LOADS of toddler food questions!

[etwahl]

1. what kinds of fresh fruits does your toddler really like and eat?

2. breakfast waffles - dry or butter? preferred brand (i do dry - kashi blueberry)

3. what for breakfast other than: oatmeal, dried cereals, fruit, frozen waffle, scrambled eggs w. cheese?

4. when do you start adding milk to their cereal?

5. when do they become good at using utensils?

6. when do you stop feeding baby oatmeal? and switch to adult oatmeal?

7. how do you make plain yogurt taste good for them? (even me adding a bit of fruit didn't do it) but she sure does love flavored yogurt. yobaby just seems to have SOOOOOO much sugar.

8. how many people are really concerned about sugars in their kids diet? i've started really looking at labels and trying to buy snacks and stuff that have less sugar but it's hard sometimes.

9. if your kid gets stopped up by dairy (cheese, yogurt) what are your favorite snacks?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[JElaineB]

1. DS likes pretty much any fruits we give him. His current favorite is fresh (soft) pears. He also likes bananas, oranges, apples (grated or in very small pieces), kiwi, blueberries, canned peaches and pears. At a restaurant a couple of weeks ago he was trying to eat a lemon and he liked it! Variety is kind of limited right now since it is winter and I hate paying $4 a pound for out of season fruit, but spring is just around the corner!

2. I just give DS Eggos, lightly buttered. He likes the Mini-Eggos because they are whole and he can handle pretty well. He is rebelling against cut-up food, so I haven't experimented too much with different brands.

3. Breakfast - whole wheat toast with butter, cottage cheese, applesauce, and this morning I even gave him a grilled cheese sandwich! He used to like plain cheese but doesn't anymore. Also he LOVES pancakes. I have been buying the Aunt Jemima buttermilk mix (just add water). They taste good and are very fast to make. Plus I can make them into dollar pancakes so I don't have to cut them up (notice a theme here?!?!). I have also bought the Krusteaz brand of frozen mini pancakes and he will eat 3-6 of those, only 30-45 seconds in the microwave.

4. I haven't given him any cereal with milk yet, I think it would still be too messy at this point? Never thought to try it yet I guess, though maybe I will now! I give him mostly Cheerios dry for a snack rather than breakfast.

5. He's gotten pretty good at using utensils this past month, so about 16 months for us. He likes both his baby fork and spoon. He starting being really interested in actually using them around 14 months.

6. Still using baby oatmeal. It's just so much quicker and he still likes it (sometimes at least). Haven't checked the nutrition label but I wonder if it has more iron in it too? If it does, I will keep using it for a while.

7. Haven't tried plain yogurt. I have always given him YoBaby or Dannon LaCreme. He's kind of on a yogurt strike right now though.

8. I guess I'm not too worried about sugars right now. We don't give him any juice at all (except tiny sips of oj a couple of times a week), and I think that is where a lot of kids get tons of sugar. We don't keep any soda in the house at all so he isn't exposed to us drinking anything but water or milk either. I do try to buy semi-nutritious snacks much of the time. I like the Gerber Graduates cookies and crackers because at least they have some vitamins and minerals in them. I have also bought some whole-wheat crackers from the natural food co-op, but DS hasn't tried those yet. He does love Teddy Grahams and Baby Goldfish crackers though, so not everything we get is super healthy by any means!

9. DS has no problems with dairy, but he likes many kinds of cookies, crackers and fruits for snacks. Also dry cereal like Cheerios.\

Interested in everyone's answers so hopefully I can get some new ideas!

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[Rachels]

1. Bananas, any kind of berry, pineapple
2. Buttered! They need the extra fat & calories at this age
3. Diced ham
4. It hasn't worked for us yet.
5. Abby is just getting the hang of it at 21 months.
6. At about a year, but you can do it whenever she's good with chunkier textures.
7.We give the flavored yogurts per the nutritionist's advice. She wouldn't eat much with just fruit in it, either.
8. I definitely try to watch it, but I prioritize getting fats & calories into her over avoiding sugars. I won't give gratuitous sugar, but if a food is otherwise really filled with stuff she needs, I don't worry too much.
9. Avocado, crackers, goldfish, veggie booty, etc.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[C99]

1. Apples, bananas (although he'll only eat these for my husband; perhaps because *I* don't like bananas), and grapes.

2. We've never done breakfast waffles.

3. We have adult oatmeal, cottage cheese or yogurt and fruit every morning. It works, so why change it?

4. I don't know.

5. I think it depends on the kid, but from observing my friend's kids, I'm going to guess about 2.

6. We've been giving Nathaniel adult oatmeal since he could crawl, so about 8 months. It wasn't by design; he just crawled over and started begging it from my husband one morning, so it's become part of our morning routine. He much prefers the flavored packets (and especially maple & brown sugar) to the plain ones.

