Quick to Prepare - Healthy Meals for a 2 Yr Old

Going throught the same phase. We just put what we're eating on his plate. He normally will eat something. If not, a piece of fruit will normally do the trick (we never put it on the table though because he'd choose that over everything else). Today, he didnt' want anything at dinner time. My daughter (4) had fallen asleep so I ate with her later and my son actually sat down and ate a whole meal at that time. Made me think that he's just not hungry that early. He always wants a snack while I"m cooking and I think that's part of the problem. I try to have veggies cut up at that time, so then if he eats some protein at dinner we're all happy.

We actually are just in the process of trying to get our 19 month old daughter to start eating the food we eat for dinner. Up until just recently she ate that Heinz baby stuff out of a jar, like the pastas and stews and such. She is not a picky eater by any means but we are finding texture to be a big hurdle for us. She HATES pototoes, rice and any breads that isnt crunchy and toasted. But just recently we found that she loves omeletts. Really quick and easy to prepare and crazy healthy for her. I will cut up tomatoes and green peppers really small and then I usually add whatever protein we are having for dinner whether it be chicken or pork or beef, if you cut that up small enough it all blends together. Then I add some cheese, a little garlic and pepper to taste. Mix that all up with an egg and a bit of milk and theres dinner in under 10 mins. She also loves spaghetti. Not as fast but if you make a big batch of sauce its really quick to defrost and make some pasta
Good Luck

Our son started that type of behavior when he was around the age of 2 as well. We told him he could either eat what we put in front of him or not eat at all and go straight to bed. He missed a couple of dinners here and there, but hunger pretty much cured his picky-ness.

Our son is now 9 and he will try anything. For his birthday dinner he asked to go to our favorite Sushi restaurant. But, he has a friend whose parents allowed him to be a picky eater and this friend will only eat one type of pizza and only if there is ranch dressing around. He doesn't like fruits, veggies, or many types of protein. When this boy comes to our house to play or for a sleep-over we ask him to bring food that he likes to eat because I found anything I cook for him he doesn't like.

I guess, you have a choice here. A bit of whining and temper tantrums about food now or potentially years of cooking for a picky eater down the road.

Good luck.

I remember my daughter at that age. She used to like trying new foods but went into a phase of what our pediatrician called 'the great white diet': pasta, rice, breads, cereal, yogurt, cheese, etc. We still encouraged her to eat new things and eventually she started trying all sorts of foods again. I survived this phase by mixing new foods into her favorite foods. For example, I would add peas to pasta and butter. She would mostly eat around the peas, but would also try a few. And I also cut foods into fun shapes. Or played a game at dinner time: every time she took a bite of a new food we cheered and clapped really loudly. Good luck!

I think you should aim for your 2 year old eating what you and hubby have for dinner and not making special plates for him (easier said than done, as I am also fighting this battle!) I'm sure there are lots f healthy recipes that you can enjoy as a family and if he says no just let him know that you expect him to eat whats for dinner and if he DOESN'T, a small snack before bedtime will do :)

If you cater to his picky nature because you're afraid he'll starve to death, then he will always be picky. There is no magic food that will change this. Its normal for 2 year olds to express their will and refuse things you give them. However it is our job as parents to challenge the will and train it to submit.

I would prepare simple fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grain pasta/bread etc. Some kids don't like overly seasoned foods, so start simple. Set the food before him. Tell him there will not be anything until the next meal (and follow through with that) except water (some kids will try to live off of milk or juice), and let him decide what he'll eat. He will learn to eat what is put in front of him, no one wants to go hungry. Reward good eating with a healthy desert or something else that he will enjoy. And I require my kids to taste everything on the plate.

It was common for my kids to refuse something unless I forced them to try it, often they loved it after the first bite. Sometimes they just eat it because I tell them to, even though they don't "like" it. So far nothing has made them gag/vomit. People constantly are surprised because my kids eat almost everything. Its work though, there is plenty of complaining, you just have to stick with it. Its important to teach children to eat healthy foods, and enjoy them. We don't want them to live on snacks and fast food! :)

Best wishes!

There's this new pasta called Piccolini (something like that) in a blue box, that is made with vegetables. All different colors and shapes. If he will eat pasta, these are fun and it can double as a veggie.

Oh to be two! Toddlers are notoriously picky eaters. I sometimes went for "snack meals". carrots and dip, cheese and crackers, apples w/ yogurt to dip...toddlers love to DIP things. Frozen peas in a cup for a walk around snack, different and not messy. I used to make spaghetti...sauce from the jar but added in a can of V-8 for some extra hidden veggies. Feed him what he WILL eat and throw in something different now and then. It's more important to give him things he will eat rather than alot of variety. No worries, this will pass!

i never had a problem w/my dd at that age, but now she is 4 and she is becoming more picky. now w/my ds, he's been picky from 6 mths on. we do the if you don't eat what's in front of you all you get is water until the next meal. i leave their dinner on the table, or fridge, and if they ask for a snack or say they are hungry, then i offer it to them. dd will sometimes eat it, but my ds is stubburn that he will wait for breakfast to eat!!! they will eat if they are hungry enough. i felt bad when i did it w/my dd, but i had a girlfriend who was a short order cook, and i REFUSED to do that. she has 3 kids and would make 3 different meals, and i was like that's not for me....lol. best of luck to you!!!!!!!!!!!