Healthy Meals for Toddlers

Calvin was a cute kid, 2 years of age. A total delight for his parents and those around him, he was the apple of everyone's eye. Everything was great except for one thing. He was very picky when it came to eating. He seemed to like some foodstuffs on a given day and if his mother gave him the same thing the other day or day after, he didn't eat. Tantrums and his mother getting a bit frustrated was what followed.

Now, this situation is nothing out of the world, isn't it? I mean most of the adults have given their parents a fair amount of trouble with regards to eating when they were babies and toddlers. I remember my grandmother telling me that I never used to eat my meals properly. My mother then used to find innovative ways to prepare nutritious stuff and made sure I ate it! But whatever you say, meals for kids is a very dodgy issue. Here is what you might want to know about it.

Healthy Meals for Preschoolers and Toddlers

Careful planning and analyzing what is liked by your baby is required to chalk out a nutritious meal plan. The following pointers would give you a fair idea as to what to consider while preparing meals for your baby.

Avoid Processed Stuff: As far as possible, curb the use of processed and pre-cooked food in the baby food you give to your baby. Although there are claims that these food products are organic, that is not really the case. For instance, canned soup, boxed macaroni and cheese and the likes. For babies, food should be cooked from scratch, usng raw material to retain its optimum nutrition value.

Usage of Whole Foods: While preparing meals, it is always a good idea to use whole foods as ingredients. Fresh fish, cheese, plain and raw chicken breasts or drumsticks and so on. Amongst vegetarian ingredients, brown rice, whole wheat bread and unskinned potatoes with a dash of fresh fruits top the healthy foods chart.

Keeping Tabs on Fats: To come up with healthy meals, inclusion of good fats is important. They are required for proper growth of the babies. Dairy products, untrimmed meat and eggs are the most effective options to include proteins and good fats in a meal. Non animal fats should also be a part of the food.

Old Wine, New Bottle: Take the same ingredients and see if you can create different dishes using them. You would know which is the most favored dish for your little one.

All this is fine. But if your kids are picky and finicky, well, you might consider altering your meal planning. Here are a few tips for the same.

Tips for Dealing with Picky Eaters

Dip, Spread and Top the Foodstuff: Kids according to experts like to dip and smear things. So having a tasty dip made of cheese, peanut butter and similar food products is just perfect. As far as spreading is concerned, have the kids spread the peanut butter, jam cheese on crackers, bread, toast and the likes. Another way to ensure nutrition in a meal is to add healthy toppings on not-so-nutritious foods.

If not Solids Then?: If your kid is giving you a tough time eating solid food, alter the strategy. Include semi-solids and liquids in your healthy meals for children. Smoothies, milk shakes, juices with egg, honey, peanut butter, yogurt and similar things would do the trick.

Variety is the Spice of Life: Apart from dipping and spreading and so on, kids love to nibble things. So have a nibbler tray having small amounts of everything from cereal to fruit and dairy items to veggies. Keep it in a place that is easily accessible, where the kid can notice it while going around the house.

Share the 'Grub': To put across a good example, if possible have a neighborhood friend who has no eating problems come over at meal time. That child should like to eat, so that your kid catches up with him. For this situation you could have a rough menu of healthy meal for two, so that it becomes easier for you to prepare the food.

Let Them Have Their Own Way: If kids want to eat a particular thing at the time which is usually not the time for it, let it be. It is anytime better than not eating anything. For instance, if your kid asks for something like a sandwich or burger for breakfast and cereal for lunch, it is fine. It would be a change for all the family members as well!

There are many more things like the presentation of the food, the seat while eating and so on, which have an impact on your kid's eating habits. But these things are better left to those who are already in that zone. Although, you can flaunt your knowledge, now if you wish to! Eventually the objective is to make the kid eat, no matter what tricks and tactics you use.

Here is where I sign off!