Try these toddler meal strategies for your picky eater.
I'd like to introduce another Los Angeles mom who's blog is here to help us all feed our picky children healthy meals they just may actually like.
By Elizabeth Rietz
from www.WhiningnDining.com
I know. You’re frustrated and going to pull your hair out. It’s mealtime once again and your little prince or princess won’t have it. Or maybe he/she is going just for the starch. Or maybe it’s a fruit-only obsession. One thing is for certain, your little one is just not interested in veggies and/or meat and you need help.
I feel your pain because I’ve been there. Overnight, my veggie-loving baby turned up her nose and practically spit in the face of all things green. She despised it all. How could this happen to the daughter of a foodie mom? Not MY child. And this is why I started to chronicle my ups and downs of feeding a toddler and create an online resource for helping parents feed their children healthy food via my blog, “Whining and Dining.”
Through my experience and the experience of others, I want you to know that there’s hope. My daughter is now three, and I believe that we’ve finally turned a corner. Hang in there, be persistent in offering new foods and try these toddler meal strategies:
- Get Persistent – It’s important to remember that just because your child didn’t like broccoli the first time or the fourth time, it doesn’t mean they won’t ever like it. You have to keep at it. The finicky toddler will like one thing one day and spurn it the next. Moody little creatures, aren’t they??
Also, you may want to play around with different cooking techniques and different versions of the food. For instance, your child may like spinach sautéed rather than steamed (my daughter’s preference). Also, my daughter prefers cooked fresh spinach to cooked frozen spinach, yet she likes cooked frozen green beans verses cooked fresh green beans. Go figure.
- Get Excited – It most certainly helps your cause when you act like veggies are THE best thing you have ever, ever eaten. If you exclaim, “Wow, I love this cauliflower!” and pretend as if you are eating the most delicious candy, then your little one might take notice. Talk about the color, the shape and texture. It’s fun to take your toddler to the farmers’ market to show them the different veggies. Let them help you pick out the veggies you buy.
Resource: List of Farmers’ Markets in LA
- Get Focused – Be sure to introduce new foods or offer veggies when your child is hungry. Cut up some veggies or meat to place on your little one’s tray while you finish preparing the rest of the meal.
- Get Creative – Sometimes it helps to make a face with a carrot nose, olive eyes and a red pepper smile; tiny meatballs; chicken on a stick; egg in a hole; bunny cut out sandwiches, etc. Make a story out of your child’s dinner. It’s kind of silly, but kids ARE silly, and they go crazy for this stuff. Also, I turn a lot of veggies into baked chips like sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts (see recipe below).
Try This: Muffin Tin Monday and Green Chips
Resources: First Meals by Anabel Karmel, Toddler Café and Weelicious.com
Remember that kids also loooove to dip, so serve them foods that can be dipped in hummus, yogurt sauce, etc.
- Get Sneaky – If none of the above works for you, you may need to sneak it in where you can. Sneak veggies in muffins, pancakes, macaroni ‘n cheese, cookies…..you name it. If you puree it, you can stir some veggies in to just about everything you make.
Try This: Lily Pad Pancakes
Resources: The Sneaky Chef & Deceptively Delicious
- Get Smooth – Lastly, when all else fails, you can hide some veggies in a smoothie or a juice. I find that a berry smoothie hides raw spinach well.
If you would like more recipes, advice and other foodie fun in LA and beyond, join me at www.whiningndining.com. More importantly, I want to know what you are cooking for dinner, your feeding challenges, tips, foodie stuff around LA, etc., so please email me at whine.dine@yahoo.com. .
Good luck & happy eating!
