Easy meal ideas for picky 15 month old.

Patricia - posted on 09/04/2012

i am a new grandma, havnt done this in way too many years, somedays i cant get my sixteen month old to eat anything, except cereal bars, what are your thoughts on that?

Erica - posted on 07/19/2010

Thanks everyone for the input I was just really stuck trying to get some new food ideas. The Sneaky Chef suggestion, like all the others was golden. Being a mother of twin expreemies I have so much going on and having the benefit of your experience really helped me.

Angela - posted on 07/19/2010

My son hates the graduate meals but is a huge fan of the beach nut containers of lasagna and the mac&cheese with Carrots. He will also eat whatever he sees me or his dad eat. He loves all pastas, fruits, rice, oatmeal (which is super healthy and quick) , cheeses (try lunchables with the meat cheese and cracker tray), and I only give him fried foods like nuggets and fries when we are traveling and are forced to dine in the car. Hope this helps but I know all kids are different and he does love something one day and not the next. Good luck... we are all going through it with you :)

Bernice - posted on 07/19/2010

Great tip!!! im going to look for this kidzsuperfood!!!

Sarah - posted on 07/19/2010

I sneak veggies into everything! When I make breads (banana or zuke) I put a jar of squash and carrots in them... We had tons of leftover jar food so now it goes in everything. Turkey burgers get the same treatment. Neither my 15mo old daughter nor my husband can tell the difference!

Alida - posted on 07/18/2010

maybe try mini quiches. You can make them in muffin tins which make great sizes and can grate everything into the mix.

Ruth - posted on 07/17/2010

My son is the same way! One thing he likes is steamed rice with LOTS of butter. He is really skinny so I don't worry. Another thing I have tried is shakes. I get frozen fruit,milk, and a scoop of KidzSuperFood. It's a powder that contains 32 different fruits and veggies all natural and organic. He loves the shakes and I feel better about him getting some nutrients. Check your local health food store to find this product. Good luck

Bernice - posted on 07/17/2010

I just read many of the responses and got some great ideas. My son too used to love his veggies and meat and now will only eat cheese, fruit, and his milk. I have tried the gerber toddler meals and he wont try any of them. I was trying to find a way for him to eat protein and finally gave in and got some fish sticks...he loves them...so that will do for now. Now i have to figure out the veggie dept. Perhaps the veggie juice mixed with fruit juice. Im so hopping that he'll grow out of this phase..your not alone. We just need a lot of patience to continue our persistance in trying to be creative. I have gone to the extent of cooking 3 different meals at a time to see what he would eat...ugh!!!

Carrie - posted on 07/17/2010

heheh...yeah, every day is different for my little man! But, his all time favorite meal is penne alfredo--I make the sauce from scratch and sneak in either salmon and peas or broccoli and peas, or spinach. He practically licks the bowl!
other than that, he's a raw veg kinda guy and if he sees me snacking on veg, he'll eat some too.

Dorsha - posted on 07/17/2010

My son eats a lil more variety if he has dipping sauce like ketchup or ranch sauce, not much more but a lil. He is rely picky to... Pedia-sure is my best friend to make sure he gets what he needs

Sarah - posted on 07/17/2010

wow, you are describing my 16 month old daughter exactly. i'm going to read what people wrote! one thing i have added is wheat germ on the banana slices or in her yogurt or applesauce, to get some extra goodness in there. there are lots of great things in the book Super Baby Food too.

Lisa - posted on 07/17/2010

You've gotten some great responses! we go through a bit of the same, one day my 16-month-old will love something, and the next day he won't. I've discovered that he'll eat certain things if they're dipped in sauce - like broccoli in pesto (he won't eat it plain). Anything dipped in hummus. Another great snack is rice cakes (you can get no salt added) spread with almond butter and honey. He also loves black beans - I make bean and cheese quesadillas on whole wheat tortillas and that goes over really well. Good luck, toddler foods are quite an adventure!

ASHLEY - posted on 07/16/2010

Homemade Burgers with mushrooms,zucchini,red bell pepper,onions,garlic(finely minced) parmesean cheese breadcrumbs & 1 egg to bind. Great for f/t working moms because you can make a whole bunch,freeze them,take it out when needed and bake for about 40-45 min @ 350 degrees ;)

Helena - posted on 07/16/2010

We are experiencing the same thing with our 16-mth son!!! What's worked for us lately: breakfast foods - scrambled eggs with cheese, meat, and cooked veggies, whole wheat and blueberry pancakes, french toast, yogurt, string cheese or slices of cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches or grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, cheddar garlic biscuits, seasoned rice or 'fried' rice with veggies and meat, chopped-up spaghetti and tomato sauce with veggies, tofu or baby food mixed-in, homemade or Annie's organic mac & cheese, CHICKEN - all kinds but rotisserie from the grocery store or grilled is great in a time crunch and can be added to everything, taco meat, all kinds of beans - especially black beans, whole wheat bread and rolls torn into bite-size bits, pitas with hummus, and Chinese food especially beef with thick rice noodles. Self-feeding is important, so try blending, steaming, chopping meats and veggies into different textures and serving alone, mixing into dishes as an ingredient, topping a food, or giving it as a 'dipping' sauce. My son did not like hummus the first time until I spread it onto a pita, sandwiched it, and cut it into thin strips. I thought he would like mashed potatoes, but he prefers them cubed and cooked on the grill or baked. He just recently started to eat pasta - it's a little slippery! If something is too big, sticky, or strange, he throws/gives it to me. He surprised me with how much he likes foods with flavor and seasoning.

