Every couple of weeks I share a round up of my recent eats those posts are some of the most popular content on my blog. I always get comments and messages from you guys that they give you ideas and inspiration for your own meals.
It has been fun for me to start writing recent eats posts for Finn too! I’m trying to get into a groove of doing one every 4-6 weeks. I know that as a mom, I love getting new ideas for toddler meals so I hope you find these helpful.
Here are my previous posts about feeding Finn:
Our Journey Into Solids
Finn’s Recent Eats: 9 Months
Finn’s Recent Eats: One Year
Finn’s Recent Eats: 15 Months
Finn’s Recent Eats: 20 Months
Finn’s Recent Eats: 21 Months
Overall, things seem to be getting easier when it comes to feeding Finn. While he is still partial to his safe foods like rice, bread, crackers, cheese, etc, he is branching sllloooowwwwlllyyy and with repeated exposure will oftentimes try fruits, veggies and unfamiliar foods. He doesn’t always eat them, but I think that interacting with them and at least being willing to put it in his mouth is a step in the right direction. That being said, I try not to get too attached to that as toddler preferences and behavior changes like the wind!
CURRENT BIGGEST FEEDING CHALLENGE: MILK LOVER!
The biggest challenge right now is how much Finn loves milk (I give him organic whole milk). It is difficult to keep him under that max daily milk amount of 18-24 ounces. He asks for it first thing in the morning when he wakes up and several times throughout the day. He will also ask for refills. While I am glad that he likes milk and don’t have a problem with him drinking it, I don’t want him to drink too much and use it as a replacement for real food or for it to constipate him. Telling him no when he asks for milk or more milk is not fun. I have been able to discern when I think he’s just hungry and am sometimes able to redirect him to a snack or a meal when he’s asking for milk.
Finn also still drinks his milk out of bottles. I know he’s “too old” but he freaking loves his bottles and I’m just over here tying to be real. If I try to give him milk in a cup he will throw it and acts so offended. He drinks plenty of water throughout the day from cups and water bottles but the boy wants his milk in a bottle. I know it’s a comfort thing and that makes it hard for me to take it away. The good thing is that he doesn’t have to have a bottle to sleep so there isn’t a teeth issue with milk and bedtime.
I know each child is different but if you have any insights to share on milk lovers and/or bottle lovers, I’d be interested to hear your experiences.
And now for the things he’s actually been eating, not just drinking! Note, I am going to try to provide commentary one what he ate/how much since so many of you asked for that last time.
BREAKFAST
One egg scrambled in butter, plain full-fat greek yogurt with peanut butter and a little bit of honey, bagel with butter and cream cheese. The bagel brand is Dave’s Killer Bread and this is a Plain Awesome Bagel.
“Eggies” are one of Finn’s go-to foods. I can almost always get him to eat a whole scrambled egg. He also loves yogurt but I don’t give him too much of it because of how much milk he drinks. He asks for bagels a lot and usually eats about a half of a half. He likes to suck the cream cheese off of them, haha.
I can also get him to eat oatmeal pretty consistently and it’s one of the only ways I can get banana into him. I cook my oatmeal with mashed banana to sweeten it. I can also sneak in stuff like chia seeds. I like making oatmeal because I can put it in the fridge and reheat it so I have an easy breakfast (or lunch or dinner!) option on hand. I usually swirl some nut butter in for extra fat/calories.
He will talk about strawberries and sometimes put one in his mouth and chew it a bit but usually doesn’t actually eat it. No luck with raspberries yet.
LUNCH
Lunch is soooooo hit or miss with Finn. I think it’s mostly because he gets a mid-morning snack and then he’s ready to go down for a nap by 11a-noon so he’s too tired to eat. When he was going to preschool 3x/week he rarely touched his lunch save for a few crackers.
On this day he ate all of the grilled cheese but didn’t touch the turkey or fruit.
On this day he ate a couple of bites of the cheese toast but wouldn’t even try the chicken and potato stew.
Snack-plate style lunches work well sometimes. This was a cashew cookie Larabar (didn’t eat), gouda cheese slices, crackers, grapes and pea crisps. He ate the cheese, crackers and pea crisps.
