Food for the mostly toothless
September 22, 2014 8:36 AM Subscribe
I'm looking for breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas for my 14-month-old. Help me out of my toddler food rut! We are both sick of rice cakes with peanut butter on them.
I feel like I'm not doing a very good job of feeding Toddler McCatburglar. Every day I find myself giving him the same things: cheese, rice cakes with peanut butter, bananas, scrambled eggs. Sometimes we mix it up with leftovers from the adult's dinner, but since we tend to eat a lot of salads or grilled meat there's not a lot there for him. I feel like every time I open the fridge I draw a blank!
I'm looking for ideas or resources for:
- Meals I can throw together in under five minutes.
- Things that can be made in batches and frozen. I don't mind spending much more time on this as long as individual portions can be defrosted in the microwave at a later date.
-Healthy stuff, though that goes without saying. I'm not afraid of fat, but I am afraid of relying too much on carbohydrates. The more veggies, the better!
Toddler McCatburglar has no allergies or dietary restrictions. We eat almost all of our meals at home, so they don't need to be portable. I'm not adverse to buying prepared foods, but we don't live in the US and things like frozen fish sticks don't exist here. Assume I have all the basic kitchen utensils and am a pretty accomplished cook, and I already know about Weelicious.
Difficulties:
- At 14 months old he only has one teeny tiny little tooth. He's really good about chewing and gumming and has never had a choking scare. Still, he can't handle chunks of meat, or hard things like raw apple.
- He refuses to eat anything from a spoon, so no soup, applesauce, or yogurt. He has to be able to pick up everything and shove it in his mouth himself.
- He's also getting more picky about what he will eat. If he doesn't recognize it, he's very wary of it, which is why I want to broaden his horizons as much as possible as soon as possible. Hopefully we won't be stuck in this cheese/rice cake/banana/egg rut until he's a teenager.
Give me your ideas! What food did your toddler like?
Extra super bonus points: meals that we can ALL eat. My ideas for this basically max out at pasta, quiche, and casseroles.
I feel like I'm not doing a very good job of feeding Toddler McCatburglar. Every day I find myself giving him the same things: cheese, rice cakes with peanut butter, bananas, scrambled eggs. Sometimes we mix it up with leftovers from the adult's dinner, but since we tend to eat a lot of salads or grilled meat there's not a lot there for him. I feel like every time I open the fridge I draw a blank!
I'm looking for ideas or resources for:
- Meals I can throw together in under five minutes.
- Things that can be made in batches and frozen. I don't mind spending much more time on this as long as individual portions can be defrosted in the microwave at a later date.
-Healthy stuff, though that goes without saying. I'm not afraid of fat, but I am afraid of relying too much on carbohydrates. The more veggies, the better!
Toddler McCatburglar has no allergies or dietary restrictions. We eat almost all of our meals at home, so they don't need to be portable. I'm not adverse to buying prepared foods, but we don't live in the US and things like frozen fish sticks don't exist here. Assume I have all the basic kitchen utensils and am a pretty accomplished cook, and I already know about Weelicious.
Difficulties:
- At 14 months old he only has one teeny tiny little tooth. He's really good about chewing and gumming and has never had a choking scare. Still, he can't handle chunks of meat, or hard things like raw apple.
- He refuses to eat anything from a spoon, so no soup, applesauce, or yogurt. He has to be able to pick up everything and shove it in his mouth himself.
- He's also getting more picky about what he will eat. If he doesn't recognize it, he's very wary of it, which is why I want to broaden his horizons as much as possible as soon as possible. Hopefully we won't be stuck in this cheese/rice cake/banana/egg rut until he's a teenager.
Give me your ideas! What food did your toddler like?
Extra super bonus points: meals that we can ALL eat. My ideas for this basically max out at pasta, quiche, and casseroles.
have you tried to give him meat or you just assuming he couldn't handle it? my 12 month old son loves meat even though he only has two front teeth but he manages to gum it up and eat it happily. I just cut it up small or serve pulled or ground versions that he can easily chew/swallow.
posted by gatorae at 8:49 AM on September 22, 2014 [8 favorites]
posted by gatorae at 8:49 AM on September 22, 2014 [8 favorites]
Best answer: You can probably find some recipe ideas from babyledweaning.com. We give my eight month old whatever we're having as long as it's not too salty, either cut into small pieces or in french-fry shapes. She's fully capable of picking up a broccoli tree or quartered brussels sprout (her favorite!) or spear of asparagus and eating it herself.
(She has four teeth, but has been at it since she had none. Her first meal was a piece of roast broccoli and some strings of pulled pork.)
