toddler meal ideas?
 

Does anyone have any toddler meal ideas, i think Micah is getting sick of, chicken, grilled cheese, eggs, pancakes, i don't know what else to feed him, he gets all his fruits and veggies, i'm having problems with dinner meals, any ideas?
Thanks ladies!!!

I googled Toddler's Nutritional Requirements, and came up with this - it's interesting.

http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/Toddlers.htm

Thanks Judy, that was very interesting, but i don't agree on one thing. That some toddlers only eat two meals, these people haven't met my Big BOY LOL
when i got to work here is what i pack for NA-NA

example of Breakfast:

3 pancakes
fruit
juice

snack
yogurt
cookies

lunch
kids meal
plus side mac and cheese.

mid day snack
jello
banana
then when he comes home he still eats a dinner...
That's my boy, i love big babies !!!

ps, i printed out all the recipes, thanks again Judy !!!!!

I'm a big believe in just giving the kids whatever you are eating. Sometimes you hav to serve something 3 or 4 times before they like it, but believe me it will make your life easier down the road if they get used to eating whatever you eat. It avoids picky eating and having to worry when you go somewhere. My kids ate tuna, steak, and chinese food as toddlers.

i would do that Teri but i don't eat Breakfast or Dinner, i just eat lunch and i'm good for the day, i'm not a big eater at all. and my husband don't cook out on the grill until about 8-9 at night, so i have to do a special meal for just him.

I think that any food that they can pick up and is chewable for them is alright. You might try Cheerios for breakfast or a snack. Macaroni and Cheese is always a favorite. Peas, green beans, hominy, or pork and beans. Vienna sausages are good too or you can get the baby food kind. Hmmmm.....I'm having a hard time remembering because my baby is 16 now!!

I agree with what Teri said too.

Haley! You need to eat better young lady!

Terri i been that way for years, once in a blue moon i'll eat dinner and that's only if we go out... to keep my weight down.. i learned to eat this way .. i'm fine.. i drink lots of water and take my vit. and i'll pick at night whatever Micah don't eat, i'll eat his veggies...

Diana what is hominy?

Haley,

I love big babies too! I also don't agree that they need only 2 meals/day.

I like the idea of establishing a schedule for meals early on.

You can make him English muffin pizza, soups, if he likes them are great, even a bowl of cheerios like Diana said. If he likes veggies, you can steam them up and serve them with pasts, rice, potatoes, etc.

My daughter ate beautifully until she was a year old. Then she stopped eating!
I had her on a bottle until she was 4 1/2! She took it to kindergarten with her.
I put milk, raw egg, protein powder, etc. in, made the hole in the nipple huge, and covered it all up with chocolate syrup.

Consider yourself lucky that Micah is a good eater.

As toddlers, our girls ate big people food. I'd cut the meat and any hard to chew or fiberous item into small pieces so they would not choke on it and they did fine. Our oldest loved broccoli. She would ask for more "trees" (I'd cut the broccoli into small pieces that did look like small trees). She grew out of her love for it though and as an adult will not touch the stuff.

Our pediatrician was a big advocate of offering toddlers a big variety of adult foods. Hubby and I like to try new things, so they do, too.

It has been awhile for me too.. Let's see being italian...lol I use to feed them pastina with a little butter and sometimes I put in a little ricotta cheese, add a little milk and salt.. Yummy they still love it and so do I.. It fills them . I also believe like some mentioned to give them what you are eating.

My son is not a veggie person and its a shame I use to give them veggies when they were little. My kids loved meatballs, so I would give them that.. Hotdogs cut up so they don't choke... mash potatoes . Kids love chicken nuggets I use to buy them in the meat department. Pizza all kids love that , just cut it up..


Breakfast is important so give him cheerios, maybe farina that was another big hit and still his. I make farina with milk , add a little butter and a drop of brown sugar. Somethings they remember and still love.. Pancakes are good, I use to make Mickey Mouse waffles, yes I had a waffle maker...lol My son sometimes will ask me mom can you make the waffles, yes he is 23 yrs old. lol see some memories stay...

Your son is at the picky stage and may want to eat the same food over and over, thats ok, this shall pass...

Hope I was of help!

Hominy is actually corn. It's soaked and the outer covering is removed. It's very good and I have it quite a bit here at home. It comes in a can and will be in the same area that you find canned corn at the grocery store. It comes in white or yellow and they both taste the same. I usually buy some of both and use whatever color goes with my meal. I put it in a dish with a little bit of butter and salt and pepper and cook it in the microwave for a couple of minutes or so. You can also drain the water off and cook it in a skillet with a little bit of butter or bacon grease. Either way it tastes about the same. Try it and let me know what you think. (There are a lot of recipes on the internet)

I too fed my toddlers whatever we were eating. As adults they'll eat almost anything because they grew up that way.

I love Hominy too!! My mom was out for supper the other night and I fixed it and she was thrilled. She hadn't had it for years she said. I fix it the same way Diana except for cooking it in a skillet.

