Toddler Food Ideas

One of the requests I received back when I was uninspired was to do a post on what I feed Frances and Sterling.  Feeding kids can easy and it can also be a nightmare.  I think the key is keep switching things up and introduce new things.  Now that Sterling is older he eats what we eat for dinner.   He is not given a choice.   I do not cook him a separate dinner unless Matt and I will be eating really late.  I try to make him eat what we eat.  Now don't get me wrong many nights he goes to bed hungry but he has to at least try everything and if he eats well he is allowed a piece of dessert- sort of a bribe to get him to eat more but it works.  By making him take at least one bite of what we are having it has helped teach him that some things that look gross and he said he wouldn't eat he actually likes.  For example this week I made butternut squash soup and roasted cabbage,  he immediately looked at his plate and said I am not eating that- gross!  Then when I made him try it and he actually liked both and almost cleaned his plate. I call that winning in the Mom Department:)

Frances Moon is obviously a different story.  She is full on into finger foods now.  I still use pouches for on the go but other wise it is food she can feed herself.   Breakfast is usually a Kashi Waffle or Oatmeal and Fruit.  Lunches are often on the go and are a squeezable pouch but dinners are always at home.  I tried to take pictures of Frances Moon's dinners  to give you some ideas of what she eats.  There are so many options and I would welcome ideas too, but these are just a few baby/toddler meal ideas.

String Cheese | Strawberries | Peas (canned)

 Avocado | Beets | String Cheese | Shredded Chicken

Sweet Potatoes | Blueberries | Morning Star Chicken Nuggets

Morning star Veggie Patty | Cauliflower | Strawberries and Blueberries

Carrots | Mandarin Oranges | Snappea Peas

Roasted Cabbage | Cracker Barrel Cheese | Bananas

For those curious the plates above are the Dr. Browns Plates and the last plate is by 5x7 Designs.  I like the Dr. Brown plates because they are small and divided.  I also like the 5x7 plates because they are open and the designs are so cute- Sterling has one too! They make adorable gifts as well.

One tip to make things easier is to prep on Sunday or Monday.  I often roast a few sweet potatoes, butternut squash etc to have in containers for the week.  Then it is easy to pull out and feed Frances, no extra cooking or work required. 

A few ideas of food to buy and keep in your fridge or freezer, I usually keep these items stocked at our house.

- Morning Star Veggie Patties

- Morning Star Chicken Nuggets

- Kashi Waffles

-  String Cheese or mini Babel both are softer cheeses

- Yogurt

- Snappea Peas

- Cheerios

- Ritz Crackers

- Fig Newtons

- Libby's diced veggies (these come in plastic containers like mandarin oranges and are great for kids.  They have carrots, peas, and green bean options)

- Mandarin Oranges

- Nutrigrain Bars

- Avocado

- Fresh Fruit- I always buy bananas, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  They are softer fruits and easy for Frances to eat.

- Giggle Bites Food - This line by my friend Melissa is awesome.  This is all I fed Frances in the beginning and we still use it often.  She also offers Toddler Sneak-Ums which are genius to mix in with whatever else you are cooking!

and because many times Frances Moon is over the food I serve her.  Feeding any age child is never easy.  This Ecard suns it up as does her face.