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:51 AM on September 22, 2014 [3 favorites]
(She has four teeth, but has been at it since she had none. Her first meal was a piece of roast broccoli and some strings of pulled pork.)
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:51 AM on September 22, 2014 [3 favorites]
Are you teaching him to eat from a spoon by himself? What about purees? Would you be ok with him eating those with his hands(I know, messy!)?
posted by brujita at 8:55 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by brujita at 8:55 AM on September 22, 2014
Black beans with a bit of lime juice. Cut-up hearts of palm. Eda mame (beans only) tossed with red wine vinegar and dijon.
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:56 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:56 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: Toast, cut into "fingers," spread with hummus was a favorite in our house. You can also use any baby food puree as a "jam" on the toast fingers (even the veggies!).
I made a lot of stews -- beef stew, cassoulet, bean soup -- and just use a slotted spoon get the baby scoops of "stuff" without the liquid. Carrots, beans, celery, meat, etc., all get nice and soft and easy for baby to eat in a stew. You will have to cut up the chunks but it's still pretty easy.
Stir fry or curry is also easy and veggie-heavy for baby.
Show him how to dip his toast finger or rice cake or whatever in a dipping sauce/fluid. Messy, but they like it.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:57 AM on September 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
I made a lot of stews -- beef stew, cassoulet, bean soup -- and just use a slotted spoon get the baby scoops of "stuff" without the liquid. Carrots, beans, celery, meat, etc., all get nice and soft and easy for baby to eat in a stew. You will have to cut up the chunks but it's still pretty easy.
Stir fry or curry is also easy and veggie-heavy for baby.
Show him how to dip his toast finger or rice cake or whatever in a dipping sauce/fluid. Messy, but they like it.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:57 AM on September 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: When my son was that age, he was just starting to really love ravioli but couldn't (and still can't) handle the acid in tomato sauce, so I would buy pre-made small sized raviolis and boil them, toss them in a little butter and he would go to town. This would be a good option as well.
Also, I did start hiding things like spinach and turkey meat into flat grilled sandwiches and would dice them up into bite sized peices. A friend of mine actually purchased a quesadilla maker for her son and would make these as well. Fast and easy!
Also, I don't know if they have them where you are, but these amazing applesauce packets are a life saver at my house. My son isn't too keep on the spoon situation either, so these were great.
Also, diced pineapples, pears, apples?
posted by Sara_NOT_Sarah at 9:00 AM on September 22, 2014
Also, I did start hiding things like spinach and turkey meat into flat grilled sandwiches and would dice them up into bite sized peices. A friend of mine actually purchased a quesadilla maker for her son and would make these as well. Fast and easy!
Also, I don't know if they have them where you are, but these amazing applesauce packets are a life saver at my house. My son isn't too keep on the spoon situation either, so these were great.
Also, diced pineapples, pears, apples?
posted by Sara_NOT_Sarah at 9:00 AM on September 22, 2014
My son was also mostly toothless then, as well as (sometimes frustratingly) independent. Pouches of applesauce went over well, as did gogurt tubes and mandarin orange segments. And we still give him smoothies that are half vegetable.
Maybe also try congee? Which requires a spoon but is goopy enough (at least the way I make it) to stick to a spoon.
posted by daikaisho at 9:09 AM on September 22, 2014
Maybe also try congee? Which requires a spoon but is goopy enough (at least the way I make it) to stick to a spoon.
posted by daikaisho at 9:09 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: Softer fruits like mangoes, pears, plums, apricots cut into small pieces. One of my kids loved tuna fish from a can at that age. Wrap a boneless fish fillet in parchment paper and cook it in the microwave. Potatoes and sweet potatoes. Acorn squash. Cooked carrots. Cooked green beans.
posted by mareli at 9:19 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by mareli at 9:19 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: I have a 14-month-old and am having a lot of luck with frittatas or quiche with veg in them. Both cut into grabable-sized pieces.
posted by Ollie at 9:20 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by Ollie at 9:20 AM on September 22, 2014
My little one, years ago, really loved pumpkin pie. It was soft and sweet, but mostly made of pumpkin. Slice a narrow wedge, and he would grab that and chew on it.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 9:28 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by Midnight Skulker at 9:28 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: Starchy Veggies
Sweet potatoes / Baked Roasted - Sweet potato gratins are also options if you want pure finger food, otherwise mashed, chunked and what have you.
Beets - though plan on a trip to the tub with a purple baby afterward.
