Meal Ideas for Toddler

S.,
Hello, aren't 2 year olds fun? I would try some things like, fresh vegs. with ranch style dip to get the veg. in her, try v8 with lower sugar that they have now that has veg. and fruits in it, it's a drink, raisens, (I can't spell it), peanut butter on crackers, cheese sticks, grapes, fresh fruit, the less sugar the better, and the least fast to cook food the better. Get her started on healthy foods before she gets hooked on fast food. good luck,
D. E.

Here are some information and ideas. Hope it helps! THE AUNT

The number of servings and serving sizes are intended for children between 2 and 5 years old. When a range is given for a serving size, the smaller portion is generally appropriate for a 2 or 3 year old, while the larger portion is appropriate for a 4 or 5 year old.

Breads, cereals, rice, and pasta (4-5 or more servings)

Examples of servings:

½ - 1 slice whole-grain bread
½ bagel
½ - ¾ cup unsweetened breakfast cereal
¼ - ½ cup cooked pasta or rice
2-5 whole-grain crackers

Other good choices: cornbread, English muffins, muffins, rice cakes

Vegetables (2 or more servings)

Examples of servings:

¼ - ½ cup cooked vegetables
1/3 - ½ cup raw vegetables

Good choices: asparagus, beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn, green and red peppers, green beans, kale, peas, potato, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, tomato, vegetable juices, zucchini

Fruit (2 or more servings)

Examples of servings:

¼ - 1 piece of fruit
¼ - ½ cup cooked fruit
½ cup juice

Good choices: apples, applesauce, apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, fruit cocktail, 100% fruit juices, grapefruit, kiwifruit, nectarines, oranges, peaches, plums, strawberries, watermelon

Dairy products (3-4 servings)

Examples of servings:

¾ cup milk
½ - ¾ ounce low-fat cheese
½ - ¾ cup low-fat yogurt

Other good choices: low-fat cottage cheese, custard, ice milk

Meat, fish, poultry, and legumes (2 or 3 servings)

Examples of servings:

1-2 ounces lean meat, fish, poultry, or tofu
1 egg
¼ cup cooked dried beans
1-2 tbsp peanut butter

Other good choices: shellfish, dried peas, lentils, reduced-fat cold cuts

Facts on Fat

Children younger than age 2 need as much as 50% of their daily calories from fat for healthy growth and brain development. After age 2, up to 30% of calories should be derived from fat. Once your child is 2 or 3 years old, you can start reducing dietary fat by:

switching from whole milk to low-fat or nonfat milk
serving more fish and poultry and cutting back on red meat
removing the skin from poultry and trimming fat from meats
reducing butter and margarine use
using low-fat cooking methods such as baking, broiling, grilling, poaching, and steaming
serving fiber-rich foods, including whole-grain breads, cereals, dried peas and beans, fruits, and vegetables

Facts on Fiber

Fiber becomes important in your child's diet after age 3. Dietary fiber may play a role in reducing the chances of heart disease and cancer later in life. If you follow the suggestions on fruit and vegetables servings each day, and you make sure to buy only whole-grain breads and cereals, you'll be well on the way toward helping your child develop good eating habits he'll continue through his life.

You can boost fiber by serving fresh salad with your meals, adding oat or wheat bran to any baked goods you make, and offering legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, and kidney beans at least once a week. If you think that your child isn't getting much fiber, be sure to increase his fiber intake gradually, since excessive fiber can cause painful bloating and gas. Don't forget to have kids drink plenty of water each day as well, since liquid intake can help reduce the chances of fiber-related intestinal distress. Be aware that excessive fiber intake can interfere with the body's absorption of crucial vitamins and minerals.

Calcium Counts

Making sure your toddler or preschooler gets enough calcium should be another priority. Sufficient calcium now can mean stronger, healthier bones for your child later. Children ages 1 to 3 require 500 milligrams of calcium each day; from age 4 to age 8, the requirement is 800 milligrams each day. After age 8, the requirement jumps to 1,300 milligrams per day. You can meet these guidelines by offering your children good sources of calcium such as:

low-fat or nonfat milk
low-fat or nonfat yogurt
low-fat cheese
tofu
salmon (with bones)
calcium-fortified fruit juices
ice cream (occasionally)
Taming the Sweet Tooth
Almost everyone has a sweet tooth, and that attraction to sweets can make it difficult to keep toddlers and preschoolers from choosing candy, cookies, and cakes over healthier fare. You can't do much to take the sweet tooth out of the kid, but you can keep sweets out of your pantry. Children who feast on sugary foods wind up with little appetite for better food choices, so let sweets be a "once-in-a-while" snack. This way you'll help your child develop a taste for other foods.

