Anyone have successful tips to get toddler to eat meat?

[deborah_r]

Kai has never eaten much meat. He used to eat a bit of hot dog, and still does on occasion. A while back he ate some of my burger when we were out, that happened about twice, now he won't even do that. He wouldn't eat a piece of cheese that I pulled off of the burger, because it had a little bit of meat juice on it.

Has anyone had any luck preparing meat a certain way to get a toddler to eat it?

[houseof3boys]

Ryan won't eat any meat either. He won't eat chicken, turkey or fish either. He did seem to love my husbands bacon from IHOP the other day though! That was a first and we were stunned. :-)

I am sure the boys will outgrow it like everything else. I remember when Ryan wouldn't touch milk for months and now he loves it!

Btw, we keep offering "meat" (turkey, chicken, red meat, whatever) and figure that one day he'll give in.

[new_mommy25]

Noah will usually eat a little meat but he vastly prefers fruit and cheese.

My FIL makes this stuff called Hamburger Macaroni. It's like hamburger helper but homemade. DS loves that!

Oh and I occasionaly let DS gnaw on a chicken bone. I got that from DR. Sears. I take the sliver bone off and make sure there is lots of meat hanging. I keep an extremely close eye on him and so far we haven't had any problems.

He also likes eggs a lot so I will sneak things into the scramble like tomatoes, sausage, etc. Believe it or not, he loooves vienna sausage. We buy the sausage to feed to the dog but we let Noah have some every now and again. I'm trying to avoid the processed food thing but some days I get desperate because he won't eat anythigng!

[egoldber]

The key is to just keep trying. It can take up to 15 to 20 introductions of a food before a toddler will accept it. Just keep trying and be prepared to throw away a lot of meat, LOL! You can try to disguise it and put it in other things, but eventually they get wise to it and will often stop eating those things too, so be careful.

And eating something one day and not another is very common. My DD used to love chicken, hamburger, whatever. But these days, my DD just does not like a lot of meat. I keep trying, but 9 times out of 10 she refuses to eat it. I make sure she gets plenty of protein from other places, and *try* not to let it worry me, LOL! But there's little you can do. You really cannot make them eat anything they do not want to eat.

HTH,

[pritchettzoo]

Does he like to dip? Gracie will eat almost anything if we let her dip it. She likes chicken dipped in unsweetened applesauce, but if we're out, she's dipped in ranch and ketchup and just about anything else we could find (sweet potatoe souffle once!).

Also, you can sneak it in things--quesadillas, scrambled eggs, soups, pasta sauce.

Does he like other sources of protein like eggs, beans, tofu, cheese?

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)
and One More (coming July '05)

[gour0]

Ben is not a meat eater, but lately he will eat meatloaf with ketchup. And even tyson chicken nuggets with ketchup. Note the key ingredient. ;) For him it's a texture thing. He does not like 'hard' food. So, I have to make 'soft' meat. HTH.

[miki]

I found that DD liked meat in forms that I didn't. Like little cubes of unflavored poached chicken breast. Yick. But now she'll eat anything. My dad just made up a concoction that is full of protein but doesn't taste too meaty and is soft if your toddler likes soft textures: 1 package of silken tofu, about .75 pound of ground chicken, either 1 egg or 2 egg whites. Mash all of that together in a glass or ceramic bowl. My dad seasons with minced ginger, onion, pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Then you steam it until it's bubbling. He just puts the bowl into a pot big enough to hold some water around it.

[wagner36]

We get Charlie to eat chicken by letting him use a toothpick. He'll eat anything (except fruit, see other post) with a toothpick!

[C99]

Nate eats ...ham and bacon. That's it! We joke that it's the Pole coming out in him!

[alkagift]

I think meat is one of those things that feels weird in their mouths and has a strong taste at first. My son used to love tofu and he's decided he hates it now, so I'd agree with the pp's who say Kai's aversion is toddlerhood and him taking a while to get used to things.

