What are some toddler lunch and dinner meal ideas? I want to give my little one more variety and don’t want her to get bored of the same things. She is a year and a half and is a great eater, but I just want some quick and easy ideas. Thanks!
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Mac and cheese, pb&j, fresh fruit, pancakes, oatmeal, eggs, spaghetti, and hot dogs are just a few…I did blw and gave my girls
whatever we ate just cut up so they wouldn’t choke
Feed her what you eat…just cut into small pieces
Fruit,cheese & crackers, sandwiches,pasta dishes, cheese/pizza scrolls,sausage rolls these are some off my 20 month old favs
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Whatever you decide to give her, make sure its cut up small enough she won’t chock. Watch the sodium % and try to avoid processed meat. Basically she can have what you have
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Give her some real food not that cheap easy to fix processed garbage
My kids all ate whatever we ate just of course cut up alot smaller
My son is 14 months and usually just eats what we do but deconstructed. He likes small pieces he can pick up and touch and feed himself. It’s messy but he eats better than being fed with a spoon.
My son gets what we eat, sausages and veggies, spaghetti Bolognese, he loves butter chicken and rice, fruit especially berries lately, he loves carbonara atm, cheese and crackers,
Anything we ate, she ate…like everyone else is saying, small bites. It’s better to offer all kinds of textures and flavors…I would let my daughter eat (not too)spicy food also. You will know best what works for you kid…and what you are comfortable with!
Fruits and veggies. There are also chicken nuggets that contain vegetables. Make those and cut them up for little fingers to grab easier. Cut up hot dogs, French fries cooked in the air fryer, little finger sandwiches.
Pasta, meat in small bites, ( not hotdogs, due to choking hazard) rice with veggies mixed in. If I recall, no peanut butter until 2 ( allergic reactions possibly)
Mac and cheese with cut up hot dogs, some fruits cut up and juice boxes or even cheese and crackers or what they are wanting. Dinner what the family is having just in smaller portion…
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fruits and vegies start early they will eat them thru out the rest of their life grilled cheese pasta
Spaghetti with little meatballs lunch meat with crackers applesauce you could make cheese quesadillas cut them up into small pieces you could use ground beef with cheese melted or cut up chicken to give it variety you could do lettuce wraps with any type of meat apple slices
Feed her what ever you like to eat don’t forget things like vegetables fish chicken beef etc
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Don’t forget soups also…
My son does not like mushy foods. The best thing he likes is fresh and raw veggies and fruit. Now that he is older he still does not like mushy foods. I’m just glad he does not like candy, he perfers fresh fruit and veggies. Try fixing things they like, both raw and cooked. Gives them the option to try.
At that age my kiddos like frozen waffles with peanut butter and applesauce. Super quick, easy, and yummy
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Just give her what the family is eating, don’t over do with adding lots of different food at once, if a food is going to cause an allergic reaction you want know which one may be the problem, just add any type of new food on her plate without a production, make sure everyone else has the same food and start eating, everyone has different taste and react to texture differently, it may take a while to get use to a food, if your child doesn’t like something today, don’t worry they may like it in a few weeks, just don’t force them to eat something they don’t want, that will cause a situation where they may never eat it.
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My 19onth old eats what the family is eating. Usually at lunch time its a little more of a whatever you want kind of meal. Peanut butter and jelly is a favorite choice but is unusually followed by a bath!
She asked for ideas not “feed what everyone else is eating”. My kid loves all food and eats everything but eats meals at different times than us due to work and daycare and bedtimes.
Ideas my 18 month old loves: •frozen broccoli florets, steamed
•frozen peas, steamed
•Frozen corn, steamed
•raw sweet bell peppers in thin strips (red, orange or yellow)
•organic roasted chicken lunch meat rolled around mozzarella cheese sticks (shred into smaller strings)
•I make whole wheat quesadillas with a smear of hummus under the cheese for an added nutrient
•I blend kale, beets, spinach and fresh fruit together and then mix with plain Greek yogurt and freeze in small discs for frozen yogurt bites
•my baby loves plain Greek yogurt with blueberries or strawberries chopped in
•rotisserie chicken shredded, chopped grapes, chopped apples, with a small amount of mayonnaise on whole wheat crackers
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My 3 year has an amazing palate lol. I have just always fed him off my plate. Plus it is sorta of a diet for Momma.
