Meal Suggestions for Picky Toddler

V.,

It sounds like he eats like a normal 2 year old! My son isn't esp picky (2 1/2) but he does eat mostly fruit! Try watermelon, berries, mandarin oranges (i drain the juice and rinse in water first), pineapple...etc it is fun and nutritous. Brendan also will eat better if he can "dip". Try carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc with some ranch dressing.

OK! He is 2, no biggie. I would let him eat what he WILL eat. What you are providing him sounds nutritional so as long as he is growing, I wouldnt worry too much at this point! If or when he gets tired of eating the same foods, he will let you know and probably then go on to something else he adores and that will be his new one and only. Just be happy he does eat something! When he is 12 you wont be able to keep food in the house!!!

Muffins - make them with whole wheat flour, applesauce instead of oil, reduce the sugar, add in fruits and grated veges (zuchini, carrot, beets, etc)

Beans - black beans with taco seasoning... add cheese and serve or wrap in a tortilla

pasta - use whole wheat noodles and add veges to the sauce (shreaded carrot, finely chopped spinach, chopped kale, etc)

stir fry - tofu is a huge hit around here

pad thai - ds LOVE pad thai. you can get tofu or chicken in there along with egg.

sub soy or turkey hotdogs when you serve them

veggie burgers!

mexican rice, fried rice, etc (use brown rice!)

yogurt with granola

make chili with lots of beans and pack that in one container. Put another container of elbow macaroni (whole wheat!) and a small serving of cheese... they can mix it all up at lunch for chili mac!

mini-pizzas - use whole wheat english muffins and add tomato paste, mozz cheese and veggies

Also, I see a lot of responses about the fact that kids are drinking a lot of milk and not eating much. This is really a bad idea. Too much milk inhibits iron absorbtion and if they aren't eating iron rich foods to begin with then you will have a problem on your hands. Often kids who drink too much milk won't eat other things because the milk makes them feel full!

My son is 3 1/3 & is going through the picky stage as well.
I asked the doctor about it at his 3 yr check up & he said it is completely normal but frustrating (obviously)
After talking to the doctor we still would try to get him to eat veggies & meats but with no success it was so stressful for him & us.
Finally we would just ask him what he wanted to eat & let him choose granted he will go a few days eating the same thing but as long as he was eating we were all happy.
I think all kids go through this phase, my son eats chicken nuggets, hot dogs, mac & cheese, spaghetti o's constantly... lately he also seems to like tuna noodle casserole & other sorts of casseroles. Especially when noodles/rice are involved I can trick him easier.
Honestly he is coming around & trying more foods now again also.
If he likes pasta maybe make him some sort of pasta salad for lunch to mix it up a bit.
I know it is frustrating but I think in time it will pass (may take awhile though!)
Good Luck to you

I have a 4 yr old whose tastes change often depending on the day. He has to eat all or portions of what I fix for dinner. There are nights he picks dinner. He eats very little meat but if I serve something he thinks he won't like, he has to try a bite. If he eats a "good" dinner, not necessarily everything on his plate, he gets rewarded with dessert or something he likes before bed like strawberry milk. There are many a night that he may be a little hungry because foods he ate before, he won't now. I will not fix seperate dinners for everyone in the family.

Hi V., When my boys were little they both were picky about eating certain things - my oldest son was really picky (even picked out the herbs from the spagetti sauce). If it didn't have a texture he liked, "it didn't taste good". So, we developed a rule that everyone had to at least try one bite of everything. I wouldn't make them finish it unless it was something that they already decided they liked - but, they had to eat something good for them for a snack that night if they didn't finish dinner. Eventually, they started to eat much better so they could get that cookie, ice cream, etc. Now, they are 14 and 18 yrs. old and eat lots of weird stuff.
One thing that helped disguise what he was eating, was to put healthy things in food that you normally wouldn't find it in - such as ground veggies in sauces. I made a thing out of pillsbury crescents wrapped around ground carrots, onions and hamburger in a sweet barbeque sauce. Also, we told my youngest that broccoli was dinosaur trees (he was really into dinosaurs then). One big help was to make the texture of foods smooth and disguise things a bit. I hope this helps! :o)

