Need Ideas for Meal Suggestions for a 1 Year Old

My boys like wheat toast with cream cheese spread on it, cooked but cold baby carrots, and vans waffles. The Vans brand blueberry waffle is whole grain and very healthy and they don't even need butter on them-Safeway sometimes has them in the organic section, but Whole Foods regularly carries them. Lastly, the most favorite item right now is pears-just sliced up..they can't get enough!

kids LOVE and thrive on routine, it makes them feel safe. Have you heard of the book by Jerry Seinfelds wife Jessica? Its called Deliciously Deceptive, try it. Sounds like she is eating pretty good though. Her tastes will expand later, dont rush her, as long as she is eating, you are good and so is she.

I really like Annabel Karmel's cookbooks for babies/kids. I haven't used them yet, my son is only 2 months old! But my sister used them with her 4 kids. The great thing is that a lot of the meals are tasty for grown ups, too, just add a little seasoning.

Hi there,

Some other things to try:

Roast chicken
Roasted veggies
For quick and easy - frozen broccoli and/or cauliflower - cook in olive oil, salt, garlic powder and curry powder (the sweet kind) until it's super soft. My daughter LOVES this!
sliced apples without the skin
tofu (either plain of stir-fried)
quinoa (easy and really healthy - high in protein)

also, if you have a trader joe's nearby, they have something in the rice section called "harvest grains" i believe. it's a mixture of quinoa, couscous, lentils and orzo and it is delish and easy. just put in one tablespoon of butter.

we also do turkey burger
cut up tomatoes (you can take off skin)
grapefruit
mandarins

Hope some of this helps. I am also a working mom with a now 15-month year old and don't get to chat with mom's with toddlers either!

Good luck!
J.

My one year old loves hot dogs made of tofu- which i cut long-ways and then in small bites for finger food. He also is in love with noodles-any kind.
Best of luck!

I have a 13 month old too, and she seems to be getting pickier by the minute! One moment she loves something and the next moment she spits it out or throws it on the floor!A few of her consistent favorites are raviolis in marinara sauce (I cook a large pot of them at the beginnning of each week and refrigerate them), instant oatmeal(I buy the reduced sugar type), yogurt, cereal bars, fat-free fig newtons, and chewy oatmeal raisin granola bars. Dinty Moore makes some kids meals that she loves too - they're in the bean section of our grocery store.

My son, who is going to be 4 in May, did not eat any solids until he was 13months old or so. He would only go for breastmilk/nursing. Now he is eating much better. I just had to give it time and lots of trial and error on different foods. He is in preschool where his interest in food really grew which his preschool teacher is very common. I stressed so much about this when he was a baby, but now, he is doing so much better. Hang in there!!

My daughter just turned one and loves everything your listed above. She also loves pancakes, deli meats, cereal bars, chicken, tri-tip, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese sandwich, lasagna, pastas, strawberries, fish sticks. I use my crockpot to cook meats sometimes and my daughter loves it. I also give her vegetables everyday. I buy bags of frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans) and just steam a handful in the microwave for 30 seconds. I use canned fruit sometimes, but I drain it and rinse with water to get rid of most of the sugar. We usually try to give her whatever we are eating. I usually put the veggies on her highchair 1st, because she likes fruit and main course better.

How about beans (whole) and little small cubes of plain tofu? She might like plain pasta or sprinkle with a little olive oil and parmensan. Applesauce. I would try to stay away from the processed foods, because I think it is hard to get them to appreciate any real food after that. Most of those have a lot of sugar/ salt. I wish they would make the processed foods without the sugar. I think they warp our children's taste buds. And mine for that matter.
What about some soft vegis? Cooked cubes of zuchinni, peas, small pieces of cooked greanbeans. Even she does not like certain stuff, keep offering. Their taste buds change so much as they grow.

My children are 9 and 14, so I am having a hard time remembering.

Hi C.,

I swear by and LOVE the Costco Rotisserie chickens...not only are they super cheap and a good size (5lbs for like $5.99) but they are super tasty and healthy. I get at least 1 a week, take all the chicken off, and break them up into small pieces and then freeze them in a ziplock. All I have to do is break off a piece when I need it, and it's ready for a meal. My son eats chicken everyday, and this is his fav. And its already cooked, you dont have to do a thing...

Have you tried deli meats as well? Like turkey or ham? Those are good finger foods as well. What about spaghetti? If you cut it up, its good for them to eat, but way messy.

