Discussions

My 2 year old is a huge snacker and I'm looking for different recipes and ideas for snack foods for her. She eats apples, bananas, grapes, cheese, yogurt, Cheerios, yogurt melts, fruit to go, popcorn twists and veggie straws. I've made her mini carrot/apple muffins, arrowroot cookies, animal crackers and cheese crackers but every other toddler cookie recipe I have found is very crumbly and not exactly toddler friendly to eat. What's in your regular snack rotation for your kids? Any healthy or at least low sugar recipes to try? Thanks!

smoothies, applesauce, bagel and cream cheese, English muffin pizza, pb banana roll ups, good old pb and j, homemade pancakes, boiled eggs, veggies and hummus, hummus and ripped up pita bread, homemade trail mix, banana muffins, granola bars

Pretzels, fruit/veggie pizza, banana and pb rolled up in tortilla wrap, pickles, bear paws, pudding, applesauce, rice cakes, apples with pb, yogurt/pb/honey as a dip with fruit, smoothies, zucchini in any baked item is delicious, chips and salsa (can make own so it’s no spicy), cheese, veggies and dip  
 
 
Some of these ideas aren’t necessarily healthy tho but it’s things my daycare kids eat

My little girl loves homemade frozen yogurt pops. Mix some frozen berries into yogurt and freeze in a small Dixie cup with a stick. I’ve also made homemade fudgicles, not the healthiest but it was basically melted chocolate and milk mixed with Greek yogurt. She eats a big variety of fruit, toasted English muffins with cheese, yogurt, muffins (carrot, banana, rhubarb, pumpkin etc), granola bars, raisins, toast, cheese, pretzels, variety of cereal, pancakes. She is a year and a half and eats most things that we eat.

I'd love to hear what people feed their toddlers for lunch/dinner. I feel like my son is the pickiest eater ever and we can't get him to eat outside his usual.. chicken fingers, fish (that we call chicken fingers lol), alphaghetti, beans, soups with a ridiculous amount of crackers. I can't get him to eat veggies for the life of me, so we put veggies in his smoothies. He eats all the same snacks as above.  
Any different meal ideas?!

Does he have a favourite veggie? We eat raw veggies here everyday at lunch. Must eat veggies first before they get the rest of the meal. If your son likes carrots just feed carrots and throw in a cucumber slice often. Once he gets to actually like the cucumber then throw in a different veggie.  
 
My daughter was picky with meat when she was younger. We would put her uneaten food in the fridge for later. Eventually she would try a few bites (with ketchup). Now she loves meat

Quesadillas, burgers, grilled cheese, grilled pb and jam, pizza buns, sandwiches with deli meat and cheese, soup, chilli, stew, slow cooked meats, perogies, meat/cheese/crackers/pickles, sausage and eggs, sausage and pancakes, spaghetti casserole are some of my daycare kids meals they’ll eat. Add raw or cooked veggies to the side.  
 
One of their fav soups is hamburger, rice, cabbage veggie soup. Almost every kid has loved it. I use veggie or beef broth and season the meat with seasoning salt and garlic and pepper. I add in celery, carrots, corn, sometimes peas.  
 
Another soup they like is more like pasta. It’s a cheese tortellini tomato soup. I don’t have measurements but I use canned tomato soup, heavy cream (milk works too), chicken broth, Italian seasoning and pepper. Then I add a package of cheese tortellini. The first day its soupy and the leftovers sure pasta once it soaks in the liquid. So good!!

My rule is that they have to eat at least one bite of everything on their plate. And I give it to them multiple times. This current group I have given up on avocado tho...after many, many times of them trying it, not one likes it lol

Ideally, you child should be eating what you're eating. You don't want to get into a situation where you're making multiple meals. It also helps if you set a good example by eating a wide variety of foods in their presence, even trying new things that you would not routinely eat. Sometimes it's a fun game to try something new together, like picking out a dragon fruit from the store and sampling it!!  
 
