Toddler Nutrition

[luciana]

Spoiler: Thread summary

The discussion centred on sharing tips and ideas for feeding toddlers and encouraging them to eat nutritious meals and snacks. Several parents agreed that making food fun and visually appealing is an effective strategy. This included shaping foods, frying or baking vegetables, and offering frozen yoghurt pops and fruity roll-ups. Toddlers tend to graze, so offering small, frequent meals and snacks was also a common recommendation. Parents also shared ways to sneak healthy ingredients into everyday food, like hiding vegetable purées in pasta sauce or dips. Making mealtimes exciting and engaging by involving toddlers in the preparation was also mentioned, with the aim of fostering interest and investment in their food. Overall, parents were keen to share their successes in the kitchen while also seeking new ideas for enticing toddlers to eat healthy foods.

 
As our little ones grow and develop, their nutritional needs evolve too which can make feeding them quite the challenge! From fussy eaters to balancing their dietary intakes, it's a tricky time. Share your experiences, tips and advice on toddler nutrition here! What healthy meals or snacks do your toddlers enjoy? How do you ensure they're getting the nutrients they need? Let's create a helpful guide for all parents of toddlers!

 

[mamamia]

I found that offering small, frequent meals and snacks helped a lot with my tot because sometimes she just wasn't hungry enough for a full meal, but would still graze. This also helped me ensure that she was getting some nutritious foods into her diet even if she wasn't interested in eating much.

I try to offer a variety of textures and flavours - some days are better than others but I'm not too stressed about it anymore since I know she's not going hungry. Some favorites in our house include:
- Mini vegetable pancakes which I make ahead and freeze then reheat in the toaster oven when needed.
- Fruit skewers with some yoghurt dip - seems to make eating fruit more fun!
- "Ants on a log" - celery with peanut butter filled with raisins. Also good for getting some protein in there.
- Cheesy crackers - again, another one I can freeze and then take out as needed.
- Oat cups - layered oats with yoghurt, berries and nuts in a cup which my tot can eat on the go if we're heading out to the park or something.

It's definitely a phase where they're very particular about food so making it fun seems to help! Would love to hear other people's ideas too!

 

[wellness]

Some great ideas there - I'll have to try those oats cups, that sounds like a good one for my little one who also likes to graze throughout the day.

We've been enjoying "breakfast cookies" which are essentially just oaty biscuits with added fruit and nut butter - I got some cute cookie cutters which make them look like bears and bunnies too so they're fun for the tot to eat. Also, frozen yoghurt pops have been a hit recently - I purée some fruit and mix it in yoghurt, then freeze the mixture in lolly molds.

I totally agree that making food fun helps - particularly when they're fussy!

 

[musical]

Some lovely ideas there - the breakfast cookies sound delicious, and I love the idea of making them into fun shapes too! Visual appeal is so helpful for encouraging fussy eaters to tuck in. Frozen yoghurt pops are a brilliant idea for keeping little ones cool in this heat too - I'll have to give those a go!

 

[queenie]

Those fun shapes are so simple but effective - and great for getting them involved in preparing their own food too! Let me know how you get on with the frozen yoghurt, enjoy! x

 

[happyfeet]

Shaped foods are a brilliant way to entice little ones! They loved making them and even more so eating them - especially when they're covered in yoghurt, which can only be a good thing nutrition-wise! I'll let you know how the frozen yogurt goes down - thank you! x

 

[eternity]

That's a great idea! Toddler-friendly dishes should be visually appealing and fun to eat—a win for mom and a bigger win for the kids! It's always nice to sneak in some good nutrition without them knowing, covered in yogurt is a brilliant way to do that. Would love to hear your feedback on the frozen yogurt too.

 

[queenie]

Making meals fun is such a great way to get kids interested and invested! It's like a little surprise for them hidden inside their food, especially when it's something visually appealing. I find that toddler-friendly dishes often just need an extra kick of creativity!

As for frozen yogurt, I've found that it's a great hit, especially in the warmer months. A nice, healthy, cool treat that's a wonderful alternative to ice cream and something I'd be keen to experiment more with flavor-wise .

What other sneaky ways do you guys implement fun AND nutrition into your toddler's meals?! Would love to hear everyone's ideas!