DINNER
Dinner is almost always a winner and he eats it enthusiastically. One thing that has helped is EARLY dinner before he gets too tired. I try to feed him around 5-5:30p if I can. I do the most food diversity with dinner.
He LOVES buttered rice so you’ll see that a lot in the following pictures. This plate has chicken tenders that were frozen from Trader Joe’s that I cooked in the air fryer along with strawberries, raw carrots and cooked green beans. He ate half of the chicken, almost all of the rice, put a green bean in his mouth and left the strawberries and carrots. The funniest thing about this meal was that he enthusiastically ate the ketchup on it’s own with his spoon instead of dipping the chicken. Haha.
Spaghetti noodles with homemade marinara sauce, sourdough toast and string cheese. He ate all of the noodles and some of the toast and cheese.
Rice with red coconut curry sauce and tofu and carrots from the curry. I was SO EXCITED that he ate the rice with the coconut curry sauce! Left the rest of it.
One of the ways I can consistently get green things into Finn is with these little veggie tots from ALDI. I’ve heard they are a knock-off of the Dr. Praeger’s brand. They have sweet potato, broccoli and kale and spinach flavors. I cook them in the air fryer at 400 for about 10 minutes and then let them cool. This is the spinach and kale kind. This plate had all of Finn’s favorite things! He still loves shrimp. I just sauté it in a bit of butter and he also will eat oranges.
Finn loves my spaghetti squash pizza casserole bake and it’s a great way for me to get lots of good stuff in him like protein and veggies. He ate all of this and some of the toast.
Baked salmon, mac and cheese, roasted cauliflower, gouda cheese slices and chocolate granola (he spotted the granola and was incessantly asking for it so I put a little on his plate). No one will be surprised to read that he ate mac and cheese, cheese and granola.
Greek meatballs made with local grass-fed ground beef, hummus, rice and strawberries. He ate the rice and a few bites of the meatballs.
Same ALDI tots (these are the broccoli ones…they are mostly potato but ever bit of broccoli counts, right!?) with roasted cauliflower, salmon and raspberries. Ate all of the tots and that was it.
Shrimp, toast, peas and mac and cheese. He ate a little of everything minus the peas. He mostly just played with those.
Dr. Praeger’s fish bites, broccoli tots, spaghetti squash with a little bit of a butternut squash pasta sauce and mixed veggies. He ate the fish and tots and picked up each veggie and put it in his mouth but didn’t actually eat any of it.
Shredded rotisserie chicken, raspberries, rice, cherry tomatoes and sautéed zucchini. Yep, only ate the rice. Finn is super picky about chicken.
And that’s all for this recap! Let me know if you have any questions or requests for things you’d like to see in these posts.
QUESTIONS
Talk to me about your experiences with milk and bottle loving toddlers.
What meal is usually the biggest winner with your toddler? Anyone else struggle with lunch?
I always love to hear about things that your little ones are loving to eat lately. Please feel free to share ideas in the comments below!
Funny that Finn won’t drink milk from a cup, my youngest wouldn’t either. Once we took away his bottle, somewhere around 18-20 months, he never drank milk again. It bothered me bc my others drank milk and I believe that it’s an easy way for them to get calcium, but aside from the occasional chocolate milk box, he refused milk! Still to this day he won’t drink it. In hindsight, I wish I had maybe continued the bottle with milk only until I could get him to transition to the cup. And similar to Finn, he would drink water or juice out of the cup, just not milk!
Hi! I’d probably start by watering down some of the milk bottles – maybe after a full breakfast one and/or offer a special cup that’s just for milk (I’d say let him pick out a special one, but that is tricky right now) – but also start the watering down process.
I have two kids who are the opposite – way more into yogurt than drinking milk.
I would try watering down the milk if you’re concerned he’s hitting the maximum every day. I have a (much younger-10 years!) brother who drank so much milk the doctor was concerned about the amount of calories, and they recommended diluting it with water. Eventually he got down to 50/50 milk and water.
