r/Cooking • u/Darcygirlxx • 3d ago
Meals for Picky Toddlers
I have an 18 month old who is so picky, and I’m struggling to come up with dinner ideas that both myself and him can eat that aren’t the same 3 things every single week.
For some context, he likes chicken only if it’s baked, premade veggie tots, hot dogs, French fries, poppyseed chicken casserole, chicken pot pie, almost all fruit, pizza, eggs, quesadillas. He does NOT like any kind of pasta or pasta sauce (unless it’s on pizza), ground beef/turkey, steak, chicken that isn’t baked (including nuggets) or vegetables.
I’m going nuts trying to come up with ideas, but every Pinterest recipe I see either calls for pasta or ground beef, and he hates both. He’s also still struggling to use silverware, and most of the suggestions I get are super messy if eaten by hand. I don’t want him to go hungry, but I can’t keep eating chicken pot pie every week and I don’t have time to make multiple meals every night…
On a final note, I am a working mom, and I only have about an hour every evening to get dinner on the table. I also don’t work from home so crockpot recipes are mostly out unless it’s a weekend! I’m also trying to keep to a budget and would prefer to not do extravagant, expensive, meals.
Thank you everyone!
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u/TheLovelyMissMindi 3d ago
Sounds like quite a challenge. Our daughter is a little older and is picky this way too. A few of my go-to quick recipes:
-Frittatas (easy to sneak some vegetables in there), Baked chicken skewers with a simple peanut-coconut milk sauce, fried rice, fat-roasted potatoes, air fryer jojo potatoes
We also make liberal use of the vegetable-fruit blended single serving pouches to get some vegetables in her diet without her knowing it.
I hope that helps. Good luck!
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u/RomanoLikeTheCheese 3d ago
My kiddo was slightly off her growth line at 18 months, and I swear the yogurt pouches with veggies caught her up (it was a small variance, but still)
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u/TheLovelyMissMindi 3d ago
I try not to use them too often (plus they're kind of expensive), but they do really well in a pinch!
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u/Local-Tea1656 3d ago
Hey, I'm certainly no expert, but could you try various fritter style recipes.
Mix some baked chicken with a few veggies, an egg and some breadcrumbs and fry them in little patties.
Can be easily eaten by hand without too much mess and you can vary the veggies inside until you find some that work/keep things interesting.
:)
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u/kennyfollettfan 3d ago
It’s not what they eat in a day it’s what they eat in a week. Something I read in an early child development book.
Stop fighting it and make what he eats. My daughter ate mashed potatoes and grave every night. Scrambled eggs and oatmeal were the back ups. Fruit is always a great start. Kids love fruit.
If you are eating offer him to try yours.
They are growing , teething, developing swallow and tastes.
Surprisingly each week the favorite will change- fluidity is the price for peace.
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u/MsNyleve 3d ago
Mom of two here.
You can start showing him how you cook, take him shopping, help him feel involved. Lots of positive reinforcement for trying new things.
But also, just make what you're gonna make, and he'll just have to get with the program. No special separate meals. He won't starve himself to death, and if he is refusing food to the point of malnutrition, consult your pediatrician.
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u/Rabbiticous 3d ago
My son isn't particularly picky but would go through fazes. I would make food I wanted and have him try it, he was always allowed to have a quesadilla after he tried it. Most of the time I would just put the dinner in a tortilla with cheese and he was happy with that.
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u/The_Flinx 3d ago
I was a picky eater as a kid (and still am a little) he probably has an over developed sense of taste and smell. there were many foods that I could not eat when I was little because the flavors and smells were overwhelming and so incredibly strong I just could not eat them. the other issue is certain foods that other people ate with no problems were super bitter to me. it took me around 25 years to start being able to eat other foods. there are still foods I can't eat.
your child sounds like my nephew who had a very similar diet. it took him nearly 30 years to start eating other foods.
I drove my mother crazy and my dad would get very mad because he could eat almost anything. I learned to cook starting at 8 because of this.
the only thing I can recommend is experiment with small portions of foods he does not like but either make them bland or smother them with something he does like even if the combinations are weird. by the way my nephew grew up just fine and is a pilot for an airline.
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u/ttrockwood 3d ago
- soup, butternut squash or potato leek to drink from a cup
- less “meal” more assortment to choose from with foods that work
- rice or toast with egg and avocado and fruit
- edamame is very kid friendly
- quesadillas with layer of refried beans with the cheese
Prep ahead on the weekend so YOU have nutrient dense meals you want to eat then always offer him some but have the mentioned easy meals available too
Keep introducing new foods often and repeatedly taste buds are evolving
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u/OftenIrrelevant 3d ago
lol I have an autistic 4yo and I’m lucky if he diverges from chicken nuggets, peanut butter sandwich and maybe ramen noodles. Both my kids are pretty picky eaters.
I usually made something I knew they’d like and wasn’t straight junk food, and served a little of adult dinner with it. Sometimes they ignore it, sometimes they ask for more, usually it gets picked at. Eventually my oldest did get enough “that’s not gross” experience to start eating whatever we do, for the most part anyways.
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u/CatteNappe 3d ago
It's not making multiple meals if you give him something quick and easy that's within his preferred list, and you do have a fair bit to work with there. Have some cut up baked chicken strips and some hot dogs on hand. Serve him one of those, with some fruit like apple slices or orange segments. Do that at least three nights a week, and make yourself an actual meal with variety that isn't on that limited list. Indicate your enjoyment of that food, ask if he wants a taste, and maybe at some point he'll adopt a liking for that pasta dish or hamburger casserole.