 

[sunflower]

Some great ideas already!

We do a lot of vegetable frying - it makes veggies more fun and exciting for our toddler. We coat them lightly with flour and cornmeal, a quick fry, and they come out crispy and delicious. It's become our go-to way to serve carrots, broccoli, even cauliflower!

Also on the topic of frozen treats, we make our own frozen fruit popsicles which are so easy and fun - the kiddo loves helping with the blending and pouring into molds. They're a lovely healthy treat on hot days! We've been doing a lot of blends with bananas, berries, mangoes, and kiwis lately, but plan to experiment more with different fruits.

Another one is DIY fruit roll-ups using fruit purees - they're so good and way healthier than the store-bought ones! They're sticky and fun to eat, plus we like to make them in different shapes using cookie cutters.

For something savory, I sometimes hide pureed vegetables in our pasta sauces - an easy way to add some extra nutrition without altering the taste too much! My little one also loves dipping, so I offer a variety of healthy dips like hummus or tzatziki with lunch.

Not all these tactics work every time, but it's fun coming up with new ideas!

 

[greenfingers]

Frying veggies is a brilliant idea and a great way to make them more appealing! Your savoury ideas are spot on - hiding pureed vegetables in sauces is a clever technique, and I can see how it would be an easy way to boost nutrition without altering the taste drastically.

The fruit puree rolls ups also sound fantastic and fun for little ones to eat. It's impressive how many ways there are to sneak in healthy foods!

It's inspiring to hear about your creative tactics - it's true that coming up with new ideas makes the whole process fun!

 

[sunnybunny]

I'm all about making healthy foods fun, and if I can get creative in the kitchen, the possibilities are endless! Frying veggies is a great way to add some excitement and variety, especially for little ones who need that extra encouragement.

The roll-ups are a big hit too and such a cool way to incorporate fruits into snacks. There's no end to fun, nutritious foods we can create!

 

[doctormama]

So true! It's incredible how being creative and adding a little twist to nutritious foods can make them so much more exciting. Frying veggies is a fantastic idea, and I bet it makes them crispy and yummy too.

What are some of your favorite veggie combinations to fry up? Also, do you have any fun roll-up recipes that include fruits? Would love to hear!

 

[joyful]

Frying definitely makes veggies yummy! I like keeping it simple with a classic combo of potato and carrot fries - a good old chip buttie is a great way to get those veggies in.

For fruity roll-ups, I've been doing a summery one lately that's a hit: a whole wheat tortilla spread with cream cheese, packed with sliced strawberries, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of shredded coconut. It's a sweet and delicious treat that looks fancy but is so easy!

I'd love to hear any other creative twists you guys have for making nutritious foods fun!

 

[wellness]

Frying definitely makes everything yummy and those veggies sneaky good!

Love the fruity roll-up idea - a great way to make eating fun and exciting for little ones! I'll have to try this out and experiment with different fruits and maybe even some veg! Get those taste buds tantalised!

 

[nature]

So many fun ideas to get little ones eating healthy snacks! It's great to hear how you're getting creative in the kitchen, making tasty and nutritious treats.

Frying certainly does add a special kick to veggies - have you thought about adding some spices too, to give an extra kick to those taste buds? Something like a mild curry powder or paprika can really bring out the flavour - but be wary of any little ones who might not appreciate the spice!

The possibilities are endless with fruity roll-ups. A tip is to try freezing them first too, gives a nice little crunchy texture which the kids might enjoy. And you're right, a great way to get some nutrition in without the battle!

 

[sunnybunny]

Some spices would definitely be a fun addition to veggies - especially with the sweeter ones too. We've been enjoying experimenting with cinnamon on carrots, and turmeric on cauliflower.

We've not tried freezing the fruity roll-ups, but that sounds like a great texture hack! Anything to make them more fun is a win in our house, and they're so good for when we're out and about too - thanks for the tip!

 

[wellness]

Fruity roll ups are such a great idea! And yes, it's worth trying to give a little sprinkle of spices on veggies. We've also been adding some nut butter as a dip sometimes too - a good way to add some protein especially if your LO is a bit unsure on meats. We're big fans of cashew butter in our house!