The snacking thing is tough at that age... they have little tummies and genuinely can't go hours and hours without food. But as a rule we cut off snacks an hour before mealtimes (if not sooner) with the under-3 crowd. It makes them more likely to eat what is in front of them. They also get a little of everything on their plate, and are encouraged to try. The older children are required to eat at least a bite or two of everything, even if they don't "like it".  
 
A favourite go-to around here is anything dipped in peanut butter. So apple slices, bananas, pretzels, crackers, celery, etc. Kids will eat an astounding variety of things if you let them dip it.

If you are bored with what you are offering, think outside the box. Canned foods, dehydrated foods, etc. frankly, my toddler can eat a whole can if sliced peaches on her own. Canned pears would be good too. Dehydrated banana, apple, or apricot might be too chewy for your kid, depending on age but no harm in trying. I also like making sweet potato fries. Super easy.

Someday.. said "I'd love to hear what people feed their toddlers for lunch/dinner. I feel like my son is the pickiest eater ever and we can't get him to eat outside his usual.. chicken fingers, fish (that we call chicken fingers lol), alphaghetti, beans, soups with a ridiculous amount of crackers. I can't get him to eat veggies for the life of me, so we put veggies in his smoothies. He eats all the same snacks as above.   Any different meal ideas?! "

Limit the crackers or offer half of a whole grain bun as an option. Set ground rules. Options are still good. Kids love to make their own decisions. It helps them feel big. Also have him help you make some healthy meals & snacks. They will eat a greater variety if they have made it!  
 
I agree with RC123!  
 
Our children learned to eat what is on the table. They need to be grateful that they can eat at all. Many people even in this country (and around the world) can't afford a good meal. Taking an appropriate amount of food (smaller portions to start) and then not wasting it is also a rule in our home. No treats/dessert until they are done is another.  
 
When our children were very young, we exposed them to a variety of real (not really processed/sugary/salty) foods. This way, they develop a palate for this instead of for the processed stuff. The theory is that foods that are introduced often in small amounts are more acceptable to them after a time.  
 
Sometimes it is not a true dislike, but a battle of wills. Every kid starts this very young. We had one child who ate cold eggs multiple days later once she got hungry enough. The food came out at each meal and each time a snack was requested until she finally ate it. She had been warned how it would be at first refusal (and that those eggs taste better fresh) and she made her poor decision over and over. It was a couple days later...actually 3 if I remember correctly, and no, she did not starve and we didn't neglect to feed her...we put the eggs on the table and she refused to eat them. She could eat them at any time...that option was wide open for her. She could open the fridge too. She still was given milk and other fluids, but was required to eat that healthy food that was in front of her. It was a good lesson. Cold eggs are nasty.  
 
One kid "hated" mushrooms, but one day exclaimed that the ____ was delicious! We informed her that mushrooms were in it. She had been eating mushrooms for quite some time in this dish. Well, she saw her flaw and continued eating it. She was a bit amused & embarrassed at the same time, but never complained about it again.  
 
This has worked for our children with various foods. They now eat and enjoy pretty much everything (broccoli, liver, brussel sprouts, etc.) except for the spiciest of foods, and sourkraut.  
 
It was hard to do on our end, but it was a battle of wills. They actually enjoy those foods that they battled now and love to try new (and new cultural) foods. Haha! Fussy did not work here.  
 
It was hard at first, but made life & meals easier in the long haul.

Check out the Eat Right Ontario website, they have great videos on child nutrition and tons of ideas for recipes. Here are a few links:  
 
https://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Recipes.aspx  
https://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Videos/Raising-our-Healthy-Kids/School-Aged-Children.aspx  
https://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Videos/Raising-our-Healthy-Kids.aspx  
 
Manitoba also has Dial-A-Dietitian 1-877-830-2892 where anyone can call and talk with a dietitian for free if you have any nutrition or food questions