My daughter Charlotte will be 2 on April 27th and is very similar to Finn. She LOVES milk and a couple of months ago we slowly weaned her from the bottle (except before bed). We just refused to give her a bottle and gave her milk in a special cup. It only took a day or two and now she willing drinks milk from her sippy cups. I noticed she started eating SO much better when we did this because her milk consumption was way down. I hated it and I felt so bad but thankfully she caught on quickly. So no real advice, just letting you know you’re not alone. I would just encourage you to keep trying a sippy ?
My son isn’t a milk lover, but loves a two handled ceramic mug my parents have as well as little tiny glasses he used at his Waldorf school (actually shot glasses) perfect for little hands! They might be “fun” for Finn when you switch from the bottle. It’s so hard to say no to things they love! My son generally eats the most breakfast, but it depends on the day. He also loves eggs! He often doesn’t snack between meals, so he sometimes eats a good bit at each, other times no so much. I’ve definitely learned to trust him! He seems pretty in tune with his food needs. He’ll ask for a snack if he wants it, so I don’t offer it otherwise. I think it’s great you offer so much that you can guess he won’t each. Great to expose him! My guy doesn’t love a ton of veggies, but loves fruit. Any luck with applesauce/ veggie pouches? That’s a favorite snack of his.
Our son is about 2 months older than yours and also loves milk, although he will drink it from his miracle 360 cup. I EP’d as he didn’t transfer milk well and we learned early on that he didn’t need to have the milk warmed (our doctor said it was ok not to!) so the transition to cow’s milk was really easy for us. I was worried about dropping the bottles but we got rid of them around 14 months and he did fine with that. Each kid is so different, though!
Our son is super picky and having him home with us has made it extras challenging as I’m not used to feeding him at every meal! Our daycare provides breakfast, lunch and a snack. He eats way way way better there. They say he eats everything except fruit. He has expanded his tastes somewhat recently. Like he ate the lentil enchiladas I made last month which shocked us. And he loved the turkey from a turkey breast I roasted recently. So he can eat new things, but it’s so hit or miss and very frustrating!
My daughter was this way and therefore we limited milk to meals only and the rest of the time she got water. We’d serve her 8 oz and if she finished it, we wouldn’t allow anymore until if she ate an adequate meal for a refill. We limited the time frame for 10 minutes post meal except post dinner. All other times of the day was water only. We had to do this as she started not to eat much of her meals if drank more or if had it between meals. It meant she was lacking those food nutrients.
I’m a mom of 2 (almost 5 and 20 months) and for whatever reason I didn’t know there was a max daily milk amount of so many ounces. Both of my kiddos are huge fans of cow’s milk (organic whole like you) and still eat quite a bit of real food just fine and have never been constipated – I didn’t even know that too much milk could cause that!
All that to say you do you and Finn do Finn!
Mom of 3, oldest is 5, I never knew there was a daily maximum either! Is there a minimum? How do you measure how much they get? I honestly had no idea this was a thing.
My pediatrician told us 16 oz is the minimum and I think 24 oz is the max…kind of a narrow range! That said, my 2 year old hates milk and doesn’t get anything close to 16 oz. She (allegedly) drinks some at school but we don’t know how much and school is closed now anyway. We just give her a lot of yogurt and call it good. She’s really tall for her age so ??♀️
I believe the max has to do with too much dairy sometimes causing issues with iron absorption. I don’t believe there’s a minimum as some families don’t drink milk but in that case you just want to make sure the kiddo is getting adequate calcium from other sources!
I didn’t realize there was a max either- mom of a 23 month old and 5 year old. My 23 month old increases milk intake while her teeth are coming in- currently doing this- and I just let her have what she requests because I know she isn’t getting much food right now. My 5 year old naturally started drinking less milk as she got closer to 3- meals only and other times are water.
For the bottle thing: Like a few previous posters, I recommend letting him pick out a special milk cup that you’ll use only for milk. Both of my boys ended up with a special soft-spouted Nuk cup that was just for milk. Then just take the bottles away, and consistently offer the milk only in his special cup. You will probably have a rough few days, but with consistency, I bet he will adjust.
