It is amazing to me how different two children from the same family can be. Graham is five and we never really had any issues with him eating. He loved all types of food from 4 months age. When Davis was born almost two years ago, we immediately noticed that he was not eating like his brother did. I nursed him and he seemed unhappy and extremely fussy. After several months of dealing with his fussiness and little to no weight gain, he was diagnosed with reflux and put on medicine. It helped some, but he still never loved eating. When it was time for him to start solid foods, he wanted to eat, but would just roll the food around and either spit it out or choke on it. Today he will often choke, gag, and vomit when eating depending upon the texture of the food. Davis’s doctor’s believe that it is part of a gag reflex issue that he will outgrow within the next few years. Until then, we struggle getting food in his little body! So, here are five easy toddler foods that we have found that I’m sure you will also have success with.
Steamed Carrots
Carrots are one of those veggies that are super sweet when they are steamed. Toddlers tend to love the flavor and the soft texture is easy for little ones to handle. Carrots provide your toddler with the essential Vitamin A which aids in vision. Make sure to dice the carrots to bit sized pieces so your toddler can pick them up and chew them easily.
Creamed Corn
Corn is good, but creamed corn is better! I know that it isn’t as healthy as the original version, but if you are dealing with a picky toddler this is an easy fix. You can even create your own creamed corn using frozen kernels, flour, salt and milk. Just eyeball it for a good consistency in the sauce pan.
Quiche
Not only will you be providing your toddler with much needed protein, but just about everyone has the ingredients on hand. Add in different spices in order to make your eggs less bland. Again, you need to make sure to cut the quiche into bite sized pieces and maybe offer a little dipping sauce.
Watermelon
Because it is summer, now is the perfect time to take advantage of a sweet and yummy watermelon. Just cut it into small strips and serve it along side your toddler’s favorite yogurt. Little hands love to dip and the watermelon is the perfect texture without having to worry about added cooking or steaming.
Veggie Pizza
I love to make homemade pizza because it gives me the opportunity to hide veggies and other “good for you” foods under all of that cheese! I love to shred carrots and chop spinach very fine and add to the sauce. The entire family enjoys the pizza and you have managed to sneak in vegetables. Cut the pizza into strips and serve with a low-fat ranch dressing for dipping.