I know that my son went through a phase while having those molars come in (one left, hopefully soon) and he didn't want to bite down and really chew on anything that took effort. So, try making sure whatever you cook is super moist--add water, unsalted tomato sauce, gravy, ketchup, whatever, and keep the pieces super small. He just may not like the flavor, though, so you can try tofu instead! Good luck!

Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, 5/03

[deborah_r]

Some good ideas, thank you! He has also stopped eating eggs, which he ate about every other day previously, and I fried him some tofu that he wouldn't eat (he used to like it). He usually eats tofu from miso soup when we go out for Japanese food. He has stopped eating beans. He'll eat cheese most of the time. It's getting really frustrating. He pretty much likes green beans, peas, corn, mac & cheese, cheese, yo-baby, waffles, pancakes, and FRUIT. I'm thankful he still eats the veggies, although I never feel very good about letting him eat a lot of corn. He'll eat ANYTHING that has sugar, of course, but I'm trying not to give him stuff like that too often (graham crackers, lightly sweetened cereal, etc.)

Oh, I noticed on our buttermilk carton, it said it has a lot of protein, and he likes that, so I'll try to give him that.

I think the little bit of Pediasure I tried with him gave him diarrhea, so I'm trying to pack on the pounds without that. It skeeves me out pouring it from the can anyway. I prefer to use Carnation Instant Breakfast, at least I know I'm mixing in fresh organic whole milk with that...

[Mom2Miri]

DD likes egg crepes - I mix in a little sugar and flour and cook it like a pancake. I also found that egg noodles have a lot more protein than regular noodles. Challah also has more protein than regular bread. I've been trying french toast made with challah.

HTH,
Helen & Mirielle 2/25/03

[alkagift]

Deb, I forgot to mention baked beans. Debbi (houseof3boys) told me about Heinz' vegetarian beans in tomato sauce and when Matt went through a bean strike he loved those and Bush's vegetarian baked beans. I rinse the "sauce" off, but since they're a bit sweeter he loves them. I give them to him every other week or so, but perhaps you could try those.

Plain whole milk yogurt has a sour taste that is reminiscent of buttermilk, if he likes that...not as much protein as beans but helpful!

Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, 5/19/03

[essnce629]

Conner won't eat meat either-- except for meat loaf :). If I try and give him chicken, turkey, or beef he won't even try it-- he just immediately throws it on the floor. He won't drink milk either, which is ok since we're still breastfeeding, but that narrows our protein choices. He does love beans though. I buy the organic canned ones that are low in sodium. He loves all types of beans-- pinto, kidney, navy, white, etc. I also found that he loves cottage cheese, which is really high in protein too. He won't eat tofu plain, but I buy the firm kind and every time I make him mac & cheese I mix a bunch in there and he doesn't seem to notice. He also eats scrambled eggs and I mix cheddar cheese in there too. He also loves to snack on cheese cut up into little sticks and string cheese too. So hopefully he's getting enough protein.

***Latia
Conner 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif 15 months & counting! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[Laurelsmom2002]

We are still only eating tyson southern fried chix tenders, ham on occasion, but I think she would eat a pound of bacon if we let her. She does eat alot of dairy though- cheese, milk, cottage cheese, yogurt. I was worried about the lack of iron and asked the ped about a vit. She said that the cereals that toddlers eat all day- think cherios are so fortified that they dont really need a vitamin. Which I was glad cause a month later the study linking vitamins to asthma/alergies came out.
Good luck, but your probably just gonna be in our boat for a while. My ped said it usually lasts until their about 6!

[deborah_r]

Well, I've had a little luck in the last few days. I wouldn't say I'm hiding the meat in his food, but I've been putting his food together in a way that it is harder for him to pick only what he wants, so he ends up eating a little meat too. I am hoping this way he will get used to it slowly. Tonight I diced up turkey breast really small, heated it up with corn and green beans and butter, then mixed in cream cheese. He gobbled it up and didn't bother trying to pick around the meat! So we'll see how it goes!

