Feeding toddlers & bigger kids (at the same time)

[Aubrey]

So...tots can't handle snacks like baby carrots or ants on a log. They try to bite the carrot & give up, leaving it...wherever. They lick the pb off the celery, & abandon the celery.

 

3yo is starting to eat some salads, but she still can't handle a lettuce wrap. 2yo just makes a mess of these.

 

Bigs will eat all of the above & basically whatever I serve. So...I want to feed them better w/out serving "preschool" food to all 4. But if 2yo's eating crackers, the bigs aren't going to be as happy about carrots, kwim? And 2yo's not going to say, "No thank you, I think I'll wait until the next meal," if I serve baby carrots. He'll carrot-slime the walls & run around crying & pull everythign he can find out of the pantry, fridge, etc.

 

Once they'll all eat everything, I think I know what to do. When they all ate preschool food...well...there were less of them. I don't remember. :lol:

 

How do I avoid fixing 2-3 different foods ea snack/meal AND avoid ravioli, pbj, mac & cheese, & mess? I've got 1 big who can't stand mac & cheese, anyway, & the other won't eat ravioli. So even caving to the processed foods wouldn't *really* solve the problem.

[vonfirmath]

Cut up apples?

 

Peanut Butter on celery and just expect that the younger ones won't eat the celery.

 

Bananas, grapes

 

Oatmeal

 

Cheese tortillas

 

Oh and all snacks are eaten at the table. No taking the food into other rooms/etc.

[Aubrey]

Cut up apples?

 

Peanut Butter on celery and just expect that the younger ones won't eat the celery.

 

Bananas, grapes

 

Oatmeal

 

Cheese tortillas

 

Well, yeah, but...where are the veggies? Pb by itself...doesn't count...as food. Yuck!

 

Oh and all snacks are eaten at the table. No taking the food into other rooms/etc.

 

Yeah. That. There are 4 of them. And the 2 littles like to climb. If they sit here w/ me, they want to climb me. They run around the kitchen. And if we've got school stuff all over the table? Ew. I don't want the pb, spilled water, etc. here.

 

I do clean the table off sometimes. They do have their own table. I do have an only-eat-in-the-kitchen rule. They don't follow it well, though, & I don't enforce it well. :001_huh:

[Mama Geek]

What about cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower?

[vonfirmath]

I guess I don't use vegetables as snacks so I don't tend to think of them?

 

One of our regular summer meals might work for you as a snack -- Corn salad

 

Frozen corn, sliced up tomatoes and red peppers (also works with cucumbers, celery). Italian dressing. Letting sit long enough to thaw. Then eat. Yum!

 

Could you put the pb on celery for older kids and tortillas for younger kids? Cut the tortilla with peanut butter up into bites if your two year old can't handle it.

[Caitilin]

Juice your carrots instead? Then you can have pb on tortillas or whatever, and carrot juice to drink?

[Plink]

I know you said that it doesn't work for you, but at our house everyone eats at the table for every meal/snack - I may need to clean up messes, but at least I know where to find them. Maybe you could put toddlers in chair that is pushed up to a countertop, or set up the kids table in a corner of your kitchen.

 

Put your microwave to use to make big kid snacks more little kid friendly. Celery, carrots, apples and any other fruit or veggie can be quickly cooked to make them softer for the little ones. Plan ahead so you can do all your baby-cooking while preparing breakfast in the morning, then toss it all in the fridge and you won't need to worry about waiting for it to cool either.

 

Everyone can have crackers, cheese sticks, humus, tuna, ground beef, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. To be honest, I haven't found many foods that my toddler won't eat. Even lettuce can be eaten if cut up small enough. Just make sure to plan ahead and cut food into tiny pieces for the little ones. I like to use tiny storage containers to keep individual portions handy.

 

Did I mention that you should plan ahead? ;) Grab and go takes a bit more effort with toddlers.

[vonfirmath]

My son LOVES lettuce (He just turned 3 and loved it at least at the latter end of age 2 as well)

[Aubrey]

I'm sorry--I didn't necessarily mean just for snacks. I guess I'm thinking lunches, too. I don't mind messier foods (like spaghetti) when dh is here to help. Most stuff I serve for dinner is fine w/ everybody, incl littles, & I consider that the meal where I stretch their palettes. (Although I hadn't realized it!)

 

Breakfast is easy, too--they all like all b'fast foods, lol.

 

It's lunches & snacks, I think, that are really getting me. They'll eat turkey-cheese sandwiches, for ex, but the littles will pick off lettuce & tomato, mainly because it's harder to bite & chew, kwim? But they won't touch tuna yet & won't really eat veggies raw. W/ pb or dip--the things people usually suggest to help entice kids--the littles just lick the good stuff off & start over. :tongue_smilie::lol:

[Caitilin]

Maybe you could rethink the format for the veggies? Make carrot and or zucchini muffins, for instance. Serve a grated carrot salad with a sweetish dressing? Make pancakes with cooked squash, or carrots, etc. Hummus was a good suggestion. Don't you do the smoothie thing too? You can hide a lot of veggies in there!

[kesmom]

Cucumbers are hugely popular with my youngest. I get the 3 pack of English cucumbers (they are big) at Sams/Costco for a little over $3.

 

Have you tried cutting baby carrots into quarters? That makes them much more manageable for little teeth.

