Please tell me about your toddler's daily food.....

[Mopey]

Mopey is a great eater and has no allergies so far but I want to keep adding to the variety of her diet but am a bit confused about what she can have now:

onions? garlic? tomatoes?

Is tofu good to introduce? Is there a best brand?

What about spices in meats, etc? I would just love new ideas and tastes....

ETA: how much milk are they supposed to have each day?
OMG I'm an awful mom!

Any advice and direction is MOST appreciated!!

[wellyes]

At that age, the baby should have bits of whatever you're eating. No limits! The more variety, the better.

[Philly Mom]

DD is twenty months but starting at about a year, she just ate what we made and was soft enough for her to chew. Things she likes: risotto with mushrooms, garlic, squash, sometimes brussel sprouts, peas, onions and chicken; homemade mac and cheese with onions, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower; homemade meatballs (has onions, garlic in them); she enjoyed a mild red curry with eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower and chicken that DH made; she enjoyed a beef stew the other day. Sometimes she eats around onions, but rarely.

[mikala]

At that age, the baby should have bits of whatever you're eating. No limits! The more variety, the better.

Yeah that. Take advantage of any willingness to try new things! Even my 9 month old eats things prepared with garlic and onions, curry, etc. I try to limit really salty or sweet foods and we don't eat much processed food but both of my boys usually at least try everything I make.

Re: milk, I think it's around 16 oz a day at that age. If they drink too much it can lead to anemia or offset solid food consumption.

[Mopey]

DD is twenty months but starting at about a year, she just ate what we made and was soft enough for her to chew. Things she likes: risotto with mushrooms, garlic, squash, sometimes brussel sprouts, peas, onions and chicken; homemade mac and cheese with onions, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower; homemade meatballs (has onions, garlic in them); she enjoyed a mild red curry with eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower and chicken that DH made; she enjoyed a beef stew the other day. Sometimes she eats around onions, but rarely.

Do you give all this as leftovers?

[Philly Mom]

Do you give all this as leftovers?

What do you mean as leftovers? We just cook and give her a small portion. If she likes it, we give her more. We both WOHFT so we cook a lot on weekends and tend to cook things that can freeze. We do tend to cook these things in bulk on the weekend give some during the week, and freeze the rest, and then grab other stuff from the freezer. DD really likes vegatables but we tend to cook them with the dish rather than making it a side dish. Vegatables we do as a side dish include zuchini sliced with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and sauteed mushrooms. Those are her two favorites so we almost always have both cooked in the fridge so we can just heat them up. For protein, she can be pickier. Chicken needs to be part of a dish and in small pieces. She loves shrimp/lobster and meatballs. She likes sausage, which we buy at our local farmers market and cook in the oven at home, finishing them off in a sauce pan.

[Katigre]

My toddlers eat everything except dairy due to intolerance. I am very careful about added sugar in foods and also limit grains because I believe they're "filler" foods vs highly nutritious. We eat paleo so it's focused on healthy whole foods.

My kids love salmon, broccoli, muffins, eggs, yogurt, spices on potatoes, fruit, chili, etc... Even ds2 who is 8 months old ways everything our family does except honey (which I feel is fine but am still following the official recommendations). I am careful about too much salt and do cook from scratch.

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[kep]

Yes, give them anything and everything, baring any allergies. I am way too lazy to make DS3 special meals. We just give him a small portion, cut up if necessary. I also give milk with meals, so 3-4 small cups a day, with water in between meals. No juice, except for a little oj/water combo on Sundays.

[Katigre]

You might really like the book "French kids eat everything". Someone recommended it on here and it had such a great approach to teaching kids to enjoy good food.

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[Mopey]

You might really like the book "French kids eat everything". Someone recommended it on here and it had such a great approach to teaching kids to enjoy good food.

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It's actually funny you mention that - I am half French and am already doing three meals and one snack if necessary. Just need to get more creative! Thanks for the rec - I will totally check it out.