Toddler Recipes

Do you have trouble getting your toddler to eat? Sometimes the same little person who demanded her bottle with shrieks will turn up her nose at the table when you offer her your lovingly prepared meal. 

Don't despair! Toddlers often go through a stage of being picky eaters. Many parents have experienced some difficulties getting their toddler to eat, so you are not alone in that area. 

There are several reasons why a toddler can sometimes refuse to eat. Although as a baby your child grew really fast, her growth may hit a plateau for a couple of months. Or maybe food is the only area in her life where she feels she has any control. She knows you get upset when she says, "Yuck!" She knows you try hard to find something that she will eat. Wow! That's a feeling of power!

If you can step back and take a deep breath, maybe you can help your little one get past this food thing without having everyone lose their cool.

Keep in mind that when dealing with a toddler, it's important not to let eating become a power struggle or a battle of wills. Getting emotional over your toddler's refusal to eat feeds into her negativity and only makes matters worse. 

First of all, just because she doesn't like the supper you prepared does not mean you are a bad cook or that she will not really love your meals in a year or two. Her refusal is not about you.

Second, keep in mind the purpose of food. Eating is the way we fuel our bodies. Good nutrition keeps us healthy and growing strong. A toddler needs between 1,000 and 1,400 calories a day, depending upon the child's age and activity levels. Even these numbers, however, can vary from child to child. As in so many other areas of development, there is no rigid standard on what a child of a particular age needs. Children are individuals and have their own levels of metabolism and requirements.

A third thing to think about is that you, as the parent, are in charge of which foods to offer your child. The child doesn't have an inner desire for candy or junk food. The child only knows the foods he or she has been exposed to. You are the one who determines which foods to present to the child. The child, on the other hand, is in charge of how much to actually eat. If you offer a variety of foods -- in small portions -- and vary those offerings, your child will eventually get what he needs. 

Don't worry if there are days when your child doesn't eat as much as you think he needs. He may make up for it the next day. Evaluate what he eats over the course of a week rather than day by day. You will get a more accurate picture of his nutritional input in that way.

Toddlers love to feel that their efforts are appreciated and enjoy helping you prepare the meal or snack. Here are some recipes that are fun and simple enough for toddler to help make.

Shake a Pudding: Put half a cup of milk and two tablespoons of instant pudding mix into two unbreakable jars with tight-fitting lids. Put on some music and dance with your child as you each shake your jars to make pudding. After the pudding has thickened, you can add the pudding to bowls, or just eat out of the jar.

Fruit and Yogurt Dip: Your child can help cut up apples or pears using a plastic knife. It doesn't really matter how the pieces look. If they are really small because your little one was very focused and diligent about cutting, you could put the pieces in a bowl and add a couple spoonfuls of yogurt. If the pieces are large, you could put the yogurt in the bowl and dip the pieces in. Either way, your child has made a tasty treat!

Trail Mix: Put a few handfuls of a favorite cold cereal in a zip lock bag. Add some raisins or other dried fruit. Shake shake shake!

Create a Scene with Your Veggies: Veggies and fruit have such varied shapes and colors! You and your child can create a scene in the mashed potatoes with broccoli trees, cherry tomato rocks and little peas as cars or people to move around them. Using your imagination and his, I'll bet you can think up even more fun ideas. Don't forget the monster that comes along to eat them all up!

Ever heard the story Stone Soup? Wasn't the point that everyone became terribly interested in the concoction once they were allowed to help?

Making soup is fairly easy to do and only requires a few adjustments to include your toddler in on the process.

If you cut the onions and carrots and celery, your toddler can add them to the pot. He can stir everything up, too, as long as the pot is not yet on the stove.

Here's one soup recipe that you can make together.

Lentil Soup:

1 onion, chopped                                             2 cups lentils

2 large carrots, chopped                                    2 T olive oil

2 stalks celery, chopped                                   2 T cumin

salt to taste                                                       2-4 cloves garlic

water

Stir fry vegetables together in 2T olive oil in a large soup pot. Add 2 cups lentils and about 6 cups water. Let simmer until lentils are cooked soft -- at least an hour. Add water as necessary.