finger food recipes for toddler pls. now desperate!

[mfea]

I am would be so grateful if you could pls share some finger food recipes or suggest a good website or book.

My DS is 15 months and very picky. He only eats tortilla, chicken goujons, a few carrot barons and a little bit of cream cheese on toast. He would happily scoff hot cross buns, dried fruit and yogurt until bursting point, but I try to limit to a little each day.

I have definitely relaxed about the situation, as I used to get upset, worked up and anxious. Now I shrug and completely hide the fact that inside I am wailing, EAT!! He refuses to be spoon food, and most often if I try a different finger food he spits it out.

However, I am not a good cook! Nor am I imaginative in the kitchen. So if anyone has any recipes.... thank you!!

Just feed him what you feed yourself, in finger food sizes. It doesn't have to be anything special or different.

In theory... great idea. In practice, not realistic for us.

We eat at different times (his lunch at 11.45, dinner at 5.15pm) and my food is not suitable for him given he will only feed himself with his fingers e.g. soup and jacket potatos

Why can't he eat a jacket potato? Cut it up into chunks.

And I agree with JoyfulPuddle. Either you adapt to him or adapt him to you. He's much more likely to eat if you eat with him.

NB: No scientific basis for my last sentence, but I find it to be true with all of the kids I personally know.

Thanks for responses appreciate it.

Any good recipes?!

My DS has a taste for spinach and goats cheese tart - shop bought pastry, frozen spinach in boiling water for 2/3 mins, dump on pastry, crumble on fresh hoard cheese, bake until pastry is cooked. Can also be done with other vegetables/cheeses.

this book si good

Crudities of any raw or steamed veg
Boiled eggs
Penne pasta with sauce
meatballs
fish cakes
Any bread product cut into shapes
Falafels
soups, sauces and dips, use raw veg or bread to dip/scoop it up. Things like home made--hummus, guacamole, baba ganoush, lentil based soups.
Home made chicken/fish fingers.

Brilliant! Thanks

Just put DS down for nap and I had to post ASAP as very excited!

Lunch was the biggest success for months! Thanks so much for the recipe for the spinach and cheese pastry. I did not have time to make so whilst we were out I popped into Marks and got something very similar. DS wolfed it down! I intend to make this evening. Whilst I was at Marks I also bought some corned beef crispbakes, I cooked it thinking that unlikely he would eat. He ate almost a whole one and accepted me fork-feeding him and even got a few mouthfuls in himself using the fork! Finally finishing off with a fistful of carrot batons.

He went down for his nap utterly stuffed, with a very happy mama!

I found at one point that almost anthing that can be mashed can be spread on toast, so dont think you have to stick to conventional spreads. I did sweetpotato and beef, also cheesy veg.

My 14 month old DS eats for snacks: grapes, blueberries (which he loves!) toast fingers, cheese sticks, Goodies' oat bars, apple wedges and satsumas :)

I've found that my 7 month old DD prefers things that have a strong taste and / or an interesting texture, which goes against the sort of information you hear from weaning books etc advising you to start with bland creamy goo.

She has zero interest in yoghurt, fruit or veggy mush etc. But she goes arm-flappingly bonkers for sardines smeared on toast, pesto pasta, lumps of steak, extra mature cheese, garlic bread, mushrooms, olive bread, goats cheese and rocket muffins etc. I get a lot of tutting from other parents (esp. the older generation) but f**k it, if she enjoys it, why not? I wouldn't want to eat bland creamy goo either.

Totally agree that it definitely helps to eat with your kiddy even if it means eating two meals! Maybe have a little snack with your DS then slightly less for your main meal - might make a big difference?

Steamed or microwaved broccoli is a big hit, by the way. My DD seems to like the bobbly bits. Also asparagus tips.

I love this book, it has helped me loads since I started weaning DD. The recipes are easy but there's lots of variety, it also covers really basic stuff like how to grill fish etc which I had somehow entered my adult life without knowing.

My DD also loves strong tastes, pasta with pesto is her absolute favorite (and very quick to make).

Could you alter your eating times to eat with your DS? Might make eating the food more normal for him if you're doing it too. Sometimes I just eat a tiny portion of dinner with my DD, then eat another small portion of food with DP when he comes home.

Thanks for all your thoughtful responses.

Well, since literally the day I posted, there has been a major turn around in DS eating. My boy is a big boy and had eaten really well but those couple of weeks of eating little and picky worried me hugely. Turns out he really was quite poorly with a chest infection.

He is now scoffing chicken Kievs, meat pies, fish pie, veg, scrambled egg, fruit... everything I out in front of him.

Thank you for offering advise when I was worried.

Yay, glad to hear it.
Dd won't be spoon fed - cue scrambled egg scattered on the table for her to pick at, mushy stuff spread on toast to feed herself. Latest fave is eggy bread (beat an egg, smother bread in it, fry). She also likes strong flavours and won't eat emmental since having tried extra mature cheddar...