If, like most kids, your child loves cereals, make sure to buy unsweetened varieties and sweeten them up with slices of fruit or raisins. At some point your child may beg you to buy some high-sugar, low-nutrition cereal. If you give in, "dilute" the sugary cereal with an equal amount of low-sugar, whole-grain cereal. Brush up on ways to sweeten foods without adding processed sugar. Fruit juices, unsweetened applesauce, and prune purees can be used in place of fats and sugars in many recipes.

While you're at it, ditch the caffeine as well. Caffeine doesn't belong in a child's diet. Since it's a stimulant, it can interfere with your child's concentration and ability to sleep well. Avoid soft drinks and iced tea, since these can contain large quantities of caffeine.

Remember to keep snack time healthful. Provide attractive, nutritious alternatives to high-calorie, low-nutrition packaged snack foods. A snack can be a little bit of a leftover meal or half a sandwich. Children love finger foods at snack time, so stock up on:

bite-sized pieces of cheese or cheese sticks
cut-up fresh veggies and fruit (beware of choke foods)
dried fruits, such as raisins, figs, and prunes
graham crackers and whole-grain crackers
pretzels
frozen fruit juice bars

Nutritional Supplements

If your child is eating a variety of healthful foods, he probably doesn't need dietary supplements of any kind.

Iron deficiency caused by nutritional inadequacy is unusual after age 2. However, if your child rarely eats meat, doesn't like iron-fortified cereals of any kind, and stays away from iron-rich vegetables, he may need additional iron and zinc. To boost your child's intake of iron without supplements, first try to get him to eat some of the following foods each week:

liver
beef
dried beans
dried fruit
baked potatoes
oatmeal
iron-fortified cereals
Do not let your toddler or preschooler drink excessive amounts of milk (more than a quart per day). Too much milk can interfere with the absorption of iron and cause intestinal bleeding.
Some parents choose to give their child supplements. If you do, be sure to check labels for proper doses. If you have concerns or questions about vitamin or iron supplements, check with your doctor. He or she may also recommend a fluoride supplement for your child if you are using a nonfluoridated water supply. Be sure to store supplements well out of your child's reach; excessive amounts of supplements can poison a child.

Check out the cookbook by Jerry Sienfeld's wife. Great recipes for kids.

G'ma M

Hi S. it can be challenging!! I have a 22 month old and a almost 4 year old. I recently recieved a cookbook called deceptfully delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. and it teaches you how to put fruit and veggie purees in regular meals, my kids eat alot of tortillas. we use the grilled cheese maker and almost anything can work in a tortilla. I just put the lofat butter on the outside and then the filling like spinich and lots of cheese and fold it over and grill , also we use chedder cheese with some carrot puree (little bit but enough to hide veggies)I have even put califlower puree in my boxed mac and cheese and my husband didnt even notice, I really reccommend that book because you can branch off alot from her Ideas. I worked with my first son and I do stay home now and I understand it can be very chalanging to come up with quick easy meals. good luck!!!

I used to make grilled cheese and then use cookie cutters to cut out the middle of the bread and make it fun. Mac and cheese with cut up real small hot dogs mixed in it.
Pudding with sprinkles.
You can do chicken nuggets and use pretzels to make legs and a black olive for the head use a pretzel to hold it on.
It is usually presentation more than the food. make a small personal pizza for her. and she can help. you can use bagles split and the jar pizza sauce and then use toppings she would like put in small bowls and let her decorate it she will more than likely enjoy her masterpiece. There is actually a cook book for kids by betty crocker. My kids loved speggetti os and ravioli use vegies on the side. Good Luck

check out that jessica seinfeld book about "sneaking" good food into their food; she purees veggies and adds them in and the recipes are really very good. Also, you don't mention any fruit or vegetables. Most kids love cut upapples, pears, oranges, melon, carrots, even broccoli if you start them out on it early. make it fun by letting them dip into ranch dressing or sour cream. as far as meats, shrimp is also fun and what about cutting up some sirloin into small bites and letting her dip it in some good steak sauce? get out your joy of cooking and read it --- lots and lots of good stuff there. good luck....

Beans and franks.
pigs in a blanket
flour tortilla with melted cheese on it (Cheese crisp)
grilled cheese
waffles (they love them for dinner too!)
instant oatmeal (the kind in packets)
Amazingly both my girls loved frozen burrotos cut up really small.

