Help me feed this picky toddler

[teedeedee]

Or maybe picky isn't the right word- APPARENTLY she is the good eater at daycare. She will eat anything they put in front of her. However, they do serve a lot of foods catered towards kids (nuggets, spaghetti, other finger food type things). I'm sure Jamie Oliver would just cringe. I try to keep meals at home more healthy and fresh, but she won't eat. I don't want to make her grilled cheese and chicken nuggets all the time just so she will eat. I also don't really want to make her a separate meal. My parents did this for my little sister who today is still the pickiest eater I know.

ETA- Do you cave when your child screams toast toast toast...1000s of times over and over during dinner? I have a couple of times just so we can eat in peace!

What do you make for your family that your toddler will eat too?

[ewpmsw]

Catsup does the trick for us sometimes. DD adores it. She eats green beans and other things like fries, dipping them in the catsup. If the meal turns into a catsup-only fest, the catsup goes away. We usually serve her the same things DH and I are eating. If she's hungry, she'll eat them. If not, she usually has to wait until the next meal. That being said, we don't set her up to be hungry. Most of what we serve is stuff that she's eaten with gusto in the past (spaghetti, chicken, rice, turkey chili, pork chops, vegetarian baked beans, quesadillas with chicken and black beans, veggies, fruit, salad, pasta).

DD went from being the kid who ate everything to being the kid who just sits and refuses to eat. She makes requests and tells us she's hungry, and it's hard to stick with what we've served when she's wailing, "hungeeee! hungeeee!" Most of what we're doing feels like fumbling in the dark. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and we have to listen to her fuss. Dinner is a 15 minute affair around here, and that's stretching it for her. We encourage her to eat, redirect her when she starts to whine, ignore most of the attention-getting stuff and try more redirection... We're trying to make dinner a positive, interactive family experience. I'm sure it would be hilarious for anyone else to observe. DH is the slowest eater on the planet, so I usually take DD to play in another room when she and I are finished, then he takes her upstairs for bath/books/bedtime routine. I wish I had good advice to offer. We're trying to be consistent with the rules and hoping that it works out in the long run. In the meantime, it's maddening. Good luck!

[wendibird22]

3 words...muffin tin meal.
It's a lifesaver for DD1's pickiest of days. Take a 6 slot muffin tin and load it up with a variety of stuff. We usually fill part of it with what we are serving for dinner and part with stuff I know she'll eat (cottage cheese, applesauce, carrots w/ dip, etc). I find that the variety and the small portions get her interested enough that she eats most or all of it. And this way I'm not running around the kitchen while my meal is getting cold trying to find something to satisfy her. So, IIWY, if toast is her thing, put toast in one of the section.

For more muffin tin ideas go to: http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/search/label/Muffin%20Tin%20Monday

I also second dip...ketsup, ranch, blue cheese, whatever, DD likes everything better with dip. Yes, we have to remind her that dip isn't her meal and she can't eat it with a spoon. But I find she eats more, especially veggies, when she has dip.

[azazela]

We do a lot of dipping here too with ketchup and ranch dressing being favorites. I've also started to melt shredded cheese on her vegetables. So far she's had "green beans in cheesy sauce" and loved it. I think broccoli will be next. :)

[sste]

I cave if DS is screaming toast . . . usually (usually!) not if he is screaming candy but wheat toast is no harm in my book and he can have more fruit/veggies later or the next day.

The thing I have discovered with DS is that he is a little foodie. I thought about it from the perspective of: would I enjoy eating what was on his high chair tray? Plain sweet potatoes are a little boring, was his apple cut nicely, etc. Our best luck by far is feeding him the things we like to eat that are healthy: sweet potato tofu in curry sauce for example rather than plain cubes of each; asparagus frittata; chicken cubes in a nice soup with veggies (use pre-made broth). He is also a huge fan of maki rolls we discovered recently.