[sntm]

Another weird one that works but that people don't think of is pate or liverwurst. Very high in iron, smooth creamy texture and can be easily mixed with cream cheese or other spreads. Jack goes bonkers for this, surprisingly. And liverwurst is CHEAP (like 99 cents/pound)
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shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
Breastfeeding 18 months and count

[kijip]

First, don't get me wrong- I am not trying to advocate vegetarianism. I LOVE meat, poultry, fish and pork. I will never give it up (whereas I could say bye bye to ALL dairy overnight). But Kai may just naturally not like it. I have a couple of friends like this who just raised themselves vegetarian since they would not eat meat (even though the parents were meat eaters). I would just wait it out and see what happens. There are a lot of options for healthy non-meat eating. I really think that toddlers are telling us something with what they choose to eat, provided that they are given healthy options and not made addicted to sugar.

As an example I refused milk as a toddler (and infant) so often and so violently that my parent just let me go without it. I have never drank a glass of milk in my life. I will eat some cheeses and some whipping cream (in small quantities) and I will eat some dairy baked into things every so often and that pretty much does it for me dairy wise. I find that my appetite dictates that I eat tons of calcium from other sources (like greens and broccoli).

If you keep offering it, if he needs it or wants it, he will pick it up again!

[Java]

My secret: subterfuge. Seriously!

I have to chop up the meat into teeny tiny little pieces and mix it really well with his food that is also cut up in to teeny tiny little pieces: mac-n-cheese, chicken noodle soup, rice, everything!

The other reason I do that is because he hates texture. I guess I'm hitting 2 birds with 1 stone.

[deborah_r]

I have considered this possibility. I guess I really don't want to see him go that way, because DH's sister is the world's pickiest eater, and DH runs a close second, and I would like him to be willing to eat all different kinds of foods. I also worry about the protein and iron. I'm just plain worried since he's so darn small! I could write another post on how to get him to eat potatoes, because he won't eat those either. Not even french fries (oh, sure, he'll slurp the ketchup off of them, but that's where it ends!)

[kijip]

AH! French fries, the great ketchup delivery system! See if he will eat eggs, beans, cheese, lentils for protein and wheat germ, broccoli, iron fortified cereals for iron. Since he is still nursing, he is geting a variety of nutrients from that so i would not worry too much----he will eat when he is hungry!

I hear you are the pickest eater thing----my 21 year old brother will eat nothing but green vegetables, certain fruits, some beans and white foods. As in foods that are white in color. Chicken, tortillas, potato, vanilla things, popped corn, butter etc.... I kid you not. It is freaking insane. But al least he gets vegetables!

I really think that in all odds he will come around to meat in his own time.

[eden0215]

Thanks for all the great ideas! Our issue is that I have been a vegetarian for 22 years but hubby isn't and we wax and wane between the two diets. DD won't eat tofu (the 3rd love of my life) or beans anymore but loved them for 6 months. Tried everything and no go. Bacon, ham, eggs, nuts, baked beans with veggie sausage, tuna, cheese on occasion but otherwise "oooooh, it's meat" comes up. I think the problem is the mixed messages we send. On the one hand I feel there is NO problem at all if she is veggie like me as I know I get enough protein. But without some of the veggie protein staples, I'm worried unnecessarily. I appreciate reading all of your great ideas but (un)fortunately she hates ketchup as much as I do! AND, she is a die-hard "crunchy food" person hence the nuts and crisp bacon she will eat. Luckily we're still breastfeeding and I know she gets a protein boost there 4 times a day. I guess I just realized, in writing this, that I am truly worrying over nothing. Funny how a post can sometimes be just what we need to "solve" a problem by realizing none really exists. Thanks for letting me think out loud! I am going to try the chicken bone thing though - good idea!! :-)

[cchavez]

Diego doesn't like turkey or chicken, he prefers pork and it has to be ham or bacon! What is it with the bacon? But I tried these sausages and he really likes them. They are all natural too. Believe me my son is a SUPER picky eater so I was so happy that he liked these. But honestly we have more trouble with veggies and fruit than we do with protein. Anyway, my local grocery store carries these but they are expensive. They are a much better deal at Costco. 14 sausages for 9.99. I believe Emeril makes chkn/apple sausages too but I don't know if they are all natural. hth.