Same with Green Peas / Beans (though the beans did not go over well for us)
Steamed Carrots
Grains
-Couscous / Rice pudding
-A really stiff/cheesy Risotto is is a lot of fun - get some open back cookie cutters (flowers, bugs, dinosaurs, pumpkins - whatever floats your boat), fill the risotto into the shape and let the risotto cool slightly before removing.
-Polenta
-sweet potato mini-muffins with a hefty amount of oatmeal and avocado oil (don't make me track down the recipe... unless you are 100% committed to making it and nothing else has worked)
Meats
-Fish sticks may not exist, but making a fish stick is pretty easy. Slice your fish - or form your tuna/mayo into log, roll in flour + salt + pepper, dredge quickly through egg. Then toss lightly in panko breadcrumbs and seasoning. Quickly into a pan with a fair amount of fat in it and - whammo - instant fish sticks.
-Sausage. Its pre-chewed meat - don't go for low fat.
We also stored pureed foods in ice cube trays, froze them, then nuked them as needed and served with a spoon AND ALSO served them in this thing that resemble mesh bag pacifier 'for frozen bananas' off of amazon that we could put ice cube food into. It took a wile and was messy - but also doubled as a teething pacifier/feeding time.
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:28 AM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Sweet potatoes / Baked Roasted - Sweet potato gratins are also options if you want pure finger food, otherwise mashed, chunked and what have you.
Beets - though plan on a trip to the tub with a purple baby afterward.
Same with Green Peas / Beans (though the beans did not go over well for us)
Steamed Carrots
Grains
-Couscous / Rice pudding
-A really stiff/cheesy Risotto is is a lot of fun - get some open back cookie cutters (flowers, bugs, dinosaurs, pumpkins - whatever floats your boat), fill the risotto into the shape and let the risotto cool slightly before removing.
-Polenta
-sweet potato mini-muffins with a hefty amount of oatmeal and avocado oil (don't make me track down the recipe... unless you are 100% committed to making it and nothing else has worked)
Meats
-Fish sticks may not exist, but making a fish stick is pretty easy. Slice your fish - or form your tuna/mayo into log, roll in flour + salt + pepper, dredge quickly through egg. Then toss lightly in panko breadcrumbs and seasoning. Quickly into a pan with a fair amount of fat in it and - whammo - instant fish sticks.
-Sausage. Its pre-chewed meat - don't go for low fat.
We also stored pureed foods in ice cube trays, froze them, then nuked them as needed and served with a spoon AND ALSO served them in this thing that resemble mesh bag pacifier 'for frozen bananas' off of amazon that we could put ice cube food into. It took a wile and was messy - but also doubled as a teething pacifier/feeding time.
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:28 AM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: My nephew is just a little younger than that and eats almost everything they eat:
- penne or other noodles with meatballs. He LOVES meatballs.
- grilled or steamed salmon, with any bones removed obviously.
- other grilled or fried white fish
- broccoli, sliced fruit, sliced avocado, banana, roasted squash, sweet potato, cooked carrots, cooked beans (black beans, white beans, pinto beans), green beans, roasted veggies of all sorts.
- quiche or fritatta - lots of veggies and cheese fits in there
- quinoa fritter - cooked quinoa, banana and an egg, and it makes a little pancake. Super healthy.
- bits of chicken, cut into appropriate pieces
- toast with lots of things (various butters, thickened yogurt, hummous)
- schnitzel
- foods with 'dips' of various things like bean dip, or yogurt dip
- chicken strips
So, we'll make something like this for dinner and he'll eat it all:
- grilled salmon (with spicy salsa for the adults)
- mashed or steamed baby potatoes
- steamed green beans
- side of cut-up fruit
Or:
- cooked beans (plain for baby, with spices for adults)
- tortilla (for adults to make into a taco, baby just gets strips of it)
- shredded cheese
- sliced avocado
Or:
- cooked pasta with meatballs
- adults get some spicy sauce in addition, if needed
- side salad of steamed broccoli and cauliflower -- can be fresh or from frozen section
Many of these can be made very quickly! I think you're right to up the ante with more food variety because it's only going to get harder.
I really love Ellyn Satter's approach to this. More on her "division of responsibility" here. Get your kid involved with the selection and making of the food -- it's a fun experience and will help them be more into eating the food!
posted by barnone at 9:31 AM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
- penne or other noodles with meatballs. He LOVES meatballs.
- grilled or steamed salmon, with any bones removed obviously.
- other grilled or fried white fish
- broccoli, sliced fruit, sliced avocado, banana, roasted squash, sweet potato, cooked carrots, cooked beans (black beans, white beans, pinto beans), green beans, roasted veggies of all sorts.