Dear S.,
This is a wonderful recipe my Mother made up many years ago. When I make it, I made at least 3 or 4 in 2 qt. dishes and freeze them. Then when I need something quick and delicious I pull one out and heat it in the oven. This is something you can do on the week-end and have one a week for 3 or 4 weeks. My kids loved it and it makes the house smell great. Just a salad and rolls and your meal is complete. I am 67 so have been making it for many years.
Hope this helps.
G.

Roman Holiday.

1 1/2-2 lb. hamburger
1 large onion (chopped)
1 large Prego or Ragu sauce (whatever flavor you like, I vary it)
1 lb. spaghetti. (cooked)
1/2-1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated.

Fry the hamburger and onion and add salt, pepper to taste. I also use Morton, "Natures Seasoning." Add Prego or Ragu sauce to cooked hamburger and onion.
Cook Spaghetti and drain. Grate cheese.
In greased deep dish, put a layer of spaghetti, then a layer of meat and sauce and a layer of grated cheddar cheese and repeat layers one more time.
It bakes at 350 for 30-45 min is still warm, if made ahead and put in fridge it will take 45min to 1 hour to heat through.

Go to Eversave Reciepies they have all kind of easy fast ideas.

S.:

There are so many healthier alternatives!! Try grilled cheese and tomato soup, hummus with cut up veggies and string cheese, pasta with marina sauce w/real or veggie meatballs, mac-n-cheese-n-peas (one of my son's favorites), blend fresh fruit smoothies and make your own pizza (on english muffins). Have fun, you can even have your 2 year old help cook!

A. L

Hi S.
My name is B., and I also have a 2 yr old and work full time. My daughter Oliviya, is not a picky eater so fixing meals is pretty easy, but here are some ideas IF your daughter likes chicken and spagetti mix some grilled chicken in with your sauce in stead of hamburger. Its actually not bad. My daughter loves Quesidillas. You can just put chicken and cheese if she doesn't like all the toppings. Well I hope I have helped you some.

Hi S.-
Feed her what you eat! We have a five and an 18 month old and they both eat the same as my husband and I. Of course, they won't eat chili or enchiladas but we work around it. Mostly we stick to a basic meal of protein, starch and vegetable and, as long as it's not very spicy, they eat it up everytime! Good luck!
C.

There is a wonderful book called "Feed Me I'm Yours" - it's about $10 - and well worth it! It has alot of wonderful, fun food ideas from babyfood to preschoolers!! Good Luck!

Try Kraft foods.com. They have great ideas, and detailed recipes/instructions. They also have a complimentary magazine you can sign up for that has severla recipes, etc.

I make pancakes sometimes for dinner, I always make my boys snowmen with Raisins for the eyes and buttons. They love it. I also don't make them a special meals they eat what we eat. I have to laugh cuz my kids will go with me shopping and their favorite isle is the Frozen Veggie Isle. They love to pick out which veggies we get to eat at dinner. My boys really love the Trees( Broccoli)ect. In fact last night we had Rice and Lima Beans and Corn Sucatash. They love it and eat almost every bite. My boys are 4 and 2. You can also try Tuna or Shrimp make sure she is not allerigic first.

Children will eat what you offer if they're hungry. Empty calories and high sodium are not good for anyone. Fruits and veggies are much healthier. If she refuses, be assured, she'll eat when she gets hungry.

My little guy is 2 as well and we mix it up with hot dogs, ham sandwiches w/ cheese (or just the deli meat by itself -ham and turkey are his favorites) or cheese and meat ravioli.
Campbells makes fun soups for toddlers - the Mega Noodle and the Cars shaped ones are fun for little ones. They're thick, so easy to fork or spoon up to their little mouths. Plus, they're yummy. Hope this help.

I am in the same rut if you get any good ideas I would love to know as well!!

Hi S.!
My daughter is 2 years old. She is a great eater! I work full time myself but I do not make special meals for Ally. I make everything from spaghetti to steak to chicken cordon bleu. Whatever I make for dinner is what she eats. I just cut it up in smaller bites for her and stay away from the spicier seasonings and only add them to my plate or my husbands plate. She eats everything wonderfully-sometimes with a fork or spoon and still sometimes with her hands. She ofcourse loves noodles and all the finger food stuff too. I send alot of that stuff to the sitters and then we have a sit down meal in the evening. Sometimes, I even send her leftovers in her lunch for the next day as I worry that she gets tired of the same old same old lunch stuff. But anyway, she does great with all the "adult" food so to say. I bet your daughter would too! I hope this helps!