I think the world is growing fuller of picky eaters. My son is 9 and is an extremely picky. Try some of these things and see if any work for your little guy. Use "fun shaped" cookie cutters together to make his food. Sandwhiches, cheese, pancakes, toast, cucumbers.....basically try anything. Sometimes preparing the foods together makes it more inticing. What about drinks instead of a sandwhich??? Like yogurts, Pediasure, my son loves chocolate milk and I've gotten him hooked on the chocolate flavored "Silk" soy milk. You can buy them in 6 packs and they have the straws attached right to them similar to juice boxes. The Soy is healthier than standard chocolate milk and tastes pretty good. String cheese seems to be something all kids will like. It's kind of fun to eat and the flavor isn't too strong. I also substitute organic or all natural for the standard version when I buy snacks to help keep it healthier also. Like applesauce, cookies, even tator tots, frensh fries, some chicken nuggets. I'll be glad to tell you which brands seem to taste best. Let me know if you're interested. Also "McCains" makes smily faced potatoes that are made from real potatoe but taste more like a french fry or tator tot. Both of my kids love them. I know these aren't the healthiest ideas but I'm trying! Another suggestion is to make smoothies yourself. Try different yogurts, fruits etc... and see if you can find one he'll drink. If you do, you can mix it up at home, pour it into a water bottle with a sports spout and pack it along with a freezer pack and it will be simple and easy for day care. Another suggestion I've found helpful is to pay attention to how much he's drinking. If he's being satisfied with juice,water, milk etc.... he's less apt to eat. Good luck!
M.

My son is almost 2 & 1/2 and is exactly the same. He also will not touch hot dogs. He usually only wants chicken nuggets and different kinds of pasta, soup, some fruit. He seems to like pasta with meat sauce. The sauce hides the meat I suppose. At this age I really think it is all about texture. If they don't like the way it feels in their mouth they aren't going to eat it no matter what you do. Try buying the lunchables maybe he might go for that. Also if your trying to get hime to eat veggies I find that my son will eat some raw with ranch dressing. Like baby carrots or green peppers. I totally understand what your going through and it is very frustrating. You could also try Nacho chips with cheese sauce. At least he will be getting cheese, they sell that in a lunchable as well to take to daycare. Also you may want to try the cheese that is cut into different shapes or packaged seperately. It may make it fun to eat.

I found that with my picky 2 & 3 yr olds it helps to get them involved in the meal making to get them interested in eating. I let them make their own pizza. I'll put the toppings in little bowls and they can put them on top (keep it simple like cheese and pepperoni or something)...I let them make their own sandwiches...you get the idea. And then they proudly say I made that and they eat it.

i would try the small luchables, my son is 2 and a very pickie eater he really likes the lunchables because its differet in the package, you can also try chichen nuggets that you just pop in the microwave. its hard to get the nutrition so try the pedialite nutrition drinks to go along with it and of course vitamin d milk

My nephew is extremely picky... one of the things that he really started liking was the lunchables. The ones he gets comes with a candy bar or a dessert with the crackers and meat and cheese. He will eat the turkey or pizza one. I think he liked the idea of making it himself. He doesn't eat any meat other than McDs Chicken Nuggets or Turkey sandwich from Subway (he likes the bread). My 10 month old is already picky, I hope she is not on the same track. I know it can be difficult.

L.

I have a picky eater as well, now 2.5 years old. She has never enjoyed meat and to this day will not eat it, unless it is a chicken nugget out of the oven or her new found favorite - MEATBALLS! I make them with beef, or turkey, or chicken and she inhales them! She gets a choice of dipping sauces and that makes her feel like Queen for the day. Sometimes they don't sound appealing to me, like meatballs dipped in ranch or applesauce, but she eats them and I am thrilled to be getting protein in her - FINALLY! She especially loves it when she helps dump the seasonings into the meat mixture, and then we let her turn the mixer on (since I can't trust her to use her hands just yet - we pull out the Kitchenaid for added fun.) The gadgets and share of responsibility create total buy in! Worth a shot maybe for your little man! Lately I have been mixing in a stage one veggie when she isn't looking into the meat and since they look the same after cooking, she hasn't noticed her extra serving of veggies for the day!

Hi V.,

Something I started making for my daughter's lunches when she was your son's age are roll-ups. I'd spread a little cream cheese mixed with a little ranch dressing on a tortilla and finely grate up some broccoli or carrots (to sneek in some veggies) and roll it up. It's easy for little ones to hold w/o much mess. You can experiment and put all kinds of fillings in. Others I've made are pizza toppings, cream cheese and preserves, PB&J, various lunch meats, tuna salad... you get the idea. Another idea is if your son is old enough and interested enough to help you make his meals, invite him to do so. I found that my daughter has always been more willing to try a new food if she helped make it.

Good luck!