- quiche or fritatta - lots of veggies and cheese fits in there
- quinoa fritter - cooked quinoa, banana and an egg, and it makes a little pancake. Super healthy.
- bits of chicken, cut into appropriate pieces
- toast with lots of things (various butters, thickened yogurt, hummous)
- schnitzel
- foods with 'dips' of various things like bean dip, or yogurt dip
- chicken strips
So, we'll make something like this for dinner and he'll eat it all:
- grilled salmon (with spicy salsa for the adults)
- mashed or steamed baby potatoes
- steamed green beans
- side of cut-up fruit
Or:
- cooked beans (plain for baby, with spices for adults)
- tortilla (for adults to make into a taco, baby just gets strips of it)
- shredded cheese
- sliced avocado
Or:
- cooked pasta with meatballs
- adults get some spicy sauce in addition, if needed
- side salad of steamed broccoli and cauliflower -- can be fresh or from frozen section
Many of these can be made very quickly! I think you're right to up the ante with more food variety because it's only going to get harder.
I really love Ellyn Satter's approach to this. More on her "division of responsibility" here. Get your kid involved with the selection and making of the food -- it's a fun experience and will help them be more into eating the food!
posted by barnone at 9:31 AM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: We would batch cook and freeze chunks of turkey breast, grilled zucchini and boiled baby carrots. We would buy frozen peaches. Baby snacks/meals were turkey, zucchini, carrots, and peaches. I think we did this for six months. Baby doesn't care.
Baby's meal plan was scrambled egg in AM, turkey combo ×2 or 3, adult dinner. This was enough to grow a little palate.
As winter approaches consider more crackpot for adult meals. You could Google ileostomy diet, this will give a listing of soft and easy to digest foods.
You do not need to eat what baby eats. Scrambled egg is 3 min, you can still make your own breakfast to your tastes and get to work on time.
posted by crazycanuck at 9:31 AM on September 22, 2014
Baby's meal plan was scrambled egg in AM, turkey combo ×2 or 3, adult dinner. This was enough to grow a little palate.
As winter approaches consider more crackpot for adult meals. You could Google ileostomy diet, this will give a listing of soft and easy to digest foods.
You do not need to eat what baby eats. Scrambled egg is 3 min, you can still make your own breakfast to your tastes and get to work on time.
posted by crazycanuck at 9:31 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: My 11-month-old son really likes black beans and white beans, warmed up out of a can. He also likes cherry tomatoes that have been quartered. They're both pretty good finger foods.
We're still in the "figure out what he can eat in the kitchen whenever its time to eat" mode, but we do try to give him a little of whatever we're eating.
posted by montag2k at 9:38 AM on September 22, 2014
We're still in the "figure out what he can eat in the kitchen whenever its time to eat" mode, but we do try to give him a little of whatever we're eating.
posted by montag2k at 9:38 AM on September 22, 2014
Would he/could he eat "hard things" like raw apple if you used these kinds of things?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:39 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:39 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: We went through lots of "pizza," pizza that was a thing only a parent could call "pizza." Whole wheat mini-pitas topped with pesto (less messy and since spread more thinly, less likely to be a molten hot spot somewhere when heated), lots of chopped veg, and enough cheese to glue it together. You can make them en masse, bake half-way, freeze, and pop in the toaster oven as needed.
posted by kmennie at 9:43 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by kmennie at 9:43 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: French toast is a favorite breakfast for my toddler. Easy enough but in case you need instructions: beat an egg with a splash of milk, soak a piece of (preferably) whole wheat bread in it, cook slowly over margarine, butter, coconut or vegetable oil. Toppings can vary from honey, Nutella, cinnamon and sugar, fruit jelly, etc.
For meat, have you tried making hamburger patties? I like to combine equal parts minced beef with minced pork as they turn out softer and juicier in my taste. My recipe is usually 0.5kg (about 17 oz) beef with 0.5kg pork, one egg, about a tablespoon salt, some pepper to taste, two tablespoons mustard (any kind you like) and sometimes I throw some teriyaki sauce in there too (and some olive oil if the meat is very lean). Mix with your hands and make patties about 8cm wide, 2cm thick. Cook them over a little vegetable oil until you prick one with a fork and the liquid comes out clear, if it comes out red or pinkish, they need more cooking (remember pork needs to be well cooked). This makes enough for you to freeze the patties and a minute in the microwave on high gets them nice enough to eat on literally a moment's notice. My kid has been eating this since he was around your kid's age. Cut the pieces for him very small at first and then larger as he gets more teeth.
