>>>>Please make me a list of foods your toddlers love>>>

[mumtodd]

Hi, my 15 month old dd has a tiny appetite. She eats very little of anything - fruit, veg, bread, meat etc. It's not that she seems to really dislike anything in particular but maybe I just haven't found what she really likes. I'm planning a big shop to try out new things and need some ideas. Please help.

my 2 year old and 11 month old eat the usual things, spaghetti bolognese, sausage and mash and veg, jacket potatoes, boiled eggs, homemade pizza.
I have found with DS1, who is more fussy that when it comes to meat, he won't eat anything that's come off a joint of meat, but thread it on to skewer and call it a kebab and he'll eat it, particularly likes chicken marinated in tomato sauce and soy sauce and minted lamb.
Also corn on the cob is a winner...also having the novelty factor.
I do find my 2 yo is more likely to eat things if he is involved in making it.

if she is not refusing food though and isn't showing a dislike for anything, it may be that she's just got a small apetite, at the moment. I have often wondered how my ds survives on what he eats, but then he is going through a phase of eating me out of house and home at the moment.

Thanks Mabel. I am trying not to worry about it. She has loads of energy but has been looking a bit pale the last few days. She has also gotten quite thin. SHe hasn't lost weight as such but has got taller without putting weight on. I asked hv a few weeks ago and she said it is probably because she is teething but I am getting worried that she doesn't eat enough to get the iron and vitamins she needs.

my 18 month old had a small appetite too. But he is not thin - don't know where he gets it from soemwhere, milk probably!

[this is what he ate yesterday] raisens, toast and marmite, hot cross bun with butter and marmalade, cheese, banana, fruit puree, pesto pasta, pine nuts, chicken pieces, brocoli, blackberrys and custard.

any pasta he loves - feeds himself it (has been a very lazy self feeder, no BLW for him!). he also eats yogurt drinks with a straw, corn on cob, potatos in sauce eg casserole type thing, smoked salmon, mackerel, salmon

i give him the same as us and only adapt what we have a bit - for example wouldn't do a salad for tea cos I know he wouldn't eat that. Jacket pots with fillings are another good one - pack them with some cheese and maybe mackerel and double cook them - v. good for you i'd have thought
hope this helps

I think this is very common, I have started a thread on here in the past saying my 2 yo hardly eats anything, and when some other mums came back with what their lo's ate, it made my DS look like he was eating quite well.
Toddlers can survive on surprsingly little food, if you are that worried, the best thing to do is keep a diary of everything she eats for a week or 2, it'll either put your mind at rest or if you are still worried, you can show it to your HV and get her advice. but believe i don't think it's anything to worry about. Just make sure you give her plenty of variety and don't fall in to the trap of giving her just meals that you know she will eat as i think that's how fussy eater are created. hope this helps

Tuna pasta, spag bol, burgers, sausages, mashed potatoes, bananas, grapes, raisins, nectarines, peaches, plums, cucumber (well chews and often spits out) same with celery, strips of peppers, veg, cous cous, pitta breads with cheese in them (slightly melted too - like mini pizzas), toast, muffins, crumpets, little sandwiches, crisps if he gets the chance!
Basically all the normal stuff but what i found on occassions with my DS is that he would only want small amounts of things, but a wide selection, so almost like 4 or 5 little courses.

HTH

If you're concerned about vitamins etc. you could try a supplement?
My DS has fortunately always been a good eater favs include - pasta and grated cheese, mac cheese with bacon, hummous and grated carrot pitta sandwiches, stir fry, pizza, pineapple/nectarine/strawb/ cut up in bite size chunks, yoghurt drinks with a straw, trifle, meatballs, soup...

I've found he loves to eat with his hands and prefers foods he can do this with. His friend has a very restricted diet and when we have lunch he barely eats anything! He prefers to snack than sit down to meals but despite the food differences you can't see a difference in their behavior/build/energy!