Our daughter is 21 months and incredibly picky as well. i used to stress about it, but my doctor told me simply not to. he said its normal for toddlers to be picky. i make sure DD gets a good amount of milk for the day, but she does eat the same things over and over. however, at dinner time, if its a day we are all eating together, she has to eat what we eat. if she doesnt eat it, and she gets hungry later, i offer it to her. she has to eat something from that plate of food before she can have her before bed graham cracker sticks. also, my daughter only seems to eat one big meal a day, so if she eats a big breakfast, she wont eat a lot for her other two meals, etc.

we used to get turkey chunks. i cant remember who sells them in the grocery store, but they sell chicken chunkssmall strips too. they are like by the bologna and stuff. our daughter ate that for a while. she also eats hot dogs. our daughter has a taste for spicy stuff, so she loves pepperoni or salami too. we tried the lunchables and she liked those for a while, but not too long.

its frustrating i understand. since i stopped making a big deal about it though, my daughter has been eating better lately.

V.,
I think toddlers are toddlers and many of them will be very picky. I have had 2 go through this stage. My son, he ate watermelon and blueberries for every meal for like 2 months and an occasional piece of chicken. IT was crazy but the dr. said just make sure he is drinking his milk and taking vitamins. Now he eats a little more. Easy snacks-we do graham cracker sandwhiches with pb in them or jelly, super donuts (found in the freezer sec. of grocery store-they are donuts loaded with vitamins, and fruit...lots of fruit. Don't sweat it, it won't last forever.
good luck
K.

My child is picky as well. I think that watching other kids at daycare eat other foods is rubbing off though. My daughter loves avacado, yogurt, colby cheese chunks, spaghetti-o's, gerber graduate pasta pickups, raviolis and fresh fruits. I change it up with berries, oranges, bananas, etc - and go with what she will eat at the time. Be patient is all I can say and keep introducing new foods and retrying old ones ;)

Hi V.,
My 2yr. old picky eater is now a 20 year old picky eater. I always thought it was my fault for feeding him what he would eat. Believe me, I tried everything to introduce new foods in a fun way! He ate more variety when he was just being introduced to all the new foods but then started the pickiness at 2 or 3. He likes chicken,fried and baked, steak, Roast beef, mac-n-cheese & PASTA. He eats pasta (all shapes for variety) just buttered and also with meat sauce but is funny about sauce brands. To get him to eat sauced pasta, the deal was he had to eat first helping with sauce then all he wanted after that was buttered. We use Prego because it is less sour. He gets a cheese pizza and peels off the cheese! Sometimes it is the texture that they don't like as well as the taste. He prefers pasta al dente and not mushy. How about grilled cheese sandwiches? He may even eat one cold at daycare. Does he eat breakfast cereal? In elementary school my guy ate Cheerios EVERYDAY buying the milk at the cafeteria. Sometimes he would eat salami (weird choice). I would roll it up and stick it on a toothpick. He says he truly doesn't tire of the same ole stuff. He doesn't crave variety like normal eaters do. He is happy with the same 3 or 4 dinner meals.
A Picky eater does present its challenges when choices are limited away from home. You will endure it. He will also learn that it's the price you pay if you don't like options that are available to you. You get a little hungry but theres always the next meal. This dilemma was truly the hardest thing for me as MOM to deal with even sending my son off to College. He has coped. He just gets a lot of chicken and roast when he's home on break to fill up the meat tank!
You will survive it. He will survive it. I truly believe it's nothing you or he can control or change. Nothing is worth watching a child gag over food your trying to get him to eat!
Good Luck!

I know you got a lot of advice, but here is a little more. I have a very picky almost three year old,Eve. She is very weird about texture and gets tears in her eyes if she so much as SEES a vegetable (no, I'm serious, real tears). So...
I buy baby food veggies and slip them into pasta sauce, muffin mix and cookie batter.
She also would not eat lunch meat sandwiches until I rolled up lunch meat turkey and let her dip it in (low fat) miracle whip. She calls them "Turkey rolls" and it is now her favorite thing.
I have also found that she is WAY more likely to eat a meal if it in an little snacky style (turkey roll ups, bread and butter triangles, orange smiles). Obviously calling regular, everyday food silly names also makes it more interesting for her.

Hope this helps...I feel your pain.

R. W.

I have a four-year-old that is really picky. I'm just biding my time until he gets to a more rational age, then I'll drop the hammer. I'm really a strict person(but fair). But, it's hard to be strict with someone that will sooner eat nothing than eat something he doesn't want. When he's old enough to know the consequences, he'll eat what we serve. We've seen it work with other children we know. Until....anxiously ticking away the days......