My last post was all about my recent eats but I’m way overdue on sharing Finn’s eats!
To give you an honest picture of feeding Finn at 20 months…if I would let him live on milk and crackers he would be all about it. Haha. That being said, he’s surprised me with his willingness to try new foods recently. We are finally making some headway on fruit, which is super exciting! Where he would previously not even touch it, he’s experimenting with touching it and bringing it to his mouth. He’s even started sucking on orange slices and alternating making faces and saying “mmmmm.”
I sit with Finn at every meal and either eat with him or be with him with no outside distractions like phones or household chores. I’ve found that when I eat with him he is MUCH more likely to want to eat what I am eating…but it often takes a few exposures for him to make that shift. It’s almost like I have to gain his trust that I really do like the food that I am eating. When I don’t eat with him, I sit with him and fully focus on him while he eats. I name all the foods, have a conversation with him about what’s going on that day and very neutrally comment on what he decides to eat.
Gosh y’all, feeding a toddler is HARD and a roller coaster of like and dislike but I truly do feel like we are making progress. Yes, I thought I’d have one of those kids who would eat avocado, veggies, quinoa and all the healthy foods but my boy has humbled me! It’s been an excellent lesson in letting go of control and trusting that another human will do what is best for them. <3
All that being said, Finn’s recent eats!
BREAKFAST
ALDI Broccoli Bites, mandarins and homemade carrot maple oat banana bread.
Banana oatmeal with raisins, chia seeds and cottage cheese.
Smoothie bowl with bananas, blueberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peanut butter, spinach, a medjool date, plain greek yogurt and almond milk.
LUNCH
Scrambled eggs, orange segments, mac and cheese and a mixed berry cereal bar from Whole Foods.
Monterey Jack cheese, grapes, raisins, graham crackers, cheese sandwich with Monterey Jack, mayo and Nature’s Own honey wheat.
PBJ sandwich, mandarins, raisins, butter crackers and a cheese stick.
Mac and cheese, green beans, mandarins, butter crackers and Trader Joe’s peanut and date bars.
Apple slices, raisins, ALDI pea crisps and leftover pizza slices.
DINNER
Turkey meatball/patties, Dr. Praeger’s Kale Puffs and steamed basmati rice with butter.
Sautéed shrimp in butter (my boy LOVES shrimp), banana, rice with butter and peas.
Grilled cheese, full-fat plain greek yogurt with honey and mandarins.
Mac and cheese, grapes, roasted acorn squash, a single piece of roasted broccoli.
ALDI broccoli tots, Trader Joe’s Italian chicken sausage and plain full-fat plain greek yogurt with honey.
Trader Joe’s chicken nuggets, green beans and mac and cheese.
QUESTIONS
Send me all of your baby and toddler feeding questions. I will answer them honestly!
Mamas!!! Give me new ideas!!!!
This is so helpful! My daughter is a month younger then Finn, and I’m constantly wondering how to cut her food. Does Finn have any trouble with the sandwiches and grilled cheese? I thought two slices of bread plus filling would be too much, but she does have a full mouth of teeth! Kiddo’s favorite foods are steamed broccoli, cubed tofu and frozen spinach, but she won’t touch meat, roasted veggies or ingredients mixed together…
Nope, he does so well with it! I used to do strips (sometimes I still do) but he can totally hold a quarter of a sandwich and take bites!
I cannot believe she’s eating broccoli, tofu and spinach. That’s amazing. Finn is funny about meat and it’s very hit or miss.
I read a book called French kids eat everything- a memoir of a Canadian mom and her young daughters living in France for a year. It’s really cool how the french are so committed to healthy eating and it starts at birth. I bet when Finn is a bit older he will be eating a diverse and healthy diet!
Yes, I read a book when I was pregnant about the French style of parenting and the food piece was SUPER interesting to me. So different from our culture, loved it so much.
So my daughter is a week and a half younger than Finn, so we are in a similar situation. I struggle with getting her to eat veggies. I find I have to hide them, which I don’t love, but at least she’s getting some in. I have a muffin recipe that she loves! Here’s the site if you want to give it a try and maybe inspire new ideas! I make them as mini muffins and I also add in a handful of spinach when blending the apples and carrots. It’s nice that you can also freeze them if you wanted.
https://mykidslickthebowl.com/baby-led-weaning-muffins-apple-banana-carrot/
Thank you so so so much for sharing this recipe! We’ll get these little ones happily eating their veggies in due time! 🙂
My baby is almost 15 months, and she’s definitely become a bit more picky lately – shaking her head “no” where she used to try everything!
Tonight, she shoveled down BBQ pulled pork – like I had to heat more because she ate her portion and half of mine! She’s also been loving steamed or sautéed broccoli. We did chicken quesadillas today, and that was a hit. If she ever isn’t willing to try something, I’ll offer a bite of it off my plate – she likes everything a lot more when it’s not cut (I.e. taking a bite of my triangle of quesadilla instead of the bite size bits on her plate). She will ALWAYS eat carbs, so I don’t offer bread/pasta at every meal.
She also loves your cottage cheese eggs!!! I’ve also converted my husband…next I want to try making your sourdough recipe :).
haha, I know that “no” head shaking (and speaking!) so well.
I LOVE that she enjoyed the pulled pork. I feel like the texture is good for them. I should try something like that with Finn soon! I so wish I could get Finn to eat broccoli but he’s just not on board. The quesadillas are a good reminder. I haven’t done those in a while! Thank you! And YES! Finn also prefers “real” servings/bites versus small pieces on his plate. We do a lot of sharing too. 🙂
Yay on the eggs!!!! Finn eats them almost every day.
