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Mine is 2, and has a very limited list of foods she will eat. She is not quite as bad as my son was. Any suggestions? We are vegetarians.
1. Bananas, but not always
2. Dried cherries, but not always
3. Little cubes of cheese, always
4. Grapes, washed and quartered (choking hazard), always
5. Cinnamon Life (I know its sugary but for God's sake some grains at least)
6. Yogurt, but not always
7. Corn, always
8. Pasta, always
9. Annies cheddar bunnies, always
10. Graham crackers, usually
11. Tangerine slices, always
She drinks about 2 cups of whole organic milk a day also. I would love to know any other healthy foods your toddler will eat!
My son is 2 1/2. Here are a few foods off the top of my head that he likes, some healthier than others. In general, he gets what we are having for our meals.
On the vegetarian front:
strawberries, always
grapes, always
apples, usually
pears, usually
peaches, usually
mandarin oranges, always
watermelon, usually
bananas, usually
oatmeal, always
cheerios, in a bowl with milk, always
pancakes, always
waffles, always
popcorn, always
peanut butter & jelly, always
grilled cheese, usually
yogurt, always
corn, always
broccoli, the flower part but not the stems, always
cauliflower, sometimes
rice, both white and "flavored", always
cheese, almost any kind, always
toast & jelly, usually
biscuits, always
scones, preferably lemon poppyseed, always
pizza, always
chips & salsa, always
macaroni & cheese, always
potatoes, usually
carrots, always
cashews, always
On the non-vegetarian front:
chicken, many different ways of preparation, always
shrimp, always
fish, almost any kind, always
lamb, grilled or stewed, usually
steak, occasionally
beef stew, always
hot dogs, always
ham, slices, always
pork, most cuts and preparation, always
turkey, roasted or slices, always
We are still trying to get him to eat beans, with limited success so far.
My toddler eats just about anything, she's 17 mos now.
My solution to this whole situation though is to breastfeed as long as possible. That way, I'm sure my toddlers have gotten perfect nutrition regardless of what solids or lack thereof they have eaten. I also practice child-led solids introduction - I put the foods in front of my kids and they learn to feed themselves - no spooning it in from me. That way the child is in control of what they are eating from early on - and they aren't "forced" to eat before they are actually ready.
All of my three children have gotten better with the foods they eat as they've gotten older. I just repeatedly offer foods and sometimes it takes 20 tries, but finally they will be tempted and try it.
The other foolproof way I push the veggies is to steam them to be done a bit before the rest of our food. That way my kids eat the veggies first when they are hungriest.
She loves
-buckwheat - a tastier, healthier alternative to rise, potatoe and pasta.
-pasta including whole wheat
-boiled egg, omelett
-broccoli - but dont overcook, leave them al dente they are tastier, healthier and prettier
-smoothies made with banana, youghurt, and any other berries or fruit
-red, orange, yellow sweet pepper
-Finn Crisp garlic flavoured dry rye bread. especially if microwaved with cheese on top
-bran flakes with milk or simply dry
-peanut butter
Try adding some spice. I think we mistakenly think children dont like flavoured foods. My daughter refuses to eat the pasta and meatsauce my nanny makes (its horribly bland BLAH) while devours the one I make which has garlic, more basil, thyme, rosemarine, etc.
She also likes chicken marinated in a bit of teriyaki sauce and then fried.
Chicken or fish in a cream and curry sauce is also popular
Just go easy on salt as its tought on toddlers' kidneys and you don't want to become accustomed to only salty foods.
Also she prefers eating things off my or her brother's plate. So you can always serve yourself what you would like her to eat
my son turns 2 next week. he eats anything we eat for dinner. i dont make a seperate dinner or anything with no spices (i dont cook "heated" spicy foods anyway, but i do use herbs etc) he loves meat! he has his own place at the table and knows that it's his seat. beore anyone else is seating and i am setting the table, he goes to sit down. i dont tell him to, he just likes to eat--lol
for lunch i usually make him pastina in a vegy broth with carrots. he loves carrots.
for breakfast he likes "grown up cereal"
as a snack he will eat raisins, pretzels, crackers, apples, grapes
he also drinks about 30-40 oz of milk still. i know everyone says it's too much, but he asks for it, and i dont want to deprive him of that particular thing just yet.
he also drinks jiuce mixed with water--usually apple
he also asks for chocolate a couple of times a day. so i give him a small square of white chocolate as a treat or to appease him (i know that is not good either, but sometimes you need to stop the crying)
When my kids were toddlers they loved avocado, edamame (I would shell the beans and they'd snack away), chick peas, mini pancakes with a little jelly or just plain, and my son loved to eat hummus with little pitas (still does). My daughter loved mini bagels with cream cheese (still loves that)
I'm fortunate that my daughter eats everything we eat so she eats well balanced meals. She eats all fruits, but not all veggies. We are not vegetarians, but here are some ideas of vegetarian meals she eats:
Yogurt spread on whole grain toasted bread
Avocado spread or cut up in cubes
Hummus
Black beans and rice
Organic rice, bean and cheese burritos (loves these)
Whole wheat couscous with veggies
Barley soup
Oatmeal with fresh fruit
Dry Fruit
Squash with mango salsa
Any dish with whole grain pasta and cheese (will not eat regular pasta--must prefer the texture I suppose)
Bean soup
Veggie soup
Pancakes or Waffles (we add fresh fruit)
Veggie Pizza
Organic Yogurt (I freeze them and she eats them like a popsicle)
Applesauce (love it)
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