My daughter just turned one and she recently decided that she doesn't want to be fed with a spoon! She completely refuses baby food which isn't a biggie bc we are getting her on table foods now. She loves finger foods and items she can feed herself. So I have been steaming veggies for her~ baby carrots, broccoli, zucchini and squash. She loves most of it and what she isn't thrilled about she chews on and then throws in the floor. She really loves her carrots! For dessert I slice up fruit for her. The only issue is I feel like I give her the same thing at every meal and she mainly eats the carrots. Im not much of a cook and I don't know alot about different veggies. Any ideas on other options I can try? Should I not give a variety and instead do one veggie per meal so every meal is different? She will eat yogurt and apple sauce when served with a spoon but that's about it. She will also eat sliced ham (she stole some from her brothers plate and loved it) should I try adding that in with some meals?? She will try just about anything, not picky at all and I want to take advantage of that and get her used to eating healthy fresh foods.
Lima beans. My kids love those things.
Tofu is fun too
rice balls
fresh tomatoes cut up
I actually just feed my 9 month old whatever we are eating that night. Pasta? put a teaspoon of sauce on it and cut it up in bite size bits. Soup? drain out broth and let little one eat all the other stuff in there. little one eats naked and get a bath right after every meal. I figure that they might as well feed themselves.
My kids loved the Gerber Toddler foods, the ravioli were a favorite, they came in 3 or 4 flavors and are not slopped in a red sauce like others. I have to agree with MamaMay my daughter is 18 months now and she always eats in just a diaper and always feeds herself and more days than not she gets 2 baths a day. For breakfast today she had a bowl of yogurt and banana and I just put her in the kitchen sink after she was done feeding herself to wash her.
I think you should just give her some of the same thing you are eating at each meal. That is what we do with our one year old. She just eats whatever we are eating...cut into smaller pieces if needed!
My daughter will be 12 months next week and this is what she eats: Breakfast - blueberries, kiwi, bananas, baby cereal bar or toast all cut up small. Lunch & Dinner options - fruit (pears, mandarin oranges), lunch meat, grated cheese, black beans, pinto beans, mac & cheese, pasta, avocado, peas, carrots. If I cook a roast or something that is not spicy for dinner I feed her that and if I am feeling brave I make her spaghetti which is her favorite but super messy. I've started getting a few of the Gerber toddler meals but so far she does not seem too impressed.
i think a variety of fruits and veggies over the course of the day and week vs per each meal may be something to try instead. In terms of getting a nice variety without feeling like a creative or good cook (I hear you) when you find something she likes, try a few different takes on it. Pancakes has been a big one for us. We stir in blueberries or banana or just about anything, use spices, she loves dipping the pieces into yogurt and/or applesauce. Bread and noodles are a handy way to involve veggies, stir a veggie and/or protein into a pasta, try different sauces, slice a vegetable and lay it on bread and melt cheese over it. Maybe check out a toddler cookbook from the library or browse at your local bookstore just to get some inspiration. Good luck and enjoy!
My kids were the same way. I fear they will be very independent and stubborn.
I just gave them whatever I was eating. Sometimes it was messy, but it definitely introduced them to more foods. I kind of keep a log in my mind of fruits, veggetables and meats/proteins. If there's anything they really haven't had much of lately, I try to make sure they get that at the next meal.
I would just keep putting different foods in front of her and see what she likes. Have fun!
She can start using a spoon herself - it will be messy but it expands the variety she can eat. She can eat anything you can as long as the texture is safe so she will not choke. Veggies DS ate at that age - avocado, green beans (steamed), carrots, peas, squash (you can steam and puree or just peel, cut into small pieces and steam), broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, potatoes, cucumbers. Fruits he ate - pears, bananas, apple sauce (we made our own), peaches, melon, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apricots, plums, papaya, pineapple, cherries (pitted and sliced), grapes (cut in half). He did not like mango but most kids do. Other foods he liked - yogurt (plain, organic, not the kid sugar added kind, buy the big container - way cheaper and less packaging), chick peas (slightly smashed because I was paranoid about choking) any cheese, olives (pitted, cut up), salmon (canned or fresh), lamb, beef (usually stew so it was soft and cut up small). I suspect he would have loved ham but we stayed away from the high salt, really high fat meats since we don't include them as part of our diet (ok except when we go out for a fancy brunch and splurge). By this age, we were simply feeding whatever we were eating at that meal. For lunch at daycare we would send in small containers of separate items (for example lunch might be - plain yogurt, strawberries, broccoli, chick peas and of course milk).