7. I usually add some jam or preserves.

8. It never really occured to me, to be honest. Mostly, I'm trying to buy foods that are whole or not processed. No hydrogenated oils, etc.

9. Nathaniel loves dairy. I was a total carb kid, but he's a dairy kid. However, he also will happily eat Gorilla Munch (like Kix), Organic O's, Kashi's TLC (Tasty Little Crackers), mini-toasts, arrowheat cookies, cooked peas, cooked carrots, cooked corn, and cooked cauliflower.

[mharling]

Don't have a toddler, but he's pretty close in age to Lauren so I can tell you what we do.

1. Bananas and grapes are the favorites

2. Aunt Jemima waffle strips with unsalted butter

3. Pancakes, toast, yogurt, cottage cheese

4. Not there yet

5. Not there yet

6. Not there yet

7. We give flavored. I agree with Rachel, he's getting enough good from it that I don't worry about the sugar. I've said here before that if yogurt is the worst eating habit I give him, I'm doing pretty good!

8. I'm not overly concerned. Rachel's answer pretty much sums up my feelings on this. As long as he's getting some benefit, I don't try to avoid the sugar. I see this much differently than overloading him with sugary foods that have no nutritional value.

9. Veggie Booty is a fave. Haven't introduced much else yet, although I'm sure this will change when we start weaning.

Mary
Lane 4/6/03

[stillplayswithbarbies]

>
>7. how do you make plain yogurt taste good for them? (even me
>adding a bit of fruit didn't do it) but she sure does love
>flavored yogurt. yobaby just seems to have SOOOOOO much
>sugar.
>

This is the only one I can answer. I got the plain whole milk yogurt from Trader Joes, and I froze it in cubes in an ice cube tray. I take one out the night before and let it thaw in the refrigerator. For breakfast, I add some baby food fruit, about as much as there is yogurt, stir it up and thicken it with baby oatmeal. She loves it!

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[shishamo]

1. All kinds of berries and melons. She hates banana.

2. I butter and add blueberry jam also.

3. whole wheat toast with butter and jam.

4. I added milk to cheerios when she started to request (her brother have milk in his and she wanted to be like him), I honestly can't remember...

5. Mia's 22 months and she uses fork and spoon about 80% of the time. ON THE OTHER HAND, my 4 year old still uses his hand for really tricky things (spaghetti, etc.) so it depends on your definition of 'good at utensils'.

6. Um, when she requested to be switched. Again I can't remember...

7. Leo loved plain whole milk yogurt, straight. Mia won't eat plain one no matter what I did, so we are yobaby devotees now. I really think it depends on the baby, some baby have sweet tooth and there's nothing you can do.

8. I am concerned, but my kids usually eats healthy snacks (fruits, cheese) so I'm not too worried.

9. pretzels (scrape off the salt or get the non-salted kind), plain saltine crackers with hummus, dried apricots, cashew pieces.

[etwahl]

MORE QUESTIONS!!!

- canned or fresh pineapple? or both?

- what kind of diced ham? where do you buy it? is it pre-cooked?

- i assume until they are good with utensils, they'll continue letting us feed them stuff like yogurt with a spoon?

- on veggies like cauliflower and brocolli, what kind of cheese sauce do you add if you do?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[lisams]

1. Berries, melons, bananas
2. butter - good source of fat (we use unsalted)
3. bagels, nutrigrain bars/earth's best toddler bars, toast/french toast
4. not yet for us (16 months)
5. she's getting the hang of the spoon now at 16 months
6. haven't switched to adult oatmeal yet
7. I've heard adding applesauce or any fruit sauce, or all natural jam/jelly with no sugar added
8. Not too concerned about sugar, more concerned about preservatives and sodium
9. we don't have a problem with dairy causing constipation yet

Lisa

[etwahl]

for things like bagels and grilled cheese sandwiches, how much do you cut them up?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[amp]

Okay, Jake's not a toddler, but he is an enthusiastic eater nowadays, so I can share what we are already doing....

