Hi Mommies!!! I am looking for suggestions on websites to check out in regards to feeding my almost 15 month old. She is a great eater, but I don't want to limit her choices. We eat the same things all the time. We want to try some new things, but don't have time (or energy) for anything complicated because hubby and I are dealing with our 7 year old son who has behavior issues. Things are EXTREMELY chaotic around here, I am EXTREMELY frustrated and overwhelmed, and don't really have the time, energy, or mental capacity to sit and do a lot of research right now.
What I am looking for is a "breakdown" of the (6,7,8???) food groups. When I was growing up, there were only 4!! Also, feeding guidelines for a toddler. I know toddlers are picky, but I want to be sure that she's getting everything she needs. And I'm looking for simple meals to prepare. I can cook, but I'm not great at it..... I would even consider getting the "Cooking for Dummies" cookbook!!!
Seriously tho', any advice you may have is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!
only if the question is organic or at least home-grown.
sorry, the grammar questions today got me on a roll..........
;) khairete
S.
wholesometoddlerfood.com is a good general resource for feeding kids using real food, not packaged toddler food. It's full of recipes, meal ideas and info.
That said, just feed her what you eat. By 15 months there is really no need for her diet to be very different from the rest of the family's. Obviously you need to cut food up into smaller pieces and make sure that she can swallow what you give her. But beyond that, if your diet is balanced, use that as your guide.
I'm confused - you have a 6 year old son, but don't know what to feed a toddler?
Anyway - we cook one meal. They eat what we eat. Period.
go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/
One of the daycares I looked at recently had laminated pictures of the "plate" guide and actually USED that for their older pre-schoolers to portion and build their lunch. it was kind of a cool idea.
Here is the link for pre-schoolers and the poster you could print http://www.choosemyplate.gov/preschoolers/HealthyEatingFo...
I also did not feed my daughter anything different than what the rest of us ate... however, I did have the bottom drawer of the fridge and a bin on the bottom shelf of the pantry with "unlimited" snacks that she could have whenever her body told her she was hungry...... cut up celery, baby carrots, cubed cheese, turkey, bottles of water etc. in little mini-serving baggies. That way if she was hungry she could grab something. Even if it was 30 min before dinner...... I didn't care if she had baby carrots but then ate less broccoli.... it's all interchangeable if it's healthy.
Feed her what you eat. Let her try new foods. Cut things small. If she doesn't like things mixed up, offer them individually. My DD eats "tacos" by eating the cheese with a spoon, the meat with a fork and the tortilla by itself. Don't stress.
My daughter ate what I ate, spices, seasonings, and all. I just mashed it up so that she could eat it without difficulty.
Do you have a Whole Foods near you? If so, I would get some things off of their salad bar. A scoop of this and that before you commit to buying or preparing foods.
simple easy and healthy - take a tortilla, cover with chopped fresh spinach, sprinkle with shredded cheese, put another tortilla on top and microwave or toast until the cheese melts.
Listen to LeeLee S. below, Weelicious is wonderful! I have her cookbook, and so far we love everything I've made out of it, I'm sure the website is a great resource too.
Please go to the local library during kids story time or some other activity this summer and go to the librarian and ask them to help you find these 2 books. If they don't have them get them on inner library loan.
Read them!!!!! Learn them!!!!! If they fit in your lifestyle of eating and food choices buy your own!!!
http://www.dummies.com/store/product/Baby-and-Toddler-Mea...
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Feeding-Toddl...
Life is so much easier when someone else does all the work and tells you this or that might work for you.
Weelicious.com is a family recipe site with food that all members of the family can enjoy.
Wholesomebabyfood.com is an awesome resource!
You can choose from a list of food groups. Each group has the nutritional information for individual items, along with recipes to make baby and toddler foods from them. It also gives the age when the foods should be introduced (though, at 15 months, I doubt you will need that...) and warnings about foods that may need them. They also have sample menus for different ages.