On the no spoon thing, do you think it's about the spoon itself, or about not wanting to be fed? You can combine greek or plain yoghurt with honey or fruit and let him eat it with his fingers so he can see it's yummy, then maybe start introducing him to a kiddie spoon so he can feed himself when he sees it's easier than with his fingers.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 9:48 AM on September 22, 2014
For meat, have you tried making hamburger patties? I like to combine equal parts minced beef with minced pork as they turn out softer and juicier in my taste. My recipe is usually 0.5kg (about 17 oz) beef with 0.5kg pork, one egg, about a tablespoon salt, some pepper to taste, two tablespoons mustard (any kind you like) and sometimes I throw some teriyaki sauce in there too (and some olive oil if the meat is very lean). Mix with your hands and make patties about 8cm wide, 2cm thick. Cook them over a little vegetable oil until you prick one with a fork and the liquid comes out clear, if it comes out red or pinkish, they need more cooking (remember pork needs to be well cooked). This makes enough for you to freeze the patties and a minute in the microwave on high gets them nice enough to eat on literally a moment's notice. My kid has been eating this since he was around your kid's age. Cut the pieces for him very small at first and then larger as he gets more teeth.
On the no spoon thing, do you think it's about the spoon itself, or about not wanting to be fed? You can combine greek or plain yoghurt with honey or fruit and let him eat it with his fingers so he can see it's yummy, then maybe start introducing him to a kiddie spoon so he can feed himself when he sees it's easier than with his fingers.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 9:48 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: Oh forgot to add, you can put veggies in the hamburger patties. Grated carrots or zuchini for example. But also thinly cut greens or broccoli and cauliflower that have gone through a food processor. This also makes the patties softer for your little toothless Toddler McCatburglar.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 9:54 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by CrazyLemonade at 9:54 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: You can do very well cooked meat, like beef roulade or thin sliced breakfast steaks. If necessary, cut it up before giving it to him. Beef roulade can be left to simmer covered in gravy for a long time and it can get to the point of being just falling apart. You can change up what you fill it with if there is any objection to bacon, pickles or onions. My uncle substituted peppers for the pickles and onions. Beef roulade was my go to, along with mashed potatoes, when I had oral surgery or surgery on my face and wanted a real meal that was going to satisfy me even though I couldn't really chew.
Beef roulade takes time to prepare, but if you have your butcher cut a piece of meat into very small, extra thing sliced breakfast steaks, they can be cooked very thoroughly in a short period of time. If you want them soft, add water. Toss in a few veggies and it's an easy homemade beef stew. You can cut up the veggies before cooking both to shorten the cooking time required and to make them toddler-friendly.
For my second child, I cooked Complementary Pie (minus the onions in the recipe) about twice a week when he was less than a year old. It is a bean and rice quiche recipe. Here is one variation on it: Complementary Pie recipe
You could also do other kinds of quiche with veggies, assuming he will eat them.
posted by Michele in California at 9:57 AM on September 22, 2014
Beef roulade takes time to prepare, but if you have your butcher cut a piece of meat into very small, extra thing sliced breakfast steaks, they can be cooked very thoroughly in a short period of time. If you want them soft, add water. Toss in a few veggies and it's an easy homemade beef stew. You can cut up the veggies before cooking both to shorten the cooking time required and to make them toddler-friendly.
For my second child, I cooked Complementary Pie (minus the onions in the recipe) about twice a week when he was less than a year old. It is a bean and rice quiche recipe. Here is one variation on it: Complementary Pie recipe
You could also do other kinds of quiche with veggies, assuming he will eat them.
posted by Michele in California at 9:57 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: Slice apples paper thin. Pears are often softer, and a good one can be cut in large matchsticks. My husband boiled the crap out of some broccoli yesterday, and let's just say that a baby totally could've gummed that stuff. Green beans cooked for a million hours like Southerners do. Winter squashes baked soft. Things that are slippery, like chunks of banana, can be rolled in crushed cheerios to provide traction.
Sadly the season has just ended, but OMG WATERMELON. (We cut pointy spears of watermelon for Nanopanda, about 1"x1" at the base, and leave the rind attached. She grabs the base and OM NOM NOMs it down til the nub, at which point we pry nub out of furious baby fingers and replace with new spear.
Nthing quiche (with all kinds of finely diced random stuff mixed in!), beans, burger, sausage. Shreds of pulled pork. Shredded cheese. Speaking of which, macaroni and cheese (the real stuff, not from a box) is pretty solid when it's cool, and can be cut into small cubes. Just because that sounds gross to you doesn't mean it will to your toddler.