1. what kinds of fresh fruits does your toddler really like
and eat?
Grapes (fresh, sliced & then quartered), fresh bananas, Gerber graduates diced apples, pears & peaches (so I assume he'd like the real thing if I wasn't lazy), diced mangos.

2. breakfast waffles - dry or butter?
We just bought some, but I know he loves fresh made pancakes, so maybe he'll like the frozen version. We have not buttered pancakes yet.

3. what for breakfast other than: oatmeal, dried cereals,
fruit, frozen waffle, scrambled eggs w. cheese
We are currently only doing some combo of pureed fruit w/ cereal, diced fruit, yogurt, cheerios, pancakes.

4. when do you start adding milk to their cereal?
Not there yet.

5. when do they become good at using utensils?
Not there yet

6. when do you stop feeding baby oatmeal? and switch to adult
oatmeal?
Not there yet

7. how do you make plain yogurt taste good for them? (even me
adding a bit of fruit didn't do it) but she sure does love
flavored yogurt. yobaby just seems to have SOOOOOO much
sugar.
We use La Creme yogurt. He likes plain vanilla, banana & peach. If Lauren doesn't like plain, just feed the flavored. The fat and calcium are good for her, and later she can move on to the low fat varieties if she still likes them.

8. how many people are really concerned about sugars in their
kids diet? i've started really looking at labels and trying to
buy snacks and stuff that have less sugar but it's hard
sometimes.
Slightly concerned, but I try to remind myself that she needs lots of fat and a variety of things. As long as I do that, I'm probably doing ok.

9. if your kid gets stopped up by dairy (cheese, yogurt) what
are your favorite snacks?
Haven't had this problem, but have heard that feeding pureed prunes (alone or mixed w/ another fruit) can help.

[ralu]

>
>- canned or fresh pineapple? or both?

Fresh pineapple.

>- what kind of diced ham? where do you buy it? is it
>pre-cooked?

My DS is not crazy about ham, but you can find cooked ham without nitrites or other preservatives at Whole Foods. (However, it gets bad pretty quickly.)

>
>- i assume until they are good with utensils, they'll
>continue letting us feed them stuff like yogurt with a
>spoon?

I think it depends on the child.

>
>- on veggies like cauliflower and brocolli, what kind of
>cheese sauce do you add if you do?

I serve them plain: it's easier for him to pick them up.

Raluca

[lisams]

Right now I am breaking them up into pieces about the size of a quarter maybe a little bigger, but DD has molars and is getting very good at using them to chew. Before that I would make them about the size of a nickel. I'm sure I'm being over cautious though - I'd be interested in what others do!

Lisa

[ppshah]

DS is not a toddler yet but this is what we do:


1. He likes banana, strawberry, cooked apple

2. Eggo waffles with butter ( and sometimes a little strawberry preserves)

3. Those are all the things we have for breakfast plus yogurt or muffin.

4. Hmmm So far sachin just has had dry cheerios.

5. I don't think sachin will be ready to eat with utensils for a few months. He's pretty good at feeding himself with his hands

6. I plan to continue the baby oatmeal for now.

7. We only use fruit yogurt.

8. I'm not concerned about naturally occurring sugars like in fruit but don't give him processed sugars. And he doesn't really get juiice.

9. Mini muffin, cheerios, fruit.

HTH

[LucyG]

I buy mini bagels, and freeze them in halves. I started this for teething (the cold soothes her gums), but now she just likes to gnaw on the frozen bagels even when she isn't teething. I cut the mini ones in half (not like you slice them to toast, but the other way) before I freeze them, and then give her a frozen half. They can get gummy when they thaw, so I just make sure I watch her as she eats, and that she always has a sippy cup of water to wash the pieces down. She starts doing a happy dance every time she sees me take them out of the freezer!

[jubilee]

You might try turkey ham, it seems so much healthier

[etwahl]

where do you get something like that? is that like turkey bacon?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[jubilee]

It's right next to the regular ham in the meat section of the grocery store. I know Jennie-O (or something like that) is one brand of it. It tastes and looks like regular boneless ham. My husband and older son don't even know it's not from a pig!