I don't know if this helps or not but my 2yr. old granddaughter loves chicken and rice soup, ramen noodles, loose beef w/cheese sprinkled on top. Of course chicken is her favorite meat and alot of times she just wants it plain, tore up on a plate with maybe a few chopped up tomatoes thrown on. Also for some reason 2yr. olds seem to not eat as much. She is going through a stage right now where she doesn't eat much but doesn't seem to be suffering from it. My daughter was told by a Pediatrician back when one of her other kids was small that they eat less when they are gaining in height. So who knows. Hope this helped.

A very simple thing that I do is plain old sandwiches cut with a cookie cutter into shapes. You can do bologna, turkey, penaut butter ... whatever. My little girl loves this! Her favorite is to have a sandwich in the shape of a heart or a star.

Besides all the other suggestions my son loves noodle soup (I by the Lipton kind - dry packets vs. the canned kind) ... I mostly give him the noodles and just a little bit of the liquid. You can shred some carrots to put in there and then I always usually give him some fruit with it.

My kids 4 and 2 love pastas. We get the Bertolli Plus that has legume flour for extra protein and fiber, and they are not just having white flours (this ia at all grocery stores in a yellow box with all the other pastas.) Whe have these with sauce and cheese. Or a qick pasta salad with carrots, itailian dressing, cheese, etc. My kids also like spanish rice (brown rice with tomato sauce onion power, garlic a little cumin - we add in beans, tofu, hamburger, etc) they put chedder cheese on the top and eat with tortilla chips. We don't eat a lot of meat. But this would be a great time for you to introduce more variety so it doesn't end up that is all they will eat. A more diverse palette is a good part of development and trying new things makes them try new things in other aspects of life and stimulates creativity and intelligence.

My daughter loves Chinese food. If you ask for chop-sticks for kids they usually have them. Eating with sticks is more like a game to them- She eats sooo much using them. They really are fairly easy to use, and you are helping her improve her motor skills!

Annabel Karmel's book First Meals has a lot of great ideas that are appealing to toddlers (and also includes a section of family meals that toddlers and adults will both like). With my 2-year-old, I guess I've been pretty lucky, because she wants to eat whatever she sees adults around her eating. She turns down some things, but I figure it all balances out in the end. If she doesn't like what we're eating for dinner and wants to have some blackberries and a mozzarella cheesestick instead, I let her. I just make sure the options available to her are fairly healthy ones. Good luck!
T.

Hi. I also have a two year old so I know how you feel. One of my sons favorite things to eat is baked italian chicken. Buy a package of the chicken tenderlions, preheat the oven to 350, put alittle bit of italian dressing in the bottom of the pan, put the chicken in, put just alittle more dressing on top of the chicken, (the dressing helps it stay moist & easier to eat) bake for 45 to an hour, turning once. Oh, and cover it with foil, but poke just a few holes in the foil to let the steam out. After its done, chop it up and put it in the fridge. I make this on sunday and it stays good for 4-5 days in the fridge. Also, for a quick healthy fix, you can drain (leave alittle juice) a can of chicken noodle soup and mix it with a can of mixed veggies and it makes a good meal. Hope this helps

Gerber Graduates. They have a line of toddler vienna sausages, yogurt, flavored milk, water, fruit bars, meals, and dehydrated fruit. If there is a Kroger family of stores in your area, they have the brand: comforts for baby, that is sometimes cheaper.

S.,

My two year old loves raw carrots, plain raw spinach and plain raw broccoli, and other fresh veggies and they're very easy and quick to prepare. He's mostly learned this from his older brother (5 yr old) who is an otherwise really picky eater. He never wants to eat whatever I've prepared for dinner or lunch, but he's always happy to eat fresh fruit and fresh raw veggies. We usually give them both some spinach with their meal, and then use the offer of more spinach to get the older one to eat some of his other food (whatever we're eating). I know it's sort of backward, but we want him to get a variety of food.
I have to admit, I didn't offer him a lot of fresh veggies at first because he's a kid and I just assumed that kids have to be "talked into" eating veggies. I didn't expect him to want to eat them. He's loved spinach ever since he saw Popeye and he knows it will make him big and strong, and he thinks broccoli is cool because it's "little trees". We haven't pushed it on either of them, but just act like they're cool treats and they're lucky to eat them. Anyway, my point is, you never know if they'll like it until you try. I know it doesn't work with all kids, but it worked for these two.