Note that most of these things assume your kid is willing to get his fingers dirty. Our older had this exact crazy independent, finger food only, no spoons streak except he would not touch anything sticky. He, uh, basically lived on cheerios for a while.
posted by telepanda at 10:30 AM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Sadly the season has just ended, but OMG WATERMELON. (We cut pointy spears of watermelon for Nanopanda, about 1"x1" at the base, and leave the rind attached. She grabs the base and OM NOM NOMs it down til the nub, at which point we pry nub out of furious baby fingers and replace with new spear.
Nthing quiche (with all kinds of finely diced random stuff mixed in!), beans, burger, sausage. Shreds of pulled pork. Shredded cheese. Speaking of which, macaroni and cheese (the real stuff, not from a box) is pretty solid when it's cool, and can be cut into small cubes. Just because that sounds gross to you doesn't mean it will to your toddler.
Note that most of these things assume your kid is willing to get his fingers dirty. Our older had this exact crazy independent, finger food only, no spoons streak except he would not touch anything sticky. He, uh, basically lived on cheerios for a while.
posted by telepanda at 10:30 AM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
If the apple sauce/yogurt pouches aren't available where you are you can make your own with a small ziplock plastic bag with the corner cut off.
posted by wwax at 10:34 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by wwax at 10:34 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: In case your kid does have trouble maneuvering some of the softer foods into his mouth, I just remembered our crucial turning point at this stage.
I was at my wits' end with feeding our littlebeast pumpkin, and I asked my babysitter HOW ON EARTH DO YOU GET FOOD INTO THIS CHILD???
Whereupon she looked at me quite calmly and said, "Oh, we just give him a fork."
A what?
You mean, like, some big rounded plastic contraption?
"Nope, a real fork. A metal one."
[cue sideways head and heart attack] You give a 13 month old a METAL FORK? But...but... what about his EYEBALLS?
"Yep, he does great with it. You just take it away if he starts waving it around."
And she produced this little bitty cocktail fork, three tines, perfect baby size.
She gave me a couple, we took them home, and sure enough, he was a fine little fork eater. Took him much longer to master the spoon.
So, um, get some cocktail forks.
posted by telepanda at 10:42 AM on September 22, 2014 [3 favorites]
I was at my wits' end with feeding our little
Whereupon she looked at me quite calmly and said, "Oh, we just give him a fork."
A what?
You mean, like, some big rounded plastic contraption?
"Nope, a real fork. A metal one."
[cue sideways head and heart attack] You give a 13 month old a METAL FORK? But...but... what about his EYEBALLS?
"Yep, he does great with it. You just take it away if he starts waving it around."
And she produced this little bitty cocktail fork, three tines, perfect baby size.
She gave me a couple, we took them home, and sure enough, he was a fine little fork eater. Took him much longer to master the spoon.
So, um, get some cocktail forks.
posted by telepanda at 10:42 AM on September 22, 2014 [3 favorites]
Best answer: On the spoon issue, those tiny silicon prep bowls are a good size to fill with a couple tablespoons of yogurt, applesauce, etc., that he can LICK and slurp out of the bowl, or scoop with his fingers, avoiding a spoon. They won't break, they're small enough to limit mess to a tolerable quantity, and it's okay if he teethes on them.
You can also put small amounts of broth, salad dressing, hummus, etc., in them and let him dip things in it. Again, small enough that a spill or him deciding to drink it isn't the end of the world!
(We also have found cocktail forks to be BABY MAGIC. They came with our silverware-in-a-box, I had no idea what to do with them, but they are PERFECT for babies.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:43 AM on September 22, 2014
You can also put small amounts of broth, salad dressing, hummus, etc., in them and let him dip things in it. Again, small enough that a spill or him deciding to drink it isn't the end of the world!
(We also have found cocktail forks to be BABY MAGIC. They came with our silverware-in-a-box, I had no idea what to do with them, but they are PERFECT for babies.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:43 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: I sometimes make a sort of baby cakeball if we are eating anything too loose for baby fingers, such as couscous. Mix in just enough greek yogurt to bind it and scoop out little blobs. Not perfectly neat but way less messy than a baby throwing couscous or rice everywhere.
posted by gatorae at 10:50 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by gatorae at 10:50 AM on September 22, 2014
Best answer: One of our favorite baby friendly meals these days (he's almost 14mo) is ground turkey, brown rice, cut up veggies, all sauteed in a pan together. Done! We have been making about 6 cups of brown rice or barley every weekend and using that throughout the week to add to meals. The turkey clumps up really nicely and I think the short-grain brown rice clumps into toddler-sized balls of rice better than the long-grain brown rice.