[etwahl]

julie i just posted a question in babyproofing that you might be able to help me with. it's the post on baby gates. thanks hon!

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[egoldber]

>1. what kinds of fresh fruits does your toddler really like
>and eat?

Mainly bananas and berries and sometimes melon.

>2. breakfast waffles - dry or butter? preferred brand (i do
>dry - kashi blueberry)

Sarah prefers them dry. If I add ANYTHING to her toast or waffles, she won't eat them.

>3. what for breakfast other than: oatmeal, dried cereals,
>fruit, frozen waffle, scrambled eggs w. cheese?

Sarah's main breakfasts are yogurt, omelette, fruits, dry cereal, waffles, pancakes and infant cereals

>4. when do you start adding milk to their cereal?

I've tried a few times, but she doesn't like it. I just keep trying periodically.

>5. when do they become good at using utensils?

What do you mean by really good? :) Depending on the kid it can be anywhere from 18 months to 2 years.

>6. when do you stop feeding baby oatmeal? and switch to adult
>oatmeal?

Sarah still prefers infant cereals.

>7. how do you make plain yogurt taste good for them? (even me
>adding a bit of fruit didn't do it) but she sure does love
>flavored yogurt. yobaby just seems to have SOOOOOO much
>sugar.

I think YoBaby does have a ton of sugar. I have recently switched her to plain yogurt. To make it palatable for her, I add either a small amount of sugar (like 1/3 teaspoon) or about a tablespoon of unsweetened jam. She loves it both ways.

>8. how many people are really concerned about sugars in their
>kids diet? i've started really looking at labels and trying to
>buy snacks and stuff that have less sugar but it's hard
>sometimes.

I wouldn't necessarily be *concerned* about it at Lauren's age. But it's easier to start good eating habits when they are 1 than when they are 2 or 3, KWIM? So while they definitely need fat, they do NOT need added sugars. For me, its just as easy when we are home to make up a small yogurt for her (I usually do several containers at once, so I can just grab one). I wish now that I had avoided the whole YoBaby thing and just done plain whole milk yogurt from the get go.

>9. if your kid gets stopped up by dairy (cheese, yogurt) what
>are your favorite snacks?

Sorry, not a problem here!

HTH,

[Torey]

>1. what kinds of fresh fruits does your toddler really like
>and eat? - we have a pretty limited diet - bananas, bananas, bananas - we are trying desperately to branch out!
>
>2. breakfast waffles - dry or butter? preferred brand (i do
>dry - kashi blueberry) - haven't tried them, but that wheat waffle recipe looks good
>
>3. what for breakfast other than: oatmeal, dried cereals,
>fruit, frozen waffle, scrambled eggs w. cheese? she eats half of a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese every morning. I also made banana muffins for her (using a recipe from Super Baby Food) and she loved them
>
>4. when do you start adding milk to their cereal? has never eaten cereal
>
>5. when do they become good at using utensils? don't know, she only just decided that she loves being fed with a spoon by me (at 14 months)
>
>6. when do you stop feeding baby oatmeal? and switch to adult
>oatmeal? She never ate baby oatmeal, I'm going to try adult this week
>
>7. how do you make plain yogurt taste good for them? (even me
>adding a bit of fruit didn't do it) but she sure does love
>flavored yogurt. yobaby just seems to have SOOOOOO much
>sugar. She loves plain yogurt mixed with cottage cheese (very weird). I think it's something about the texture. Also, make sure you use whole milk yogurt (we buy organic) and maybe you can mix it with unsweetened jam (like polomar all fruit).
>
>8. how many people are really concerned about sugars in their
>kids diet? i've started really looking at labels and trying to
>buy snacks and stuff that have less sugar but it's hard
>sometimes. I am concerned about sugar and salt but salt seems so hard to avoid, it's in cheese (not as much in yogurt), canned beans (I do drain and rinse), pita bread - the list never ends.
>
>9. if your kid gets stopped up by dairy (cheese, yogurt) what
>are your favorite snacks? According to Super Baby Food yogurt actually prevents constipation. I don't know if this is right or not, but DD eats yogurt 3 times a day and doesn't have any problems with constipation.
>

[August Mom]

>1. what kinds of fresh fruits does your toddler really like
>and eat?