I agree with Mindy. I don't prepare "special" meals for our daughter. She just eats whatever we are having. Some things she likes, some she doesn't. I think letting her eat whatever we eat gives her an opportunity to experience a variety of foods and helps prevent her from getting "stuck" on just eating from a set menu, but that's just my opinion. My daughter's favorites includes some of the typical such as chicken nuggets and mac n cheese, but she also loves vegetable and pasta soup cooked in chicken broth, fresh spinach cooked in about 1/4 cup of broth, steamed broccoli, and brown rice. I've also heard about the Jessica Seinfeld cookbook and plan on getting it. Will let you know if it works for us.

my kids loved spaghetti o's and that kind of things, to avoid the messy sauce once it's warmed I always poured it into a drainer, for a few seconds, it got off the bulk of hte sauce but there was enough to get the flavor. There's also grilled cheese or cheese on toast (something I grew up on, it's very easyto make...toast a piece of bread, get the block cheddar cheese cut off some slices not too thin not too thick, lay the cheese on the toast and put in the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly. my hubby calls it an open faced grilled cheese, which I guess it is, but better).

Hello,
I have a wonderful little meal i put together for my grandchildren ( picky picky picky).

1 lb spaghetti
3 chicken breast- simmered in water till done
2 cans mushroom soup
1/2 to 1 cup milk
velveeta cheese to taste

cook spaghetti and chicken till done and add all other ingredients. heet in microwave till creamy.
I have 7 grand children and this is a big hit with them.
Hope this adds to her dinner plans.

good luck !!

Try mac and cheese, or u can get the microwave kids meals, I just got the cans of spegetti O's but they are the alphabet ones. Try peanut butter and Jelly. My son eats pasta and sauce.

My son is picky so he really dont eat much.

My little boy likes taco meat with lettuce and cheese and either a tortilla or some chips. He also loves spaghetti. It's a bit messy but it's easy to fix and he likes it. I cut up the noodles and he uses his kid sized spork to eat it. I also try to keep yogurt and assorted fruit if he will not eat a newly introduced food. It also takes several tries to introduce new foods so just keep giving her things that are good for her and she will catch on. Good luck.

Hi S.!

I am on the Board of the Kansas Action for Healthy Kids and I actually give nutritional talks at my home. You can call me at ###-###-#### and I can get you that information. I have great recipes and ideas since I have tested them on my kids!!

Take care,

Rene'

Feed her what you eat......

I bake or grill (on my Foreman) chicken, then I cut it into small pieces, and make a veggie like green beans or corn with it, and mashed potatos,or a pasta side. Another easy one that my boys love (ages 4 and 22 months) is Manwich sandwiches with mac and cheese. I also make speghetti alot with salad and bread, or I buy a Stouffers frozen Lasagna that my kids love. Or try those new precooked frozen stir-fry's or the crock pot meals. Just walk thru your grocery store, and use your imagination! Good luck, love!!

How about giving her what you eat......just a thought. The items mentioned above are not really good for her anyway. If you keep feeding her like that she will be another overweight kid edging on type II diabetes.

broccoli, cheerios, bakeed fish spaghetti, baked chicken, applesauce, jello try the toddlers deserts. God bless

RAW veggies. Cut up regular favorite like celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and some baby carrots. Pick out a favorite dip like ranch or dill and have a dipping party. The foods she has been eating are high in fat, calories, and low in nutrition. Kids love raw fruits and veggies especially if they can dip them into something (they do make fruit dip or just some vanilla yogurt) My sons favorite food is now raw veggies and my nieces even love to come to my house on raw veggie nights. Every week let her pick out a new veggie from the produce department and you can cut it up and try it out. Even as adults we have trouble passing up carrot sticks and dip.

Have your wonderful husband do the cooking & quit worring about it. Old Lady

I agree - feed her what you eat. If you do not eat very well then start changing your habits. Try cooking larger meals on the weekends and saving/freezing left overs. I did not do this as well and I have a 4 yr old who only eats chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza pockets, and peanut butter and jelly.

Be sure to get her enough vitamins, and if you do not think she is getting that contact your DR to talk about a chew able for her.

S. S,
I have 2 girls who are now 8 and 9. When they were todlers I found the best way to have them eat great healthy food was one may it into a picture on their plate. I always used brussel sprouts for eye balls to this day they LOVE brussel sprouts also once you make the picture thin down some low fat cheese and let them dribble it on the foods they want. Just a thought. Also there are alot of fun/and good for them recipes in THe Family Magazine. GOOD LUCK

C. P.