My son isnt a fan of frozen veggies, but he likes the canned ones. I buy the "no salt added" ones so they are not loaded down with sodium...and he loves them. Peas, green beans, peas & carrots mix. He also loves the frozen turkey meatballs that you can get in the grocery frozen foods aisle. Pop them into the microwave and mash up, and they are a super easy meal since again, they are fully cooked already.

Does she like bread? Our son will eat whole wheat bread all day long if I give it to him...plain bread..I know, sounds strange..but he loves it. And Cheerios of course.

Not sure if this helps or not (I dont know if you've tried any of these before) but wanted to pass along a bit of what works for us.

good luck!!

Jenn

My kids didn't like meat at that age so a favorite of mine was quiche. It has the eggs and cheese and if you buy the mini-quiche at the store you can sneak in some spinach or ham without them knowing. I also recommend carnation instant breakfast for drinks... full of nutrients and also mini-wheats which have 90% of your daily iron.

Around the time both of my kids turned 1, they did they same thing. They started getting picky when they had not before. One thing my girlfriend told me when we had my son (he is 6 now) is just to feed him. At this age, they will love something one day and the next they hate it. It's almost like they're trying to exert their will that they want to make the choices. It really has nothing to do with the fact of liking or disliking. So make sure you just keep giving your little one healthy foods and try new vegetables and fruits that she has not had. One of these days it will pass and she will be eating pretty much everything. The trick to make sure you're in charge of meals and not allow her to use "picky" as an excuse not to eat healthy. Good luck, and it will pass.

My best advice would be to give her as much as you can from your plate. Just cut things small and let her chomp away. Even if she does not have many or any teeth she does not need them to chew, she uses her gums. Many ppl assume with no teeth they can only eat soft food. My kids were eating lots by 1. Ideas: chicken, hamburger meat, turkey meat, Bocca burgers, avocado (great high natural fat), steamed broccoli and zucchini, kidney beans, green beans, rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, the list can go on and on. Another suggestion would be to continue to try foods even if they are immediately disliked, it can take a few times for babies to like new flavors.

Hope this helps and happy eating!

My daughter just turned 1 on March 1st and I was getting bored of feeding her the same things over and over. A few of the things she loves is butternut squash (I bake it then cut it up into pieces), sweet potatoes, peas, and on Friday night I made her mini meatballs made with ground turkey. She LOVED them! She also loves cut up lunchmeat, avocados and organic mac n cheese. She didn't like the mac n cheese at first but after a few tries loves the organic white cheddar with the shells.

Hi!
Rice is usually a big sucess, and sweet corn, have you tried that? Ham in thin slices is popular too. Meatballs (from Ikea!). Pasta with butter. Sliced cucumber.
Good luck!

My daughter is so very picky as well! She is 24 months and will only eat chicken nuggets, yogurt, pb and j toast and waffles. We recently tried a new cookbook "deceptivley delicious" and she acutally at the meals we made =) One recipe was homemade pizza on whole wheat crust with puree of spinach mixed in the sauce. She gobbled it all up...Good Luck

Hi C.,
Be thankful it's fruit, my boy would live off graham crackers if he could! Some of his other favorites are pitas, raisins/cranberries, pieces of lunch meat/cheese on their own, peanut butter (we got the ok from our doc, but I know recommended ages for PB varies and he loves it on everything), chicken nuggets, pizza rolls (I know they're not the best, but sometimes I just want him to get some food in him ,espcially since he was born at 2.5 pounds), handmade pizza on english muffins/bagels, toast with cream cheese, pancakes, zucchini (microwaved with butter), rice, sweet potatoe fries, eggplant, grilled cheese sandwiches and breakfast bars. You might also want to try different types of pasta. Ari loves Annie's organic mac and cheese, but he also digs spaghetti.

Hope some of those help!

Hi C.,
I have 2 year old twin boys who can be very picky at times. The book that really helped us for meal ideas was called, First Meals by Annabel Karmel. Great ideas and very easy to make. I usually shop at Trader Joe's for most foods for the boys, simple and easy. Not too expensive. They have always loved the following: Waffles, French Toast, Dry Tortellini and Ravioli Pasta, Turkey Meatballs, Vegan Sausages (they are soft and don't have tough skin), Cheerio's, plain puffins, yogurt, applesauce, spaghetti sauce, almond butter with bread, sliced ham and turkey. I stay away from anything with sugar or high sugar content. Hope this helps!