Aren't they also called grits? They're good! Pure starch - yummy.

I forgot about farina, my husband loves that, and i'll also try hominy,
I tried a couple new things on him this weekend, i got him some fruit jello- you should have seen the faces he was making! priceless and so funny. I got some watermelon too, he loved that. i made my grandmothers cheese huliski, he loved that.. cheese brocoli, he somewhat liked that. i also got him some freezed pops, he made faces with that too, but he ate it.. got all kinds of flavors of Motto, apple sauce. yesterday he had some pizza, he really loved that.. So i'll see what else i can find, oh i also got torillinis and ravs.. so i'll try those this week also.. he likes butter noodles to. french toast... any kind of veggie besides peas. he just smashes them up and throws them on the floor.. and my husband gave him cheese curls, he absolultey loved those.. but he ruined Micah lunch Saturday, they sat there and ate cheese curls, Micah got mad when Daddy put the bag away :)
so if anyone elso has anymore ides just let me know, i'll try anything, he is not a picky eatter.
and once again thank you ladies... you gave me alot of great ideas!

Dear Haley,

You have to take a video of Micah trying new food! How cute he must look.
He must have a tough tummy, with all that new stuff at once.

Most of that stuff he had over Na-Na's house, i just need to start making it, he did have, torillini's, pizza, Na-Na gave him all that stuff before, i just needed to get it.. i know you only can try one new food a week cause of allergies, so far the only thing he is allergic to is strawberries, the new food i tried on him this week was watermelon & fruit Jello.. Na-Na takes him out to lunch every Tuesday, so he gets the kids meals, he'll either have pizza, chicken, or grilled cheese, and FF... so i know he had all that before, and he also had cheese curls over na-na's..
i do have to charge my camera, so i can video tape this stuff, him eatting that fruit jello was so funny...

My daughter LOVED spaghetti, green beans, and PB&J's . She was a very picky eater so she ate those 3 items a LOT. LOL She never was one to eat a lot. At a year old she was only 16 pounds! The doc said she was tiny but healthy. lol

maybe i might have to ask the doctor this one, is he allowed to have peanut butter now? i know before he wasn't allowed peanut butter, honey or nuts?

i know what your mean, my boy can eat cheese sandwiches everyday if i let him,
He did have spaghetti before over my mom's.. that's another thing i have to make. Since i finally got my new stove Friday. I was a cooking fool this weekend.
i know he likes buttered noodles too. i have to write all this stuff down.. I know he's getting sick of chicken. i'm going to try cottage cheese and noodles next week i just have to take out the beacon, i'm affraid he'll choke on that.
What about hot dogs, i wonder if i can cut them up real good, i'm always affraid of those too, that he'll choke on them? My mother and Na-Na makes him this stuff i have to start, but it's hard some days when i'm tired after work, its just so easy to throw something frozen in the toaster oven and heat it.. I been a little lazy about his food lately and i have to stop. and take the time and cook for him. Don't get me wrong he gets all his fruits and veggies, and everything he needs. But i like homecooked meals better, and his Dad just cooks stuff out on the grill and 1/2 the time i don't eat dinner, so i need to start cooking good homemade stuff for him... I feel like a bad mom right now... :(

That is how we were raised. I do the same thing with my nephew... He loves ham, waffles/pancakes, hot dogs (all beef) pasta, chicken, rice, bacon, cereal, oatmeal, cheese lol He tries most every thing. He is getting better about being so picky slowly but surely.

I actually just gave my 6 month old niece a dab of the mashed potatoes I made for dinner tonight. Boy she loved it :eek: That girl can EAT.

If you were a bad mom you wouldn't even bother trying to come up with new ideas. Pope mentioned mashed potatoes.... I forgot all about those!! my daughter loved those too.. Oh and spaghetti O's . She is going on 11 and it seems so long ago that she was little. If I hadn't written all of this down I know I would have forgotten so much.

He loves mashed potatoes, my girlfriend is getting me a recipe she has somekind of sweet potatoes for him... i love sweet potatoes! I do pack him spaghetti o's for lunch, i been getting him those kids meals to pack for his lunch, Na-Na always makes him Breakfast (God bless her, i lucked out with a wonderful babysitter right accross the street)- she'll make pancakes, waffles, eggs, cereal, etc. then I pack him a fuit snack, and veggies, and some crackers, to get him tru the day, my Na-Na made cream chicken yesterday so i whipped up some biscuits he really don't like meat to much he spits it out, i don't think he likes the texture of it..
I just have to keep that child away from the cheese curls, have to hid that bag until he's done eatting dinner.
That little bugger surprised me yesterday, we were getting ready to go for a walk, and i asked him where is your sippy-cup, i was running around the house looking for it, and there was Micah in the living room pointing right at it.. it almost made me cry... i clapped my hands and told him what a good boy he is...