He has been eating Indian, Mexican, Asian and mostly vegtable since 9 months.
His only fast food experience is McDonald’s French fries, which he may get 1 times a month.
Just feed them was you eat, don’t baby it down!
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Fresh or steamed veggies with a yogurt dip are great for snack or sides. Same dip for fresh fruits too. Small pita pockets are just the right size for little ones. Put small amounts of egg, chicken or tuna salad inside. Watch the sodium and sugar amounts in prepared foods. Don’t get upset of they don’t eat. Just keep offering different foods. You’ve got this!
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Roast up some sweet potato and butternut squash cubes. Lightly coat with olive oil. Roast 40 min in a 400degree oven.
Cooked ham lunch meat is low salt and low fat with cheese sticks, toasted cheese dunked in tomato soup, pb&j, celery and pb, Mac and cheese, cut up fruit, applesauce, chicken and green beans, wedding soup, ravioli…
My DIL gave small protein meat sizes (Turkey, chicken) but would use organic beans and peas, lots of fruit, avocado, sweet potato cubes, pasta made with veggies. No dipping sauces, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, and rices.
Give her what everyone else is eating woth the rest of the family. She has teeth and so-called “baby food” is quite unnecessary (actually, it never was). Vegetables can be cooked to tenderness, but overcooking leeches colour, flavour, and nutrients. Fruit is better than juice. For a snack or lite lunch try cream cheese & honey as a graham cracker sandwich or on bread.
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I know a young mother that feeds her kids nothing but fast food taco hell and McDonald’s because she’s to lazy to learn how to cook. I googled healthy easy meals for children who’s mothers can’t cook and gave it to her. It really had some great ideas. Might try that
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My son loves variety, he’s 6. I make him bento style lunches. I’m big on healthy food in my home. I’ll do a fruit, crackers, rolled Turkey, cheese sticks, Turkey jerky, baby carrots, pretzels. I pack him only a little bit of everything, he loves it. Really really good ideas on Pinterest. I’m oddly grossed out at what people feed their kids. Frozen food, Chicken Nuggets and Mac and cheese shouldn’t always be on their plates. Give them things they grow with, always have a veggie and fruit.
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Feed whatever you’re eating. For snacks my 2 year old gets fresh veggies and fruits… Cherry tomatoes (halved), avocado, mushrooms, berries, peaches, etc. He loves whole peeled apples. My 6 year old loves all veggies asparagus, brussel sprouts, squash… Hates mashed potatoes though. 
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At that age my daughter wouldn’t touch anything but macaroni and chicken nuggets about 99% of the time. Sometimes she’d eat carrots or celery with ranch, but I’d feed her whatever I could get her to eat. Now she’s 12 and will eat pretty much anything. My son is 3 and he likes cheesy everything, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, strawberries, apples, granola bars, eggs, pancakes, waffles, chicken, pork chops. He’s not a big veggie person but he’ll eat green beans sometimes or if the veggies are mixed in with dinner he’ll eat them no problem. I have a 5 bite rule in my house for all my kids. Take 5 bites (if a new meal) and if you still don’t like it that’s fine. My older 3 are 16, 12, and 11 so they can fix their own food but they have to wait until those of us who like dinner are finished and the table is cleared. I look on Pinterest a lot and have found some great ideas for dinners.
That’s what I did with all five of my kids, gave them what the family was eating but I cut them up into smaller pieces so she/he wouldn’t choke. No reason to give yourself more work. She would probably also expect it as she gets older that you would fix her something if she doesn’t like or want what you already made.
My grandson likes dinosaur shaped chicken. He will pretty much eat anything that doesn’t eat him first😂
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My kis loved sloppy joes at that age, pasta, they ate what we ate. Cut up finely.
Gave my kids Mac and Cheese (among other foods) and threw in some peas so it was hopefully a little more healthy. Never stressed too much about it…my kids are grown and have always loved all foods. My daughter has even said in response to the question of what is her favorite food …answer = food LOL
As long as you have no allergies
*All friuts and veggies as long as cut in small chewable peices
*Crackers and cream cheese( some add jelly to cream cheese for other flavors the stores can’t offer)
- cottage cheese
- anything you eat but smaller portions
My parents never made anything different from what they were eating. Just cut it small.
