Toddler meal suggestions!
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I can’t talk from experience because mine is 11mo, but I follow several BLW instagrams accounts by dietitians and they all say that by 1yo they turn very picky and ear way less. It’s normal. You have to offer always nutritionally dense food and if he is hungry he will end up eating if you don’t give him something after (if they know there’s no more options). I think they say 3 options (let’s say and omelette, tomato and succini sticks) and try to put one they tend to eat. The other options are just so he keeps seeing them and sometimes he might try. Then you can offer more quantity of the one he eats. But as I said….this is just theoretical and perhaps it doesn’t work! Good luck!
My LG is 2 and she’s waiting for asd assessment but she literally eats about 15 foods and nothing else.. if he’ll eat thinks like chicken goujons etc make them I do chicken breast strips make a tempura batter and pop them in the air fryer they think they’re getting a treat but it’s a lot healthier and you know what’s in it.. I also make my own smiley faces by doing mashed potatoes rolling it on out a silicone mat and using cooking cutters to make shapes and pop them in the air fryer too.. So many things like that you can do yourself and you can premake and freeze and get them out for a quick tea but you know what’s in it.. I also blend peas and carrots into the potato shapes to get veggies in If bab will eat spag Bol that’s a great one for blending veggies in the sauce Feel free to send me what your little boy currently eats and I can send you some recipes xxxxx
For not eating what they're given: I don't offer alternative meals, but when offering new things I do alongside things that I know she likes and will eat. Obviously we also have snacks! I wouldn't offer a snack immediately after she doesn't eat a meal or after an evening meal usually but when it is snack time if she hasn't eaten well I'll give her a bigger snack e.g. rather than just some fruit, I'll put plain yogurt with it too. Meal ideas- Mine loves salmon, I do a little layer of garlicy breadcrumbs on the top and oven cook it and serve with veg. Pizza wrap- little bit of tomato puree for the base, then we put sweetcorn and spinach on top, with a little bit of cheese alongside grated cauliflower which makes it look more cheesy than it is 😂 Pasta sauce is a great way to blend veggies in, I tend to make a bigger amount of sauce and freeze it in portions. Serve veggies alongside a dip like hummous or tzatziki. If he loves toast, incorporate it! Smash avocado on there, cauliflower cheese, egg on toast, etc
Mine loves Spag Bol (with added carrot and celery), chilli con carne (added sweet potato, carrot, celery, beans etc). Loves hummus. A blended spinach orzo with chicken which is really garlicky. And fajita traybake goes does really well, chicken, chickpeas, peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic baked in fajita style seasonings, serve with corn, cheese, guac and tortillas that she can fill and fold/roll herself. We have the rule of having to at least try everything on the plate, and as long as she’s tried it, we offer fruit/yoghurt for after as usual, but not treats, and maybe slightly more bedtime milk.
Appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions! Have made a meal plan for this week and there's lots of fun stuff on there so hopefully we can try him trying new stuff again
Also what's everyone's stance on if their child doesn't eat the meal you've given them? More often than not he will push a meal away now, I don't want to let him go without but at the same time he will be eating toast for 3 meals a day if we give him something after he's turned down a meal. As a kid we would eat what we were given or we wouldn't eat.