We also use our food steamer a lot for carrot sticks, broccoli, cauliflower. He loves green beans and peas. We steam eggs, too, and slice those up for him for a snack.
We also bake salmon, which he loves, too! Nothing fancy on it, just salmon in foil with some drizzled oil or butter on top, then baked in the oven for a while. Make sure to pick out any bones before you give it to him.
I've been roasting chickens and turkeys and beef roasts and pork butts (hee hee!) on Sundays. Those long slow roasts that take all day at low temps and come out soft and juicy and fall-apart delicious. Also great for toddlers!
I'm sure you've read eleventy billion books and blogs on kids and nutrition, as we all do as new parents. One that I read that stuck with me pretty well was that little kids (and pregnant and nursing ladies!) need a lot of healthy fats in their diet. It is literally brain food. So if/when your kid forgoes the calorie-light veggies in favor of the calorie and fat dense other foods, it is OK (as long as it is healthy whole-food stuff and not snickers bars, but you knew that already!).
posted by jillithd at 11:01 AM on September 22, 2014
We also use our food steamer a lot for carrot sticks, broccoli, cauliflower. He loves green beans and peas. We steam eggs, too, and slice those up for him for a snack.
We also bake salmon, which he loves, too! Nothing fancy on it, just salmon in foil with some drizzled oil or butter on top, then baked in the oven for a while. Make sure to pick out any bones before you give it to him.
I've been roasting chickens and turkeys and beef roasts and pork butts (hee hee!) on Sundays. Those long slow roasts that take all day at low temps and come out soft and juicy and fall-apart delicious. Also great for toddlers!
I'm sure you've read eleventy billion books and blogs on kids and nutrition, as we all do as new parents. One that I read that stuck with me pretty well was that little kids (and pregnant and nursing ladies!) need a lot of healthy fats in their diet. It is literally brain food. So if/when your kid forgoes the calorie-light veggies in favor of the calorie and fat dense other foods, it is OK (as long as it is healthy whole-food stuff and not snickers bars, but you knew that already!).
posted by jillithd at 11:01 AM on September 22, 2014
Response by poster: have you tried to give him meat or you just assuming he couldn't handle it?
He can't handle it. I gave him some very soft chicken from a casserole last week and he just gummed it for a few second before spitting it all out. I totally forgot about hamburger, though.
Lots of really excellent ideas here, keep them coming!
posted by lollymccatburglar at 11:09 AM on September 22, 2014
He can't handle it. I gave him some very soft chicken from a casserole last week and he just gummed it for a few second before spitting it all out. I totally forgot about hamburger, though.
Lots of really excellent ideas here, keep them coming!
posted by lollymccatburglar at 11:09 AM on September 22, 2014
Response by poster: Also, cocktails forks, that's genius! The plastic "kid forks" I've found are still too big for him. Cocktail forks are perfect!
posted by lollymccatburglar at 11:12 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by lollymccatburglar at 11:12 AM on September 22, 2014
These spoons and forks are what my kid uses. They are the perfect size for his little hands and mouth. They are smaller than other spoons and forks I've seen (but not pointed like cocktail forks).
posted by jillithd at 11:28 AM on September 22, 2014
posted by jillithd at 11:28 AM on September 22, 2014
The reason we found the cocktail forks to be effective is that they actually work. Well. As opposed to kid-safe forks we saw that looked like they wouldn't pierce a banana. I can't speak to the ones jillithd linked, though.
As horrified as I was at the outset (and I really was), it turned out for us that giving our baby a proper, quality tool - even though it required close supervision - greatly improved his ability to do the job.
posted by telepanda at 11:38 AM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
As horrified as I was at the outset (and I really was), it turned out for us that giving our baby a proper, quality tool - even though it required close supervision - greatly improved his ability to do the job.
posted by telepanda at 11:38 AM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Snacky lunch! Huge hit with toddlers and big kids at my house. Get a 6 cup cupcake tin and put a little something in each tin. So, maybe Cheerios, cubed banana, cubes of cheese, little bites of plain tofu, crumbled ground beef, raisins, peas, you get the idea. Kids love being able to pick and choose, and it's a good way to get some variety into them. When mine got older, I'd add a treat like a few chocolate chips. They could get seconds on anything but couldn't get more chocolate til they ate the rest :)
posted by purenitrous at 12:38 PM on September 22, 2014
posted by purenitrous at 12:38 PM on September 22, 2014
Blueberry pancakes and oven baked bacon is my go to easy meal to get out of ruts with. As my toddler has gotten older he likes to be involved with mixing pancake mix.