When my daughters were little I didn’t make anything special for them. I made dinner and was sure to put a variety of foods on the table. I then gave them a little bit of everything that I made. If they didn’t like it they didn’t have to eat it. (One prefers breads, one prefers meat and one prefers fruits and veggies but they all eat most foods)
I also made foods my husband liked but I didn’t. (I was a picky eater as a kid. As an adult I’m much less picky but not near as open as my husband)
If my kids questioned why I wasn’t eating something, I always said bc I think it’s yucky but daddy thinks it’s yummy. What do you think?
They would most definitely try it to weigh in.
As adults, they all like their candy, sweets and sodas but they also equally enjoy healthy foods.
Just be sure to cut things in bites small enough for them.
I also gave them a spoon at every meal. Even when they were too little to use it. (When they were really young I gave them plastic kids silverware)
I also didn’t worry too much about messes (provided we were eating in our home) bc children wash (and the dog cleaned up big messes while the vacuum got the rest)
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How about a half a grilled cheese with some steamed broccoli applesauce or some fruit
My 1 1/2 year old grandson loves parfaits with yogurt, berries and a crushed up granola bar for lunch.
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Peas and carrots from can.
Mac & cheese.
Grilled cheese
Mandarin oranges
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Have you ever seen the little breads they have for parties?? These are cool to make sandwiches for toddlers
My goodness, if she is hungry she will eat what you put in front if her, just roll with the punches, dont stress the little things, mac and cheese, tom soup and pasta, grilled chicken, whatever you eat she will
Cut up a cold hotdogs spear with uncooked spaghetti noodles and boil now get what my niece calls octodogs. I usually make a cheese sauce but you could use anything
Dried cheerios, raisins, yogurt, peanut butter & honey on crackers or as half a sandwich, cherry tomatoes sliced, carrots, green beans, kiwi, strawberries, bananas, peanut butter roast/waffle
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Fish sticks sausage links chicken nuggets or cut up chicken you’re having Mac n cheese grilled cheese .cut up veggies carrots celery fresh fruit bananas grapes peaches plenty milk water.
I’m 69. My boys ate whatever I had in smaller portions and manageable sizes. They’re all in their 40s now and raised their kids the same. Lots of fruit and veggies.
Same as everyone --unless the meal is too spicy—if only making lunch for toddler—mac & cheese, banana and p.butter, fruit cups, macaroni and butter, mashed potatoes and peas, and for desert----cinnamon toast, rice pudding, jello. There’s lots to choose from.
Go with what the house eat. At the very least it’ll give everyone variety and make you conscious of what you’re eating
For the ones telling her to feed her what everyone eats… Maybe she is the only one eating. I don’t usually eat lunch so I would just be cooking for the little one🤷
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My grandson loves chicken fries, mac and cheese, yogurt, my goulash, ham, bacon, carrots, corn, noodles, chicken nuggets.
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Cut up chicken Vienna sausage, cheese, black olives and grapes.
chicken strips, fish sticks, fruit and jello cups, fresh fruit,
Feed her what everyone is eating at 1 an half she should be able to eat everything. I have an 8 month and she can eat everything but no chips. I just all her stuff up. No problem. I would you make a big deal, out of what she can eat.
Pouches chickie nuggies just whatever they eat. Don’t think to much into it it’ll drive you nutz
Serve the same stuff everyone else is having. Don’t start the habit of giving special food.
Cut up strawberries, bananas etc and pour melted Nutela over…its good alone or over waffles
Go down the baby food isle they have different size groups of food in a tray
Grilled cheese with green beans.
I get TV dinners. Lots of variety and still a hot meal
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Our toddlers ate what we ate.
What are you eating? Are you bored?! Do you have variety? Serve that
Chicken and sweet potato fries
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My Grandson loves Mac and Cheese, Broccoli, Uncrustables, pizza, pancakes, scrambled eggs with ketchup
Feed her whatever you are eating unless you want her to become a picky eater…
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Homemade mac n cheese
I agree to feeding them what you eat with caution. mush really good
Feed her what you are eating.
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My son loved grilled cheese
Anything she will eat with her fingers
Google will give you some good ideas for different meals.
Anything that everyone else eats
What you serve, they eat. It’s not a restaurant.
You can get cutters and cut fruits and veggies into fun shapes.