- J.

My one year old loves meat, especially small bites of roasted chicken, turkey meatloaf, meatballs or even little bites of deli meat. She also loves tofu of any sort. You can buy it plain and cook it in chicken broth, then cut it up, or just give them the tofu/veggie versions of lunch meat (she loves tofu bologna). I also love giving her avocado because it's full of healthy fat and when it's ripe, is soft and easy to chew. Her other favorites are ripe pears and fresh blueberries. Any kind of pasta is usually a hit. I'll make spaghetti with marinara sauce and ground beef and just let her play with it and slurp the noodles. If you bake, any kind of bran, oatmeal or other kinds of muffins with fruit in them are easy to eat and they seem to love them. If you can borrow a copy of the book Super Baby Foods from someone or get it at the library, there are some healthy, kid-friendly recipes in the back that aren't hard to make.

Have you tried tortellini? My kids loved them at that age, (still do) and it was a good, compact way to get in a variety of ingredients, as well as really easy and fast to make.

Hi C.,

I must have talked to my Pedi Dr. half a dozen times when my daughter was about that age, she would eat breakfast then only wanted steamed brocoli or cauliflower for lunch and dinner, he was unconcerned and said that if allowed studies showed that children eat what they need at the time. That phase lasted six months at least. Ask your Doc what the grams/numbers are for a child that age (so much protien, grains, starches) just so you have an idea about her actual nutritional needs. She was the only one of my five that did anything strange like this, and she grew up just as healthy as the rest. Good Luck, T.

Oatmeal (or baby oatmeal)
Cheerios or Kix
Crackers (oyster crackers, saltines w/o the salt)
Sausage
Cut up coldcuts/deli meat
Puree'd vegetables
Applesauce
Garbanzo beans, black beans, pinto beans
Hummus

When my daughter was that age I gave her canteloupe, bananas, oatmeal, yogurt, scrambled eggs, carrots that had been cooked until soft, sweet potatoes, milk, and pudding. You could try avocado but just give her a little at first. Try applesauce if you haven't already. Also cooked pasta. K.

My 2 yr old son is a pretty picky eater. First, I still continue to offer him the foods he has turned up his nose at. Every now and then he tries one of them and likes it! Your list of usual foods looks a lot like mine! But he also enjoys english muffin pizzas. This is a healthy way to get in nearly every food group!

eng. muffin=bread
cheese=dairy
sauce=fruit/veggie
turkey pepperoni=protein

They're great in the toaster oven!

My friend's cousin started a company called Baby Bistro Brands and they've been featured on a few well known talk shows. They have recipe cards that are fairly inexpensive if you like to have a variety of things to give your child. Also a free newsletter and lots of helpful hints on their site.

http://www.babybistrobrands.com/

Good luck!
-b

Cooked carrots, kitchen sliced green beans, tofu, apple sauce...mashed potatoes w/ a touch of gravy...those are all staples in our diet. I have 25 month old twins...and have been very lucky b/c they eat anything and everything you put in front of them. :)

Hi C.,
My daughter feels the same about mac&chesse but I will let you in this to shall pass.lol My ped said that there taste buds or still developping and not to stress my daughter only likes chicken nugggets. The only way I can get her to eat potatos in fry form. But I have found she will eat a peanutbutter sandwitch but I have to cut the crust off also peas she eats her wait in them. I got this book called Super Baby Food. It has recipes and differnt foods that or kids can start eating and at which stages it has helped me. I have tried alot of stuff and here are somethings that worked if she wont't eat anything else. Keep trying it don't give up tomorrow her taste buds will change so we don't give up we just try it again. Try givin her dip with her chicken ranch is Nevaehs fav. or katcup. goldfish, quaker chewy mini granola bars the peanutbutter and chocolate chip go over well and dried apple jacks. Just don't hope you find yours eattin the dogs food.. Hope it works for you also if you want to check out the book first before you buy look it up on line superbabyfood.com A.