I know you’re probably not going out and shopping for cups together right now, but maybe you could order a selection, let him pick, and then return the rest?
When did you start introducing utensils with Finn and when did he actually start using them? I don’t even give my 14m old one at this point because she ends up making such a mess lol
This is so helpful – thank you! What time does Finn go to bed? We always struggle with what time to do dinner with our 16 month olds because I’m worried they’ll wake up early hungry. For milk, we’ve had success with watering it down…might be worth a try!
Kids are so unique. My child will ONLY eat fruit at most meals-he’d live off fruit if I let him. It’s funny for me to read that Finn won’t touch it! Love these posts, thanks for sharing ❤️
Getting our twins off bottles was ROUGH. But as a parent it’s your job to set appropriate limits for your little one since you know what is best, regardless of if it’s easy for them or not.
Toddlers are way smarter than we give them credit for, and we have had good luck involving our boys in decisions related to big transitions. I’d sit down with him, explain that he’s a big boy and needs to stop using his bottle, and then explain that since he’s so grown up he can choose a new cup for his milk. Have 3 pre-picked out from Target that you think he’ll like – Thomas, Paw Patrol, etc. Something “special.” Then let him choose and order the cup.
Good luck!
It is definitely worth it to immediately try to transition from a bottle. It isn’t just constipation, but also cavities you should worry about(luckily there is a higher risk when there is sleeping with the bottle). I definitely hear you on the difficulties with tantrums (my daughter would eat chocolate for every meal if I let her do what she wanted–I have to be strong and remember I am the adult that knows better and chocolate all the time isn’t it). Luckily by his food you don’t really have to worry about nutrition from the milk. A few things that I have seen work. Gradually start removing the bottles (cold turkey would be hard, so gradual is good). Also getting a special cup just for milk is a good idea–plenty of praise also when he does use the cup. He also can understand that big boys use cups to drink, not bottles. I also would suggest diluting the milk–go to half milk, half water until you get to all water. All the while reiterating that he can have his yummy milk in a cup. It will be a tough road, but he will eventually lose interest in the bottle.
No advice but just wanted to say that we have an 18 month old who will only drink out of the bottle as well! It’s so funny – I did not have this issue at all w my older twins. He also will only drink the milk if it’s warmed which is making it really difficult to transition to special sippy cup. I agree that it’s so hard as it’s a comfort item at this point and similarly his pediatrician said he wasn’t concerned so long as he didn’t go to bed with it. I know we’ll need to wean soon, but keep putting it off! Good luck with your little guy!
I’m a pediatric Dietitian (no kids, yet!) and I would highly recommend just moving on from the bottle. I’ve seen countless toddlers, often even admitted to hospital, due to nutrient deficiencies related to too much milk intake. The biggest one is inadequate iron and severe anemia. Also significant cavities from the bottle! It’ll be hard for a day or two but Finn will learn super quick. And like others have mentioned, a special cup and just doing milk with meals is the ideal goal. Just get rid of the bottles and tell Finn you had to give them away to another baby. I guarantee you’ll see him become a much better eater since he’ll be more hungry for solids (plus getting calcium and other nutrients from a variety of foods).
Hi Jen,
I was wondering why you use this special plate that separates the different kinds of foods? I’ve seen other moms do it and as I don’t have kids yet, I was wondering if there is a reason for that 🙂
I use a plate like this for my toddler mostly because it makes it easier to portion out a little of each food I am serving, and I feel like it makes it a little less daunting for my son to see a little of each rather than one whole plate of food. It probably doesn’t actually make a difference though!
Love seeing what Finn eats. My son is the same age and i find it vert helpfull. In France where i live it is tottally normal for a two years old to take a bottle.