My grandson used to love quesadillas
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Feed them what you’re eating, otherwise you’ll be making multiple meals for picky eaters.
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The worst mistake we make is giving them what we like. Give them a variety of foods, even the things you don’t like or eat…
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Pinterest has a tuns of ideas
Things people don’t often think of: chick peas, other canned beans, edamame. Simple, tasty, easy to fix, can’t choke on them, nutritious and easy to pick up with little fingers. Felafel, tofu (soak cubes in whatever she likes: soy sauce, chicken broth, or apple juice were my kids’ favorites). Hummous and baba ghanouj. Refried beans. Zucchini or other cooked squash.
Whole grains like barley, brown rice, quinoa, grain medleys. Some come in those 90-second microwave packs, and for quinoa, just put it in boiling water and take off the stove for 10-15 minutes to cook. Add gravy or other sauce if you want. Also any hot cereal like grits or oatmeal (get plain & add fruit, syrup, or honey vs the nasty sweeteners in flavored ones). Cream of Wheat is OK too, but kids get too much wheat already. Chex cereals in addition to Cheerios.
Also just cut up food small and cook anything hard to soften it, depending on how many teeth she has. Get her eating vegetables early on so she learns to like them. Getting to dip them in salad dressing, cheese or other sauce can help. Introduce lots of different foods. It can take up to seven times of introducing a new food for a child to learn to like it. It’s rarely a problem to get kids to eat fruits or other sweet or salty things.
You can also hide vegetables in other foods: grated carrots, zucchini, chopped bell peppers, and/or spinach/greens in tomato sauce, cauliflower mashed with potatoes (sweet potatoes are more nutritious than white: I combine them), yellow squashes in mac n cheese, any vegetables puréed in broth with cream makes nutritious soup. Toss in some whole grain, seeded/sprouted bread in soup to thicken it up and make it easier for her to spoon it up.
Go for organic, no-antibiotic, no hormone, grass fed meats if possible. I know it’s more expensive, but just use less. You’ll be doing her (and yourself!) a favor. I for one don’t need growth hormones to help me grow fatter! Pesticides accumulate in the body over time, and by giving all our beef and poultry preventative antibiotics (even if they don’t need them) we are creating superbugs.
I heard of one family who used reverse psychology to punish their child by saying, “No salad for you!” Now she adores salad.
I used the Gerber graduates meals my kiddos and grandbabiss loved them.
Feed them what you are eating. Just smaller portions cut up appropriately
We buy a lot of different steam able vegetables the frozen kind. Also buy lightly breaded green beans or zucchini fries instead of giving them French fries. We do a lot of chicken nuggets and mac n cheese as well. We try to make our own chicken nuggets and keep them frozen as well as banana pancakes made on a smile face pan and freeze them them pop them in the toaster to serve. Our kids tend to eat what I’m eating they prefer my plate lol the also LOVE greek yogurt the light and fit with the crunchy stuff or without. They love cottage cheese too well my daughter not my son
Egg salad, home made lunchables(meat, cheese, crackers), pb&j (bread or tortilla), cheese n meat quesadilla, eggs, nuggets, chicken salad, tuna sammich or with crackers and cucumbers.
I usually just give my kid, 2 year old, whatever we are eating. I just cut it up so he doesn’t choke.
My daughter loves kielbasa cooked on the George Foreman grill with macaroni and cheese and brussel sprouts
Veggie fingers,stew,casserole,veggie one or meat of your choice
My kids love fruit and raw veggies, mozz sticks, cottage cheese, homemade pizza mini bagels, buttered macaroni, frozen raw peas by the bowl full, fresh berries, apples grated when very little, homemade applesauce, canned peaches cut into piece, mandarins, rice with butter, French toast, homemade waffles. McDonalds and fast food were a treat not a steady diet.
Sloppy Joe’s with frozen spinach mixed in. I worked at a daycare and they had no clue. They loved it! Always have a staple on the table, like grapes and carrots 
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Whatever your eating unless u want a picky eater
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Be careful with meat cut in very small pieces, but yes the whole families eat the same just. put a little on their plate .
Fish sticks and French fries
How about deviled eggs? For the filling I mash the yolk and mix it with plain, organic yogurt and agave (natural sweetener). If you boil the eggs in advance, preparation time is minimal.