Also check out the book, Sneaky Chef (http://www.thesneakychef.com/) which contains recipes and ways to add/hide veggies and healthy ingredients to dishes.

Jessica - posted on 07/15/2010

Reading back on some of the posts made me think of even more things that make it easier for my 16 months old to eat. my little one LOVES to dip stuff. Hummus is her favorite and it's honestly super easy and full of protein. Also spaghetti is an excellent way to get lots of veggies into his diet. I recently made homemade tater tots, threw some sweet potatoes and carrots into the mix and they were a huge hit.

Xaviera - posted on 07/15/2010

me too i need help in that area

Jennifer - posted on 07/14/2010

Jenna LOVES avocado, whole broccoli to bite off of, and cold chopped carrots (boiled earlier). She seems to like those veggies. Good luck!

Sarah - posted on 07/14/2010

mixes brocoli with cheese cauliflower with eggs, potatoes and carrot with fish light bolognese with fresh tomatoes green beans surrounded with thin slice of bacon
all these tricks works trust me babies need flavours...

Denise - posted on 07/14/2010

Make the Veggies interesting. If he likes Cheese - blend Cooked Spinach, Cream Cheese, Cooked Red Pepper and Goat Cheese or any other type of cheese and heat it up...kinda like a Spinach Dip....

Get Creative: Blend Broccoli with Apple Sauce and Pork (or chicken) - Apple sauce make everything taste good.

Yogurt, Banana and Avocado Smoothies are always good.

Avocado, Fish with Rice Cereal - trust me it's good....

There are lots of ways to eat healthy. Just don't give him any 'bad' snacks in between for a while (this includes, fruit jellies, goldfish,cookies).

Kia - posted on 07/11/2010

my daughter is the same age! & she will eat absolutley anything! so i always make sure its healthy but tastey! pasta's are excellent! grilled cheese, mac & cheese, & i love using yogurt! just plain vanilla yogurt mixed with just about anything in the Graduates snacks, mix in; stars, apple dices, freeze dried strawberry & bananas. they are excellent! good lucK!

Kari - posted on 07/09/2010

I'm having a similar problem with my son. He's also 15 months and just started not liking veggies. I think it's something that some kids just go through. I try to mix veggies into whatever I can (scrambled eggs, sandwiches) but I also be a juice from the health food store called Very Veggie and I mix it with some apple juice (because he won't drink it otherwise) and that way he for sure gets at least 4oz of veggies a day. I also talked to my doctor about it and he said to just keep offering him veggies at every meal and snack because the more time he tries them the more likely he will decide he likes them. I also give him the veggies first because that's when he is the most hungry and will eat them just because they are there and he doesn't have another choice and then I give him other things. Hope that helps!

Heather - posted on 07/08/2010

Mine is the same way. He will only eat carrots if they are from the glass gerber jars. The only meat i can get him to eat is fish sticks as long as they have ketchup on them.
I did make Chicken with frenchs fried onions on them the other night and he loved it. The recipe is on the can.

Jennifer - posted on 07/07/2010

I buy my 16 months old son Gerber Graduates Healthy Meals. You can get them from any walmart, or grocery store in the baby section! There easy to make. you just pop them in the mic, cool them down and serve. My son loves them. There are different kids! Try em!

Jessica - posted on 07/07/2010

www.wholesometoddlerfood.com is a great website.



My boy likes scrambled eggs w/spinach, grilled chicken, black bean quesadillas, steamed carrots. I make chicken pot pie loaded with veggies and he gobbles it up. Baked sweet potato fries are a huge hit. English muffin mini pizzas. You can add whatever toppings you want.



Pre packaged toddler meals are loaded with sodium so I'd pay attention to the labels. They probably won't hurt once in awhile.

Meryl - posted on 07/07/2010

Try the Gerber meals. My son loves mac and cheese with peas. Try chicken nuggets with mixed vegetables. Another suggestion is getting a recipe book for tots. I was able to get it cheap from a half-price bookstore. Hope this helps.

Jennifer - posted on 07/07/2010

How about pasta? Will he eat mac n cheese or spaghetti? Those are both easy foods that you can sneak in some veggies or meat. Add some peas & carrots to the mac n cheese. Or be creative and try a different combination.

And he's a toddler! He may love veggies today, hate them tomorrow, then love them the next day! My son is like that too. He wants something and then he'll spit it out. Five minutes later, he'll eat it.