Feeding Toddlers

wonderful bibs c/o Toppy Toddler

I've had a few people ask questions about what Adri eats so I thought I'd write out a kinda random little list of what I've learned (so far) from feeding my almost two year old.
I like to think that my child is not a picky eater. And she's not--most of the time. But I have to be honest here. Although she tries pretty much everything there are definitely some things she loves way more than others and that are much easier to get her to eat.

After 22 months with my Adri Rose this is what I've learned about feeding a toddler:

+Keep it simple. Adri hates having a ton of different foods on her plate. She like one or two things to choose from.

+Introduce foods slowly. She likes a different variety of things, but I have to go slow when introducing them. I'll give her a little something to try along with a meal of other stuff I already know she likes.

+Offer, don't force. If there's something she doesn't like (especially if it's good for her and she should be eating) I offer her it. If she pushes it away we just wait a few days and try again. I told Adam yesterday that Adri is like a cow. They don't like different things to begin with, but if you keep feeding it to them sooner or later they get used to it and love it. lol

+Example. Sometimes this just seems to work the best. If I'm eating it and enjoying it she'll plunk herself down and join in with me and love it just because I'm eating it.

+Take the time to figure out what they like. Adri loves spicy food, but only with rice, chips, and beans. She likes her veggies raw (and as whole as possible) and she like her noodles plain--no sauce for her.

+Remove temptation. I started figuring out that if there is something she shouldn't (or can't) eat then I just don't have it around, or eat it in front of her. This works so much better than fighting with her. If I do't want her to have it I do't let her know it's there.

+Include her. If I let Adri "help" make the food or hang out in the kitchen with me when I'm cooking she's way more likely to want to eat it when it's ready.

+No distractions. I try to keep things basic at breakfast and lunch (dinnertime is another story). We sit in the kitchen (she sit either in her highchair or at the table) and we both eat together and talk. It helps to just be paying attention to the food and not have the t.v on, or even music.

All that said, here's a little list of foods and meals we eat around here that Adri is a fan of and (I like to think) are toddler-friendly.

Noodles (with meatballs on the side, or a bit of grated cheese on top).

Potatoes of any kind. Mashed, boiled, fried or baked.

Yogurt.

Cheerios and milk/bananas

Fried or scrambled eggs. Or hard boiled

Toast (once in a while)

Soup. Any kinda she loves. I do have to drain almost all the broth off first.

Tacos/burritos

Meat (if I cut it up into teeny tiny little bits)

Rice (she likes her rice with lots of seasonings)

Any and all veggies. Raw or lightly steamed

Any and all fruit. We always have apples and bananas on hand

Popcorn for a snack. And chips (I've been working on weaning her off of her chip obsession though) and crackers.

I think that covers it! I'm sure there's other stuff that I'm forgetting, but that's the basics.

*this post is sponsored by Toppy Toddler, but all thoughts and opinions are my own*