when my child and hers were about 2 she served grilled salmon and the children surprised us by eating it, grilled chicken and lunch meat are things that I know many get there kinds
Hi K.,
I am a mom to three children: 7, 5, almost 3. So, I definitely get you when you say she is going on a little food strike with certain foods. I am very fortunate to have fairly open minded kids that will try new things, but they too, can get into a food choice rut. I always find getting them involved helps. I know she is only two, but I am a big believer in having kids in the kitchen. My little almost three year old has been helping me set the table, "try" to peel cucumbers for a long time. I would suggest having her help you with making fruit smoothies..the recipes are endless and she can help put the ingredients in and than have fun tasting the concoctions. Strawberry season is almost here and it is always fun to go picking and than come home and wash them and cut them up. Other ideas are Edamame which you can find in most frozen (veggie)food sections. It comes in a pod or just the beans. My kids LOVE them, they love popping the edamame out of the pods. It is a soy bean, very mild and full of protein! You can eat them hot or cold. Another trick is right before dinner I set out a plate of different colored pepper slices (red and orange are very sweet), cucumbers and such. My kids are always ask for food while we make dinner and instead of them ruining their dinner and they resort to snacking on the veggies...so I've snuck the veggies in ahead of time!! ( : Hope this helpful, good luck and Happy Summer! A.
why dont you give her what you eat for dinner??...that just might make a difference...
My son is 16 months and going through the same thing. he used to eat a variety of foods but only eats fruit and cereals these days. Lately, because he has more teeth now, I have gotten him to eat baby carrots and cucumbers with ranch (maybe try a different dressing). I think I might try the hummus suggestion below, but he seems to be a "texture" kid. He also loves yogurt...the sqeezable kind are great but can be messy (I guess depending on their age).
I agree with some of the others - just give her what you are eating for dinner - she is old enough to eat anything you eat, and it may be more appealing, since it is "what the grown-ups are eating". Plus you don't want her ot get used to having a special meal made just for her, and expect it forever....unfortunatly lots of people I know have fallen into that trap and are now making 3-4 separate dinners for their school-age kids....that is rediculous.
As they get bigger, their growth rate slows a bit form those first 2 years, and their appetite may decrease some. Just offer her what you have for dinner, and let her eat what she wants, and leave it at that, if you get to frantic and start begging/tempting/bribing her to eat, it WILL be come a power struggle - a nd you don't want that.
Good Luck
Jessie
At her age, she could just be going through a faze. I would keep offering her a rounded diet but not worry to much if she doesn't eat it all. I would also serve her the same thing that you are eating so she doesn't come to expect special meals. My kids eat everything and I think it is because we don't give them an option at meal time. They eat what we eat or else they are hungry. If I'm serving something I know one of them doesn't like then I make sure that I serve a side that I know they will eat.
As for meal ideas..... In the summer we love veggies and hummus. You could also try serving her lunch meat with a pita. Cold pasta salads are also good and you could make it with an oil based dressing to avoid the allergens. You could also try putting the fruit in some yogurt for some added protein. Or serving them with cheese or peanut butter. Kids love to dip!
Yes, dip dip dip! My kids love to dip in ketchup, yogurt, slald dressing, whatever. Also, we have a garden and they love to eat right out of the garden. We get them really involved in planting, watering, etc. and they eat all their veggies. One of their favorite snacks is frozen peas. Even just a container garden would be great if you don't have room for a garden. Or, let her pick out some fresh foods at the store or farmer's market. One word of caution...she should be eating what you eat or you'll be a short order cook. I have friends who have to "cook on demand" to get their kids to eat. Mine eat what the family eats, including my 1 year old. I sometimes separate their portion before I add spice, but it is still a family dinner. Enjoy the summer!
Hi K.:
Even with her allergies she should be able to eat the same meals as the rest of the family. Simply exclude the foods she is allergic to. My children and grandchilcren started eating the same meals as the family by the time they were one year old.
My kids and most of my nieces and nephews have all gone through the "spurts" as far as eating is concerned. Starting at about 2; they would eat what seemed hardly anything at all, sometimes for 2-3 days, then eat like a horse for a week. I wouldn't worry too much about the amount of food she eats, just make sure what you are offering is healthy choices. I'm also not a fan of children getting "special" meals - she is definitely old enough now for you to be feeding her what everyone else eats. Good luck!
Sounds like she is getting tired of her meals or it could be a faze however I would certainly not be making her special meals. By the age of two she should be able to eat anything that an adult would eat. I would be hesitate about really spicy foods but yet my sons loved spicy foods at this age. Wether it is hot or cold outside a child should have a rounded & balanced diet. Present all the foods you would normally feed yourself and see what happens and remember just because she may not like it the first time she may the 2nd time around. Good Luck!
