Here it is, folks. Although, looking back, it probably would have been much easier to create a list of foods that younger toddlers SHOULDN’T eat. (1. Peanuts 2. Honey – and there you go! Thanks for visiting, Good Night and Good Luck!)
Fruit (almost all types were mentioned)
Steamed vegetables
Quesadillas
Cheese, cheese and MORE CHEESE (Wito says HELL YEAH.)
Yogurt
Beans
Annie’s Mac & Cheese
Various Pastas
Chunks of Rotisserie chicken
Meatballs
Scrambled eggs
Frozen whole wheat waffles
Applesauce
Creamy peanut butter (no history of family food allergies)
Cream cheese/jelly on flat bread
Chicken nuggets
Gnocchi
Sweet potato
Grilled cheese
Boca burgers
Hamburger
Ravioli
Spaghetti-O’s
Oatmeal
Edamame
Tofu
Hummus (all different kinds)
Cooked sushi rolls
Leftover stir-fries and curries
Rice
Couscous
Earth’s Best Organic cheese crackers
YoBaby Yogurt (Wito loves the kind with fruit and cereal mixed in, but he requests that I sing, “Yo Baby Yo Baby YO!” every time. Or maybe it’s just me.)
Organic Greens With Envy from Trader Joes
Tater Tots
Pirate’s Booty
String cheese
Chef Boyardee microwaveables
Corn bran cereal (look out below!)
Thinly-sliced deli meat
Roasted veggies
Turkey burgers
Guacamole
Green beans
LEFTOVERS (from the night before! DUH.)
Please leave any other ideas in the comments section. Thanks for everyone’s input!
On to much more important stuff, like mah hair. According to my handy-dandy poll counter, I will be venturing into bang territory. Of course my hair stylist is in Mexico, so my appointment isn’t until next Thursday, giving me plenty of time to look through magazines and change my mind daily. However, this is a democracy people! You speak and I listen! Bangs, here I tentatively come! (Although, if they are ugly, it’s totally your fault.)
Pritters
August 23, 2007 at 7:49 amLet me add one more – Rice-a-Roni with Tofu and Extra Veggies. Here’s what you do – cook up a box of chicken flavored rice-a-roni (or whatever flavor you think your son will like – my daughter liked chicken) then slice a block of firm tofu into 1/2 inch squares. Toss the tofu squares into the rice-a-roni while it’s simmering. Then toss a bag of frozen peas and carrots in there. Not only does it triple the quantity but it cuts the salt and adds protein! It’s soft enough to eat and you can freeze the rest in small plastic containers.
Of course, he might also like just tofu squares.
Natalie 42
August 23, 2007 at 8:04 amQUOTE—“YoBaby Yogurt (Wito loves the ones with fruit and cereal mixed in, but he requests that I sing, “Yo Baby Yo Baby YO!†every time. Or maybe it’s just me.)”
So not just you! I was a nanny to a 1 year old a couple of years ago and thats totally how I got him to eat his yogurt!! “Yo baby! *awesome dance moves* Yo baby! *awesome dance moves* YO! YO! Yo baby! *running man*” He laughed his ass off and thats when I would move in with the spoon full of yogurt. I felt like such a supah star in front of that kid *day dreams* gah, good times.
metalia
August 23, 2007 at 8:13 amLOVE the list; you kick ass, Miss Whoorl. I have one more idea to add, though it may fall into the category of Boca Burgers; T loooves pretty much all of the Morningstar Farms patties/cutlets/nuggets, particularly the Chik Patties and the Portobello Mushroom Patties. As do I. :)
P.S.- YAY for bangs!
LVGurl
August 23, 2007 at 8:20 am“…so my appointment isn’t until next Thursday, giving me plenty of time to look through magazines and change my mind daily.”
That totally made me laugh! I’m that way too. If I decide I want to do something new, it sure as heck better happen IMMEDIATELY because I will change my mind back and forth, over and over.
andrea
August 23, 2007 at 8:21 amYou and your lists are awesome! I am so excited to have all sorts of new things to try feeding this kid, the Yo-Baby and watermelon diet was getting a little old.