Thanks for the honesty and ideas! You offer him a great variety! Mine isn’t a big veggie fan, but I should offer them more! I often do avocado toast, chicken sandwich sausage, hummus, cheese, and various fruits in addition to things you showed. He’s always changing what he likes I’ve found! Lately he has started to saying, “no, no” when I suggest a food or take something out of the fridge if he wants it which is helpful in deciding what to give him! One day he’ll day “no, no” to a smoothie and a few days later be asking for one! He’s a couple months older than Finn for reference!
Hey Haley! You’re welcome!
How do you typically serve hummus?
And yes, Finn will often tell me yes or no when I ask about specific foods, which is helpful for sure! 🙂
Fruit is always a hit with my son and I roast whole sweet potatoes once a week because he usually will eat those. I worry that I don’t change it up enough but I try to do a mix of stuff that I know he will eat with something new. Also trying to stop worrying that he is not finishing everything because if he is a little hungrier for the next meal he will be more likely to eat whatever is offered.
I also stick to things I know he will like but try to mix other things in as well. I think it’s the best of both worlds! Finn rarely 100% finishes a meal and I just try to trust that he knows if he’s hungry or full!
Hey Jen – great post. Is there a reason you guys dont use a bib? Is it distracting?
thanks!!
He’s never cared for them and I just wasn’t strict about making him wear them. At this point, there’s no way I can do bibs because we’ve gone so long without. He will pull at them and get upset if I try to put them on. It’s never been something that’s bothered me (if he happened to get messy) so I never pushed it! All in all, I’m surprised by what a relatively clean eater he tends to be!
I used to make this pasta for my daughter ALL the time…I see a lot of mac and cheese up there so maybe he’d like it!
https://www.sweettoothsweetlife.com/healthy-toddler-meals-easy-cheesy-spinach-pasta/
WONDERFUL! Thank you! 🙂 yes, he loves mac and cheese but not pasta in general…which I find to be funny!
Does Finn drink milk? What kind and how much does he drink?
I agree that feeding toddlers is hard and I find it hard to feel like I’m not in control of how other people (ie my husband and family members who watch my son during the week) feed my toddler.
Hey Julie – yes he does drink milk. He LOVES whole milk and asks for it all the time. I try to limit him to 18-20 ounces a day (usually morning, around lunch and around dinner) so that he’ll have an appetite to eat.
And I feel you SO MUCH with other people feeding your toddler. So hard for me too.
My son (21 months) has always been a voracious eater but the last few days he has refused dinner and he is getting pickier. I told my husband, I guess we have a full blown toddler on our hands now!
Thanks for the ideas – these are great!
You’re welcome! And gosh, they seem to go in and out of phases so quickly, don’t they!? I hope he’s back to his normal eating ASAP!
That single piece of broccoli is a MOOD! Hahah. The grilled cheese looks fantastic and reminds me I need to either start or buy some new starter to get going again on sourdough – it’s been way too long since I made some.
One of the little girls I nannied for would try almost anything from the Whole Foods salad bar box (not her own plate, naturally!) which was great for trying a teeny bit something with bright color or fun (if invented) name – chickpeas in tomato sauce were “spicy balls,” etc. Good luck – I can hardly believe he’s such an independent little eater now 🙂
Hahaha I know. I knew he wouldn’t eat it, but I wanted to put it on his plate. A lot of the feeding advice is not to give them a lot of an unfamiliar food so we went with the single piece!
Oh gosh, Finn is so the same way! He’s much more likely to try something that comes from my plate than something unfamiliar that I put on his. Fear of missing out, I guess! That is so cute about the Whole Foods box!
I struggle with daycare lunches bc they can’t heat things up! Do you keep everything together (warm and cold) in the fridge in those bento boxes??
Same – no refrigeration or heating available so everything has to be okay at room temp for a few hours. It does make for a challenge to pack things that work and hold well.
My now 8 yr old loved (still does!) taking smoked salmon with a mini bagel (no cream cheese for him), and also tuna sandwiches- so surprising since I highly dislike both of these. I try to make my husband pack lunch on these days!
Also, no judgement at all here, but beware of raisins and toddler teeth. My son had some serious tooth decay as a toddler, and I never gave gummies or other sticky food. It was from the raisins (according to his dentist) which clung to his teeth. Ugh. Lesson learned!
Oh no! Good to know, my 3 year old loves raisins, I’ll have to be extra careful with the teeth-brushing.
That is pretty funny about your 8 year old loving smoked salmon and tuna! Kids are so funny. Thanks so much for sharing that about your son’s teeth! I’m sorry you had to deal with that. So far, I don’t think Finn actually eats the raisins that I pack but I will most definitely keep this in mind!!!
This was such a sweet post!! Thanks for sharing.
-Kate
https://daysofkate.com/
Thanks Kate! It’s fun to put meals together for him…even if he doesn’t always eat them! 🙂
Thank you for the ideas and inspiration! You are not alone in the feeding struggles with little people. I make smitten kitchen’s oatmeal pancakes and freeze for easy breakfasts… both of my children gobble them up and they feel a little more substantial to me with the oat flour and oatmeal. My boys also love applegate’s breakfast sausages. Whole Foods will often put them on prime sale buy one get one free. Recently I’ve been doing a boneless Boston butt in the crockpot which is both easy and delicious and everyone in my family loves it! Lastly, the one vegetable both children eat without fuss is steamed carrots with honey and butter. Yum!
Thank you, Leah! I am adding every single one of these ideas to my list!