Thanks. I might give the corn on the cob a try. I love it myself and she likes to be independent and she could hold it herself. Do you think a 15 month old with 4 teeth could manage it?
Also in terms of bread has anyone any suggestions. She nibbles at brown toast and has eaten little bits of brown soda bread but maybe if there was a softer maybe sweeter one she would eat more. She is allergic to egg though so couldn't have egg in it.
She loves to self feed - any finger food ideas? Tried fruit, cheese but didn't eat much.

how about malt loaf, or homemade scones, ihave made some with apple in before which were lovely.
Everything is finger food in our house, as DS2 eats the same meals as DS1, but has to eat it with his hands as he can't use cutlery yet.
I cut all his veg into strips he can pick up, he has pasta shells and pesto, which are easy to pick up, little sandwhiches, potato wedges.

Worrying about the same thing with my 15 month DD! Toasted pitta is good, bread sticks , homemade bread if you have a machine, grannie's scones and pancakes, nan bread all in small amounts. Think my one is teething again - nappies to prove it! Sometimes needs a spoon of natural yoghurt to getting her going with her main course. Some days eats well some days not - but I think that is toddlers for you.

Pretty much guaranteed success with:
sweetcorn
sausages
pasta in sainsbury's tomato and mascapone sauce
yoghurt
tinned fruit
puree fruit ( either home pureed or bought in little tubs eg Organix etc)
weetabix
Sainsburys salmon fishcake

At that age, my DS liked things he could pick up himself: slices of fruit and veg like avocado, cucumber, apple, pear; pasta spirals or tubes, potatoes (especially small new potatoes), breadsticks; cubes or little pieces of cheese ham, chicken, smoked salmon, fish fingers; things needing a spoon that were popular were full fat plain yogurt, quite thick veg or lentil soups, rice pudding, porridge.

What Nip says! I used to put a wide variety of little bits and pieces on a big plate so he could graze at will.

Dd2 16 months likes
Sausages
Broccli
Carrots
Any form of potato
Chicken
Ham
sweat potato
butternut squash

Anything realy apart from yoghurt and not to keen on sweat things

Dd1 is very fussy, she likes
baked beans
sausages
fish
no veg
Some fruit (mainly berries)

cubes of cheese
slices of ham
banana chopped with yoghurt on top
grapes
any veg - she likes coliflower with cheese sauce
fruit flakes
custard
chicken nuggets
sausage rolls
pork sausage
corn on the cob
edges of the toast
pasta
tuna with melted cheese on toast
scones
butternut with creamed corn on top

My DD also 15months

Toast- with jam, marmite, soft cheese, or peanut butter

Breakfast cereals - bitesize shredded wheat, weetabix, bran flakes, cornflakes

roasted vegetables - especially carrot
pasta with any tomato based pasta sauce
stir fry with noodles
risotto (vegetable, pea, or celery)
fish fingers
eggs-boiled, scrambled
frittata
homemade curry
yorkshire pudding/toad in the hole
chilli and rice
pizza
soup
beans
spinach lasagne

raisins
dried mango
satsumas, clementines
banana

smoothies
fromage frais
organix fruit pots

DS is 2 btw

Cheese omelettes cut into strips
Cheese on toast
Coleslaw
bananas
pasta with chicken and sweetcorn
Sandwiches

To be honest, they all eat very little at this age, it can be very tiresome.

Corn on the cob - cut it into wheels.

My dd won't eat much meat but will eat happily -

corn on the cob
cheese
chorizo!?
mackerel!?
berries
bananas
apples
raisins
cashew nuts
kidney beans!?
courgettes
pasta
rice
beans
carrots
chocolate - of course
any breakfast cereal

but WON'T EAT
citrus fruit
meat
tomatoes
yoghurt
soup
butternut squash

They are such funny fish at this age and change their likes/dislikes daily. I find a very long walk helps build up their appetite!

Thanks everyone. I got a few new ideas here. I think part of the problem is that i am still a bit hesitant about what is ok to give her and what is not. Ham for example, I thought it might be too salty but I see a lot of you give it so I am going to relax a bit and give it a try. Also because she was late getting teeth - 15 months and only 4 teeth, 2 which she got this weekend - I'm not sure what she can manage.