toddler menu ideas?

Question

What have you gotten your toddler to eat (meals wise)? My 2 year old will eat macaroni and cheese, waffles, lunchmeat, crackers, string cheese, peanut butter bread and french fries. Does this sound typical? I thought she'd be eating grilled cheese sandwhiches by now but she's not interested. She doesn't like tomato based stuff at all. Any ideas? For snacks she'll eat crackers, goldfish, bananas, etc.

she only eats french fries occasionally as a treat, but I agree her diet needs to be better

she's never had juice, she only drinks water. at least that part is really healthy!

Answer 1

My middle daughter was stuck in a rut eating the same type of things as your daughter (aside from peanut butter). Two of her good friends were really good eaters and ate all sorts of veggies, fruits, pretty much anything. I learned that she was much more willing to eat new things if she saw her peers eating them. We have lunch playdates a few times a week with these friends and it has done wonders. She will now eat almost anything! Also not giving up if she doesn't like something the first time. I've found the more I offer the more likely they are to begin to eat it and actually like it. My youngest is also a big fan of eating whatever is on my plate so I usually load it up with veggies when we sit and eat together so she eats those first.

Another thing that really worked was putting out a plate of new foods first, just a few taste portions to try and letting her eat those first. See how your daughter reacts and if she likes it give her some more before giving her the food you know she loves.

My last suggestion is dips! Ranch dressing, hummus, french dressing, tartar sauce, cream cheese, cheese sauce, peanut butter, guacamole...there are lots of other options aside from ketchup.

Here are some suggestions for new things to try that are pretty bland and were a big hit in our house:

*avacado (cut into little piece and eaten with a fork)
*bell peppers (cut into strips, dipped into a suggested dip above)
*broccoli (we call it trees, dipped into something)
*cucumbers (either cut into circles or sticks, also dipped)
*apples dipped into peanut butter
*pears
*grapes (cut in half)
*blueberries
*strawberries
*chicken nuggets
*fish sticks
*raspberries (my daughters love putting them on their fingers and making their fingers disappear with raspberry tips)
*snap peas (dipped!)
*soup (chicken noodle, cream of mushroom, broccoli cheddar, you can float some fishies in the soup to make it fun or let her drink the soup out a straw, once it's super cool)
*scrambled eggs (top with a little cheese)
*bagels and cream cheese (there are so many flavors these days)
*peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches (cut with cookie cutter)
*ants on a log (celery with peanut butter and raisins)
*yogurt (tubes and drinkable yogurts are huge hits in my house, we pour the drink ones into a sippy cup for our younger girls)
*mini pancakes
*hot dogs (cut into long strips and dipped)
*buttered noodles (add cheese, veggies)
*breakfast sausages
*sandwhiches (cut into shapes with a cookie cutter)

This is a mini list but I hope it's somewhat helpful!

Answer 2

This is typical. I am a mother of three. Especially for boys. Girls tend to be less selective. Mac and cheese, peanut butter sandwiches, cookies, crackers, turkey, peanuts, goldfish, cereal, oatmeal, bread, toast, waffles, pancakes, spaghetti, etc. Perhaps a chicken tender but for the most part the same. No grilled cheese sandwiches, no cheese, not really even pizza until recently at four years old. But one day I made a Caesar salad for myself, and both of my two eating real food age children could not get enough. Someone one told me that kids like herbs and mild spice. Mine also love all fruit: Bananas, oranges, apples, grapes, cantaloupe, strawberries, raisins, etc. I am certified in nutrition and have my battles also. Forget eggs in my family, Steak occasionally. Sorry to be to lengthy..GL

Answer 3

I believe kids need to be trained into eating new foods. And again, if they don't like something, you can't just force them or something. My son who is 18 months old eats almost everthing we do, but of course quantities that he can have.

Its interesting how he wouldn't eat any other fruit other than a banana, but now I tried leaving a few grapes in front of him and to my surprise more than one batch vanished in 15 min. Earlier, he'd just mess them up. So I guess if you keep trying, it might work someday. With my son, its easier to make him eat off my plate. Otherwise he thinks he is being left out of something delicious. So, I have the skim milk cereal in his bowl and add whole milk to mine, so he has from mine. Different tricks work at diff times. and sometimes, nothing works. That's when I give up and store energy for trying the next day.......what a saga isn't it ?

Answer 4

My son is two and a half and sometimes he is picky and sometimes he is not. He has never liked olives then wham! He likes them. I offer him everything that I eat. Sometimes he eats it good and sometimes he doesn't. As for snack plans T.V dinners are cheap and they sometimes have good varieties. Applesauce, toast, small cans of pringles, all kinds of juice. My sons eats what I do and if he doesn't like it I wait a while to see if he will eat it after all then it's something he does like, like peanut butter and jelly. I don't know if this helps at all but kids just need figure out what they like. It takes years. Good luck!

Answer 5

There is a great book out that a Mom/nutrionist wrote and it's full of great ideas for snacks and how to introduce them as well as when you should introduce them. You can probably pick up at your local library, but you can get it on line for less $20.

Better Food for Kids

Answer 6

My son loves salad. Carrots, cucumbers, celery, anything like that cut up into sticks so he can dip them in ranch dressing or cheese dip. He also like rasins and dried fruits. I think that your two year old eats normally for their age. My son's dr told me to let him eat what he likes, he will probably find something he likes and only want it for a while and that is normal. My son is stuck on pickles and eggs right now (not together LOL).....I guess it could be worse!

Answer 7

my kids like to interact with making all of their food like taking out the bread putting the cheese on it and giving to me to grill, pouring in the milk butter and cheese packets, adding ketchup to the plate for nuggets ect. but the tv dinners work wonders my 5 yr old salsbury steak my 3 year old chicken nuggets and my 19 month old fish sticks. it is all trial and error hone do not worry.

Answer 8

My son is 2. Include your daughter in preparing the meal. I let my son stand on a chair and stir the noodles or cake mix or whatever we are preparing. Even if it is just a fast "throw in the oven" meal, we go through all the steps (he knows the oven is hot and off limits) and turn on the oven light so he can look on it once and awhile while it cooks. He loves it and it gets him all excited when it is done.

Answer 9

She is taking in way too much jink food, almost everything you listed is. Try adding more veggies & fruits to her diet. My children love stemmed broccoli & cauliflower, and almost any child will eat it if you melt some chese on it. How about a kiddie salad. a fruit salad, yogurt, etc.. Good Luck just try new things.

Answer 10

The snacks sound fine. Are you trying vegetables? At this age it is mostly experimenting, let her eat what she will and just continue to introduce new things.