Hi C.:
suddenly becoming picky with food is a common developmental phase in toddlers - they're starting to assert their independence and move from trying everything you put in front of them to wanting to decide for themselves whether or not they feel like trying something. I got a lot of helpful advice from nutritionist Ellyn Satter's book "Child of Mine, Feeding with love and good sense" (Which is where I learned about how a toddler's growing independence manifests itself at mealtimes!) - her advice in a nutshell is keep offering healthy options even when your child keeps refusing to try something, because it's common for a toddler to reject a food a dozen times before deciding okay, I'll try it (or even, "okay, I'll let mom put that on my plate").
Another useful resource is http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
Hope that helps!
Elaine (mom to 6YO twins)

Hi C.,
If you can find nitrite/nitrate free turkey slices and cut them into small pieces, that can be good. We sometimes put both chedder cheese and small pieces of turkey into our son's scrambled eggs. We also minced other types of meat (as in making teeny tiny pieces, not as in eating mincemeat). Our son loved both smoked salmon and whitefish spread (from the bagel store), but I think that was a bit unusual. Our son loved ranch dip as well, so we could get him to eat cooked veggies (broccoli, carrots) and fish sticks (we found frozen organic ones) by having him dip them in ranch. He also liked to eat baguette dipped in olive oil (lots of healthy fats). He had difficulty with solid food, and I do not recall how old he was when we fed him these things, so I apologize if some are not age appropriate!
K.

C.,

Egg whites are great, so is Tofu (It will take on the flavor of whatever you cook it in. My grandson prefers Yoshida's sauce.)I recommend steering her away from prefab foods and sticking with the fruits and vegetables. What about cucumbers cut into bite-size chunks? There are so many great foods in nature that we overlook and think our kids won't like. Just remember that it can take up to 12 times of introducing a food for a child to like it. If your daughter doesn't like it the first time, wait several days and try again. Just like we have to acquire a taste for coffee and wine, kids have to acquire tastes for some foods.

Good luck!

J.

I would suggest always giving her what you are eating. In smaller, cut up portions of course. This will give her the opportunity to try new things and encourage her to broaden her palate. Don't force her to eat it, but continue to offer it to her. Otherwise, you are going to get stuck in the trap that most of us have experienced...and you will end up being a short order cook and making seperate meals one for the grown-ups and one for kids. In my experience, kids tastes change continually. For a while my son had to have scrambled eggs every morning, the one day woke up and hated them, then just last week loved them again. Textures might also be an issue for toddlers (my son had a problem with spaghetti noodles and rice), but if you keep offering the food, eventually, their little mouths will get used to different textures and you will end up with a good little eater.

Hi C.,
I also have a 13 month old. She loves to eat. Some of her favorites are peas, green beans, broccoli "trees", eggplant, sweet potato spears (from TJ's), blueberries, raisins, cut up lunchmeat, cut up chicken breast, yogurt, cheese, pasta, rice, etc. She eats almost anything we eat and she only has 6 teeth! I try to give my girl lots of different flavors so she doesn't get stuck in a rut and I think it's good for her to try new things. What do I know, I'm a first time mom too so I just keep trying. Keep up the good work and keep trying to give her the good stuff.

Extra Firm Tofu (with spices or soy sauce) with mixed frozen veggies was always a great hit with my daughter. Soy Beans (either fresh or frozen) are a great snack as well. Avoid Mac and Cheese if you can. It's just salt and flour, really.

May be you could incorporate the bananas and grapes on top of other food, possibly yogurt with the bananas or cut up grapes, cheese on an skewer stick (points cut off) with the fruit, carrots with peanut butter dip (if not allergic) any cut up veggies in bite size pieces might be fun for her to eat. Smoothies with a straw, plain pasta with butter on it, small cut up pieces of cheese pizza. I hope this helps

R. - PreSchool Teacher

My son LOVES Peanut Butter & Jelly Tortilla Roll Ups. It is a little messy, but I do let him do the smearing, scooping and rolling. I think that is why he started eating them because it is something he can make himself.

Mix peanut butter and plain yogurt together for a peanut butter "dip" for oatios or pasta. Also mix avocado and yogurt together for a dip. Avocado chunks. Sweet potatoes. Squash. Tofu chunks. Steamed and chopped baby spinach.

Hi there! I have the same issue with my 13 month old. He is so picky sometimes, but my daycare lady says he eats like a champ for her! Have you tried cut up hotdogs? My son loved them. He also seems to like tuna helper. It's easy too! Some other things he likes are pancakes, Graduate cereal bars, tortalini with white sause, Dole fruit cups. Good luck!