I can’t wait to see the bangs. I asked for bangs months ago and my stylist flatly refused my request. Apparently short foreheads and long sweeping bangs don’t go well together. I am still considering cheating on her and getting it done someplace else, but deep down I know she might just be right.
Sundry
August 23, 2007 at 8:40 amHey look! It’s a near-complete list of things my son won’t eat! SIGH.
winterwheat
August 23, 2007 at 8:59 amThis is wonderful! Thanks for posting.
I’d like to add cubed polenta, as well as diced Gardenburgers, as both are healthy and easy-peasy to prepare, although the latter produce dragonlike garlic breath that’s very disconcerting in a toddler.
180/360
August 23, 2007 at 9:06 amI didn’t comment earlier because my children pretty much only eat cheese or things with cheese on it. I just hope that Anders isn’t as picky as my little non-vegetable eating vegetarians. It is so frustrating feeding them the same things over and over.
BeachMama
August 23, 2007 at 9:26 amYour list is double what J will actually eat at four years old! Although when he was one he ate double that list so you may find the same thing happen.
Yay for the bangs. It will be so exciting to see what finally happens.
Danielle
August 23, 2007 at 10:01 amYo, baby, Yo, baby, YO! are the exact same lyrics I chant when we consume that delicious stuff. Too funny.
Rattling The Kettle
August 23, 2007 at 10:29 amMy kid’s pediatrician told me that there is no reason not to give raw sushi to toddlers over 1, as long as you feel safe eating raw fish at your sushi bar. And, you know, if you don’t feel safe eating raw fish at your sushi bar, you probably shouldn’t feel safe eating cooked sushi there, either.
My kid’s dinner options consist of “whatever we’re all having that night”, and that’s the way it’s been since he popped out his first molars (such that he could then chew properly).
Unless Wito has shown susceptibility to food-born allergies, there really isn’t anything you shouldn’t give him, and the greater variety of flavors you give him, the greater the likelihood that he will not end up being a picky eater.
I would caution against prepared “convenience” foods like Chef Boyardee, spaghetti-o’s, etc. These products are chock full of salt and sugars. Kids tend to dig these simple flavors (because of the high sugar content), but this comes at a price – low nutritional value, and increased rejection of “real” food that has a more complex flavor profile.
Instead of opening a can of spaghetti-o’s, just boil some pasta and make a quick sauce by sauteeing some onions and garlic and adding some tomato paste and a splash of balsamic vinegar. It will barely take any more time than reheating the prepared stuff, it will be more nutritious, and will expose your child to more interesting flavors. A toddler that grows up on reheated canned foods is going to end up a child that only eats at McDonalds.
Sorry for the overly long comment.
Lyndsay
August 23, 2007 at 10:30 amSo – I guess everybody has their own Yo Baby song/dance? Hank’s version is (like the high school cheer) “Yo baby, yo baby, yo baby, yo! You got to be a Hanky or you got to go!” And then it’s stuck in my head ALL DAY.
Audrey
August 23, 2007 at 11:10 amThank you!! I won’t need this for a while yet, but I’m printing it out and putting it somewhere safe…
chirky
August 23, 2007 at 11:15 amMaybe your readers should vote on whether I should chop my hair super-short, super-curly, or leave it long and super-wavy-curlyish.
AngelaF
August 23, 2007 at 12:59 pmI am totally going to put this list on my fridge. Thanks!
I have another question: do you chop things up into very tiny bites or just let Wito gnaw away? We chop everything into small pieces, but then we can only give Jackson a few at a time because he just keeps shoving it in his mouth. He looks iike a chipmunk with all the food in his mouth, and he says “Maaa?” (which I am guessing is “More” since he also points to the highchair tray). How do you explain ‘chewing your food and swallowing’ to an 11 month old? I am so paranoid that he is going to choke.
Also, do you cut blueberries in half when you feed them to him? I am paralyzed with indecision!