Vintage Cookbooks

Meal ideas for picky two year old boy?

My son used to eat well and liked healthy food. Since he turned two he has been rejecting vegetables and other foods he once ate, tossing them overboard or throwing them and screaming. He likes junk food now which I sometimes give because he will go for long periods of time without eating a proper meal... By junk I mean a handful of cheese puffs. I bought a book for him called Sneaky Chef but it is not working well and I am getting frustrated because he won't eat and these meal take time to prepare. What does your toddler love to eat, maybe there are some tricks I have not tried?

Stop giving the junk food. He won't starve. You have taught him that if he holds out long enough, he'll get to eat whatever he wants.

It's your job to serve a variety of healthy foods throughout the day and his job to decide how much to eat (or not). Just serve him small portions of what everyone else is eating, and offer fruits/veggies/yogurt/cheese/etc. between meals. If he starts to throw food, then calmly take his plate away and let him down from the table. Don't ever force or bribe him to eat, though -- you'll turn mealtime into a battle.

Some other ways to help ensure that he's hungry at mealtime and to encourage him to try new things...

-- Make sure he's getting plenty of exercise. Right before dinner (or whatever your biggest meal is), take him outside to really run around, jump, and climb.

-- Don't let him fill up on junk food or less nutritious snacks. Things like crackers, "fruit" snacks, etc. can be really filling, but offer little nutrition. If he's hungry between meals, offer fruit, yogurt, cheese, or raw veggies (maybe with peanut butter for dipping).

-- Don't let him fill up on milk and juice. Yes, milk is good for him, and juice is fine in moderation, but if he's drinking them all day long, he's not going to be hungry for actual food. At our house, I serve juice with breakfast, milk with lunch/dinner, and water in between (except on special occasions).

-- Make mealtime fun and relaxing. Serve him the same foods you're eating most of the time. Let him have some choices when possible (Would you like peas or carrots with dinner? Do you want a peanut butter or turkey sandwich for lunch? Would you like eggs or oatmeal for breakfast? Should we have grapes or watermelon for a snack?). Put tiny amounts of each food on his plate -- a bit of meat, veggies, applesauce, bread, etc. Let him eat with toothpicks instead of silverware sometimes. Make the food into a smiley face on his plate. Involve him in grocery shopping and food preparation when possible -- he can choose a fruit, veggie, or flavor of yogurt, and he can help mix things in a bowl.

Hope that helps a bit!