mealtime carb ideas for toddler:

[lunarx]

i try to include a carb with ds's (22.5 months) meals... any ideas on what might be good to use? he doesnt like pasta, rice, couscous.. (and toast is used a lot! :o)

things like crackers and cheese (oatcakes have high carbohydrates, i sometimes crumble oatcakes into dd2's soup just as im about to dish it up)

whole grains, you can get them in breakfast cereals, whole grain bread

beans, you can make a stew with beans, lentils, like lentil soup, in stews and casseroles, and peas are quite good too. even a handful of peas in a bowl and she will eat them as finger food

my dd2 (18 mths) loves frozen peas

fruit and vegetables have carbohydrates too

potatoes - mashed, chips, baked.

god yes, how could i forget potatoes! there are a hundred things you could do with them

oh yes, i should have included he doesnt like potatoes! (chips are the exception and those are a treat!) he used to like beans, but seems to have gone off them (just tried some with lunch.)

luckily, he will eat peas. that and sweetcorn are the only veg he will eat!

i have some lentils, will have to see what he'll make of them..

have you tried kidney beans, black eyed beans etc? butter beans are usually liked by children

try giving them cold for change (thats if you already havent!) in a bowl so he can feed himself and feel like a Grown up Boy

(sorry if you have tried this already)

They do sometimes get back into things they've stopped liking.

And sweetcorn is very high carb.

What about sweet potato? Or other random root veg: celeriac, parsnip, etc etc?

Also, potatoes can be prepared so many ways, between latkes and fishcakes and dauphinoise and so on, there must be some he likes? Or have you tried making homemade oven chips? Quite easy, very tasty, good for dipping in things.

:nods: i keep trying things he's gone off every now and again and i hope for the best!! =D he will eat crackers, breadsticks, toast (white and whole wheat)..

sweet potato, squash, parsnips - he wont have any of them.
i havent tried fish cakes, but might look into that too!

like everything else, i worry that im not doing enough to get a good balance in him!!

Oh, there isn't anything in carby stuff that isn't in other things, iyswim. We can totally live without these sorts of carbs. (I know it's not a very English sort of thing to do, though!)

As NP says, fruit + veg all have carbs, so no need to worry.

you could try making vegetable chips

or roast them in the oven with honey

Hmmm, does he only like food he can easily self-feed by hand? Could that be part of the problem? Home-made oven chips, or latkes, or fishcakes, might be a way around that? (Or encourage him to use his hands to eat rice etc?)

my dd2 eats with her hands (rice and all) shes 18 mths, i use thai sticky rice for her (she refuses to be fed, has to do it herself)

get ready with the dustpan and brush

you will find rice in places you never knew existed

Multi-grain rice-cakes? Hummus? Bubble & Squeak?

In desperation - croissants/brioche?

if he's up for bread, try lots of different types - pitta, tortilla, chapatti, brown, white, granary with bits etc.

But I agree that he's probably getting more carb than you think already - tot up a day including breakfast cereal, toast, biscuits etc etc - so no carb at dinner isn't the end of the world.

he would prefer to self-feed i think! (as we are having issues with him using a spoon/fork lately!) dh wouldnt go for me letting him eat rice with his hands. i may try it though for a lunch sometime though ;)

trying different breads is a good idea.. i havent tried pitta, etc in a few months... its worth a shot at least!!!

Polenta cooked into its solid form and cut into strips. Can be used for dipping in things or you can add things to it when cooking such as cheese or finely chopped veg. Its OK warm or cold too and saves in the fridge to be fried next day.

Read this with interest as have picky eater who isn't getting enough protein or carbs (with eat toast but no potatoes, pasta rice or beans - or meat fish eggs). This has given me a few more ideas to try as well. Thanks.

why would your dh not let your ds eat rice with his hands?

nailpolish > dh is very picky about clean eating habits! i think he would see it as 'not clean'.

Children are by definition not clean.

Yes, you want him eating with a spoon and fork in the long run, but they do tend to use their hands more than they "ought" to, in the meantime.

NQC> :nods: but i cant let ds eat sometimes with his hands and other times not let him... (unless its fingerfoods)... meh!!!

lunarx - my ds won't eat pasta, rice or couscous unless they are small amounts well mixed into something else (bolognese sauce, chicken casserole etc) then it goes onto the spoon in nice stodgy lumps.

He also stopped eating potato in any form except smiley faces, and I'm not sure they're real potato anyway , but he will now eat potato, carrot and parsnip mashed well together and rolled into little balls, dipped in flour and fried. I cook a big batch and freeze them. Worth a try?

nailpolish> i agree, if he ate it, that would be great.. but... shrugs mmmm. worms!!!

ohh good idea, gladbag, will have to try that..!:) thanks:)