DS likes bananas and grapes. He sometimes likes applice slices.

>
>2. breakfast waffles - dry or butter? preferred brand (i do
>dry - kashi blueberry)

DS hasn't eaten waffles.
>
>3. what for breakfast other than: oatmeal, dried cereals,
>fruit, frozen waffle, scrambled eggs w. cheese?
>
We sometimes have scrambled eggs with bell peppers or scrambled eggs with Canadian bacon. Also, DS eats or drinks yogurt sometimes and, when we're in a rush, he loves Quaker Oat and Cereal Bites.

>4. when do you start adding milk to their cereal?

We haven't tried that yet.
>
>5. when do they become good at using utensils?

DS started showing interest around 13-14 months. At 18 months, he does a decent job with utensils, although he still needs help at times.
>
>6. when do you stop feeding baby oatmeal? and switch to adult
>oatmeal?

DS hated all baby cereals so I don't know.
>
>7. how do you make plain yogurt taste good for them? (even me
>adding a bit of fruit didn't do it) but she sure does love
>flavored yogurt. yobaby just seems to have SOOOOOO much
>sugar.

We just went with flavored yogurts.
>
>8. how many people are really concerned about sugars in their
>kids diet? i've started really looking at labels and trying to
>buy snacks and stuff that have less sugar but it's hard
>sometimes.

I'm concerned about certain sugars that will stay in contact with teeth, like with raisins or other chewy dried fruits and gummy candy/fruit snacks. Also, DS doesn't drink juice. However, I don't have a problem with occasional snacks that contain sugar.
>
>9. if your kid gets stopped up by dairy (cheese, yogurt) what
>are your favorite snacks?

We haven't had this problem, but one of DS's favorite snacks is raw bell pepper slices (preferably orange peppers). He also likes veggie crackers, animal crackers, hummus on pita bread and black beans or black bean dip.
>

[22tango]

1. what kinds of fresh fruits does your toddler really like and eat?
Bananas, Berries, Oranges, Grapes, Apples, Pears -- almost everything except melon (though she does like watermelon).

2. breakfast waffles - dry or butter? preferred brand (i do dry - kashi blueberry)
She's not a big fan of waffles. I always put butter on them & sometimes drizzle a tiny bit of maple syrup.

3. what for breakfast other than: oatmeal, dried cereals, fruit, frozen waffle, scrambled eggs w. cheese?
Breakfast is almost always Oatmeal (old-fashioned kind made with a little brown sugar), bananas, and milk

4. when do you start adding milk to their cereal?
Just this past week she started getting good at using a spoon so I tried it with cheerios (when she saw that I was eating them.) Worked okay until the end when she dumped out the leftover milk.

5. when do they become good at using utensils?
Karenna just started getting good very recently -- at 17 months.

6. when do you stop feeding baby oatmeal? and switch to adult oatmeal?
She never really liked baby oatmeal and after trying MY oatmeal (which I love to eat in the winter) she was HOOKED! :D

7. how do you make plain yogurt taste good for them? (even me adding a bit of fruit didn't do it) but she sure does love flavored yogurt. yobaby just seems to have SOOOOOO much sugar.
I added some fruit puree or all-fruit jam. Usually she eats YoBaby.

8. how many people are really concerned about sugars in their kids diet? i've started really looking at labels and trying to buy snacks and stuff that have less sugar but it's hard sometimes.
I'm more concerned about transfats and hormones than sugars. But in general, since most of the foods she eats are pretty healthy (fruits, veggies, whole organic milk, roast chicken, whole-grain breads, cheese) with none or minimal sugar, I don't worry about the occasional cookie or YoBaby. Often the sugar she gets is stuff I add (like some brown sugar sprinkled on her oatmeal -- which is MUCH less than they put in those packets!)

9. if your kid gets stopped up by dairy (cheese, yogurt) what are your favorite snacks?
Not an issue with us. I usually try to give her something from each of the 5 food types (starch, protein, dairy, vegetable, fruit) at main meals and try at snacks to be sure she has something with fat, protein & carbs in it -- ie. fruit & cheese, or buttered whole-grain toast fingers & chicken.