posted by DireCareBear at 2:15 PM on September 22, 2014
posted by DireCareBear at 2:15 PM on September 22, 2014
About the gumming...I'd do some more reading into baby-led weaning. The spitting-out is still a useful phase, and part of the process of learning to chew and swallow. I'd keep offering him bits of harder-to-eat things instead of relying on things that are silky and soft.
posted by barnone at 3:11 PM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by barnone at 3:11 PM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'll tell you what we've been doing with Short Story, who is now 3yo; he gets the same breakfast pretty much every day (fwiw, on weekdays most of his meals are the same).
Breakfast is egg yolk (which my husband does at a low simmer in water, then adds a pinch of onion powder and garlic powder for flavor), oatmeal, and baked squash, which was frozen into ice cube trays after being cooked.
He has a wide variety of foods now, and weekends and dinners are different depending on what the adults are having, but keeping his daytime meals the same has yielded two effects:
1. Compared to our friends who offer a wide variety every day, he is actually far less picky. 2. He eats way more healthfully than a lot of kids we know. We attribute these things to him knowing what he's going to get and therefore his expectations being met, and also to not offering him less healthful choices. A couple of weeks ago a mom at school said to me "oh I wish I could get my daughter to eat like that" as she put out chocolate milk and donuts. My kid has never been offered chocolate milk and donuts for breakfast, so he doesn't protest what he's offered. Not to be up on a soapbox, just trying to illustrate my point.
We cook in bulk, and only cook a couple of days a week. But there's always a choice in the fridge - "would you like pork, or chicken? Broccoli or green beans? Neither? Well, those are your choices, I don't have anything else to give you for dinner. " It works.
posted by vignettist at 4:39 PM on September 22, 2014
Breakfast is egg yolk (which my husband does at a low simmer in water, then adds a pinch of onion powder and garlic powder for flavor), oatmeal, and baked squash, which was frozen into ice cube trays after being cooked.
He has a wide variety of foods now, and weekends and dinners are different depending on what the adults are having, but keeping his daytime meals the same has yielded two effects:
1. Compared to our friends who offer a wide variety every day, he is actually far less picky. 2. He eats way more healthfully than a lot of kids we know. We attribute these things to him knowing what he's going to get and therefore his expectations being met, and also to not offering him less healthful choices. A couple of weeks ago a mom at school said to me "oh I wish I could get my daughter to eat like that" as she put out chocolate milk and donuts. My kid has never been offered chocolate milk and donuts for breakfast, so he doesn't protest what he's offered. Not to be up on a soapbox, just trying to illustrate my point.
We cook in bulk, and only cook a couple of days a week. But there's always a choice in the fridge - "would you like pork, or chicken? Broccoli or green beans? Neither? Well, those are your choices, I don't have anything else to give you for dinner. " It works.
posted by vignettist at 4:39 PM on September 22, 2014
Regarding the gumming of meat, I have a baby girl the same age. She has front teeth with no molars and she loves meat. When your baby is gumming meat and spitting it out, chances are it's because it's foreign, not because he's not capable of eating it (assuming it's very soft.) It generally takes quite a few tries with new food before they will accept it, so keep putting it in front of him - this applies to anything you'd like him to eat. Eating meat will fill him up and help him sleep better, or so I found anyway. You've got a lot of great suggestions here but the best place I found for baby and toddler food is onehandedcooks.com.au. So many great meal ideas! Good luck, persevere and don't worry, he won't be 18 and still eating purées...
posted by Jubey at 5:19 PM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Jubey at 5:19 PM on September 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I just wanted to come back in to say that there are a lot of really great meal ideas here that I haven't had a chance to try yet, but what has already started to work for us was me changing my approach. For both lunch and dinner today I got Toddler McCatburglar to eat lentil soup, from a spoon! But it was the big soup spoon that I was using to eat from my own bowl. Oh, ok! Now I get it. You want to use mama's big metal spoon, not the little plastic baby spoon.
Thanks Mefi, I would never have made that connection if I hadn't asked this question.
posted by lollymccatburglar at 1:34 PM on September 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
Thanks Mefi, I would never have made that connection if I hadn't asked this question.
posted by lollymccatburglar at 1:34 PM on September 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Watermelon
Avocado
Will he eat a muffin type thing? You could make a healthy muffin with yogurt and ground pumpkin, etc.
posted by beccaj at 8:45 AM on September 22, 2014