Hi C.-

I'm a mother of an 18 mo old and also a nanny to a 20 mo old. The girls meals vary daily, but usually consist of things like these:

Breakfast- Oatmeal mixed with frozen berries, cereal, Raisin toast, waffles,French toast (minus syrup), scrambled eggs w/ cheese (and spinach when I can sneak it in), yogurt, fruit...

Snacks- Cereal bars, graham crackers, cheese, crackers, fruit, pretzels, yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies, applesauce...

Lunch/Dinner- Pasta of some sort w/ cheese, sauce, veggies, or chicken, pizza, grilled cheese sandwich, quesadilla, black beans, rice (always the messiest), I try to sneak veggies into everything, even if they pick it out, I tried...

It sounds like your daughter is right in line with most. They always seem to prefer fruit over everything. Her taste will change eventually. Good luck!

C.,

If she in drinking whole milk that is probably the most important thing for her to eat. My son is 14 months and He eats pratically evertyhing.

I buy chicken breats and poach them on the stove. He loves bits of Chicken. You might try bread products like pitas that are mor mild. Jack also seems to love fruit the most.

I have heard it is also common for babies this age to be more picky and that it does pass

God luck,

N.

I don't know how you feel about frozen foods, but my 13 month old loves Foster Farms Turkey meatballs, Tyson's chicken nuggets and Birds Eye single serving peas and the corn. She prefers the peas to the corn, but will eat the corn. My daughter also was not crazy about mac & cheese, until I tried the Kraft single servings. She loves it! Another favorite of hers is the Gerber Graduates meat sticks. They come in chicken & carrot, plain chicken & turkey. All these things are quick and easy and would be great for a mom who works full time.

I can really relate! My youngest daughter is 3 and really is a fairly good eater,but my oldest is 9 and I went through a lot of the same with her. Don't give up, it sounds like your doing a great job. Just always give different options. I found putting the food in little differnt containers helped, nuts in one blueberrys in another. It makes eating fun,and really your just wanting her to eat. Just remember she will grow out of it, so don't be h*** o* yourself. Just make it healthy options for her. Hope it works out!

Hi C.,
Just continue giving her healthy foods. Some she will like and some she wont. My son who just turned one last week eats pretty good. He loves chicken. We'll grill a chicken breast and cut it up in small pieces for him. He also loves eggs, cheese, yogurt, oatmeal, mango's, banana's, pancakes, toast & jelly, ground turkey, steak, ravioli's (especially from La Villa in Willow Glenn), avacado, tofu, mashed potato's, rice.... Just try and stay away from fried foods. Why introduce them to foods that aren't good for them. Good luck!!

A.

edamame, steamed veggies, dried fruit, rice puffs,

Some of the things that my daughters(a 2 and a 3 year old) liked were steamed baby carrots, steamed zucchini, Cheerios and oatmeal. They also love strawberries and oranges(I get the little clementine oranges and cut the little wedges into smaller pieces.

I have 4 children. Ages 19-17-10-8. Each time they reached that picky stage I found they all loved one thing...... different shaped pasta with purreyed(sp?) cooked carrots
(a dash of butter & salt too) poured over them.
I know, go figure? I had a big ol" jar with all these different kinds of pasta. The little letter ones they picked out the most. (Did I mention I was a Pre-K teacher, and, worked in an infant center for years) We spelled mommy and then used the other shapes to make a pasta momma. they got to munch on me for lunch! Made people, cars, and shapes.
Ate them too! Messy yes, playing with your food too!
Yep, .......they ate and ......
Wow! I got a lot of veggies in em too, as well as Great memories. 0h, I used all the night before veggies for the sauces.
(My kids just really loved carrots)
Best of luck....Let me know
Roxi

Toddlers seriously love to dip. They will dip just about anything into anything. It's kind of hilarious. Try yogurty stuff.

They also like things in little compartments.

We give our daughter an assortment of dried fruits, edamame beans, fresh fruits, crackers, etc. served up in ice cube trays (not frozen though.)

She also loves mixing salt and pepper into plain yogurt and making dips for fries and sliced veggies (cukes, steamed sliced carrots, celery etc.) she loves steamed broccoli, all kinds of soup. Broth, pasta, veggies, etc. She has also developed a taste for creamed soups like spinach and broccoli.

Frozen peas are a great cold treat when they are teething, and it just kind of carried over to later and now she likes fishing peas and other veggies out of soups. She loves ramen too, and spaghetti with butter and parmesan, all of which she started eating when she was much tinier, and pickier!!