You’re such a good mama to be offering a variety of foods! My second kiddo (14 months) just got off the bottle. He, too, would only drink his milk from the bottle (no cups). I just started decreasing the amount of milk I offered in his bottle, offering milk in a cup/sippy (which he rarely drinks so don’t be discouraged if Finn doesn’t take milk in a cup), and offering more food choices with calcium (cheese sticks, cottage cheese, green smoothies, etc). He now eats more food, doesn’t drink much milk, and drinks more water–but no bottles. My pediatrcian says three servings of dairy/day is enough calcium for kids–so think–4 oz of milk and two cheese sticks, and you’re set! You may also find that with less milk, he’ll eat more food! Good luck 🙂
Jen you we such a great mom and I wish you were around when my daughter was younger! My daughter loved milk, as well. Our pediatrician recommended not offering it to her until after she ate most of her meal given the milk would fill her up and then she wouldn’t want her food. Another suggestion from our pediatrician was to not offer her “go to” foods until she tried some of the others first. I always worried that she wasn’t getting enough to eat but was told kids will eat when they’re hungry and they often don’t over eat or eat just because.
Keep up all of you’re hard work! You are doing awesome!
Hi Jen,
For both kids I went cold turkey with the bottle. They just woke up and it was gone. Like everyone has said you have a rough day and then it’s over.
I have a 6yr old that hates milk, and a 4yr old that is like Finn. I also have a 9mo old. I admire you sticking with giving him a lot of variety. With my youngest my goal is to not make special kid meals as much!
Have you tried mixing other fruits and veggies in to his oatmeal? My toddler ate raspberry banana oatmeal this morning and also loved pumpkin oatmeal!
looks like you are doing such a great job with his diet. I would say to watch the milk intake tho. I am the youngest of a large family, and my mom was not a cook. She did what she could, and I was a typical kid who turned my nose up at most food. And as you know, being hungry has a lot to do with how well new foods or unappealing foods are accepted. My mom let us drink as much milk as we wanted, and for the most part I wasn’t interested in food, and didn’t eat much. But that was mom’s way of dealing with feeding us. She was tired of the whole struggle to get a young kid to eat, by the time she got to me. The good news is I did survive into adulthood, and have put my picky eating past behind me.
A Canadian woman wrote about her experiences with her young daughters during a year living in France, near her French in-laws, who were not at all impressed with her picky eaters. the book is called French Kids Eat Everything’ -it’s not a long read and just interesting to learn about our cultural differences with kids. It looks to me like you are really doing well with his diet.
You are doing a great job, love how you offer different foods even the ones you know he might not eat! I have two boys, 5 and 2. The 5yo has always loved milk, didn’t have a problem transitioning from a bottle. He loved these Nuby cups but then had a hard time transitioning out of these! https://www.nuby.com/usa/en/clik-it-insulated-cool-sipper-copy
My 2 yo has never been a big fan of milk but had a hard time transitioning from a bottle. Even though he drank water from a straw cup he would refuse milk in one. He was well past his second birthday when he finally was ok without a bottle. I was so worried but he did it in his own time!
Lunch can be hit or miss for my son (18 months), too. Breakfasts are usually successful for him. During the week I usually serve him a smoothie (we share one) and he loves it. Good way to get fruit/veggie (spinach), and some fat and protein in him!
Hey Jen, mom to a one year old here. What do you do with the food he doesn’t eat? I HATE wasting food and try to save it, but it’s even less appetizing to him the second day, and then I end up trashing it. Never knew feeding babies/toddlers would be this touch and go….
We took away the bottle as soon as he learned to drink from a straw (13-14 months). I washed them one more time, packed them up, and that was it, no more bottles. He did refuse to drink milk from a cup for a couple of days, maybe a week tops But we were still nursing so I wasn’t too worried about it. Now he drinks milk from a cup like a champ – it was, like so many other things in life (as you know), “just a phase!” Take the bottle away, empathize, but be firm: “I’m sorry, but there are no more bottles. We drink out of cups now.” We did the same with the paci at 12 months and it was hard for like two days and then it was fine. DEFINITELY do it sooner rather than later as 2 is reallly old for a bottle.
Hi there, off topic question – I saw you got Natives for Finn! I’m about to buy some for my toddler (2 weeks younger than Finn!) and was wondering if you have any sizing advice – we’re between a 7 and an 8 and I read that they run small. Can’t really deal with returns right now!
I would size up because their feet grow so fast. Finn was just outgrowing his 6’s and I ordered 7. They are perfect.