 

Grape tomatoes

 

Frozen peas

 

Also grated veggies can go in stuff like quesadillas.

[Aubrey]

Maybe you could rethink the format for the veggies? Make carrot and or zucchini muffins, for instance. Serve a grated carrot salad with a sweetish dressing? Make pancakes with cooked squash, or carrots, etc. Hummus was a good suggestion. Don't you do the smoothie thing too? You can hide a lot of veggies in there!

 

We do zucchini & squash bread. LOL--I hadn't counted that as a serving of veggies, but I guess that really isn't fair, is it? Pancakes are brilliant--I've been meaning to try that but had totally forgotten.

 

I bet I could try the carrot-raisin thing. I forget what's in it, but maybe they'd eat it.

 

Hummus gets licked off, too. :D And yes, they will eat any amt of greens in smoothies.

 

I'm just trying to avoid the carb rut: pancakes or bagels or muffins for b'fast, some sort of cracker or muffin for AM snack, sandwich-ish-ness for lunch, pretzel/cracker/something for PM snack--see what I mean? And if it's a chicken nugget night, oh my goodness.

 

Lately we seem to be recycling the same things a lot--since we're packing/filing/looking for a house/etc--but that means that if they eat something not-so-good for lunch & then have those for leftovers that night or for lunch again the next day...well, the repeat magnifies the badness (or goodness!) of whatever I fix. I'm trying to get...better prepared, so it can be more good than bad. :001_smile:

 

Thanks (everybody!) for great ideas!

[vonfirmath]

My son will eat frozen corn/pea/carrot mixes cooked. (Ie I get frozen veggies -- both peas/corn and peas/corn/carrots have all small pieces he's been able to eat on his own for a while) and cook them, then warm them up to go with various meals. SOmetimes he'd rather eat them cold though)

 

Oh and Squash sticks -- Cut up Zucchini squash sticks to eat like carrot sticks for snack. IF they lick off the dip, take the dip away and give just the squash sticks. Dip is a privilege.

 

But Zucchini squash is softer and easier to eat than carrots.

 

Sweet potatoes taste pretty good too. And are really easy to eat. I've only had them baked but I suspect they could be cut into "circles" and done on the stovetop as well.

Edited August 16, 2010 by vonfirmath

[Penelope]

frozen vegetables work well here.

 

As far as eating the sandwich and leaving the vegetables, I give the toddlers less bread so maybe they will be hungrier for the vegetables. And rather than a slice of tomato, I will cut it up in chunks on the side. Chunks of avocado. Half a baked potato with mushed up cauliflower, plus cheese if you do cheese. Applesauce or thinly sliced apples is a good side. My little ones like rice with veggies cooked in it (you can throw some in when the rice cooks). Keep it in the fridge and it is good for a few days of lunches. Mac and cheese could be healthier if you stuff it full of vegetables, even mushed up beans, so that the mac and cheese is just a small part of it.

 

I think toddler food is hard, too. Planning ahead is key, but doesn't always happen.

[Pretty in Pink]

I serve my toddler whatever the big kids are eating. If it's baby carrots, I shred one for my toddler (and mix it with a tablespoon of raisins...carrot salad!), if it's ants on a log I just chop the celery into 1/4 in. cubes and place a little pile on his plate next to a pile of raisins and a little scooop of peanut butter. Salad wraps, I chop the ingredients into bite-sized pieces and place those on his plate, roll the tortilla and place it on the plate next to the salad, etc.

 

Basically, I just chop it all up very small and somet things I serve in those little divided plates to keep things seperate, like the ants on a log.

[vonfirmath]

Do you think your kids would eat tuna mixed with mac and cheese?

 

One of our favorites is tuna mac -- macaroni and cheese, peas, and canned tuna.

[eternalknot]

Steam the carrots. They taste better that way anyhow IMO LOL.

 

Or saute them with celery (both sliced or diced) in a drizzle of maple syrup or honey, topped with sesame seeds. One of my kids' favorite snacks, from the time they were babies eating it off my own plate :)

 

We do fruits and veggies for snacks. My kids will eat raw veggies with dip (hummus or tsatziki) but prefer cooked or steamed veggies drizzled with honey, topped with parmesan cheese, or sprinkled with pepper.

[NancyNellen]

We do soup for lunch a lot. I will make a big pot on the weekend and serve leftovers throughout the week: corn chowder, minestrone, chicken noodle, turkey chili. My littles and bigs all like that (usually). For snacks I like to make healthy muffins in large batches so they are always kicking around. We also love fruit dipped in peanut or almond butter.

 

HTH,

[Dawn in OH]

Steam the carrots. They taste better that way anyhow IMO LOL.

 

 

 

This is what I did for my toddler before he could eat raw carrots. Now I cut him thin carrot sticks, the bigger kids get thicker carrot sticks.

 

I also serve him black olives, sliced cucumber, grape tomatoes apples, pears, peaches, raisins, grapes, yogurt, blueberries.

 

If the bigger kids are having sandwiches, he usually has a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it's his favorite. I serve all natural peanut butter and a healthier jam on whole wheat bread. He has either apple slices, applesauce, carrot sticks or grapes with his sandwich.

[Terabith]

My kids have loved frozen veggies since they were toddlers.....green peas, corn, sugar snap peas. I cut baby carrots or celery sticks into fourths. The toddlers I nanny for will eat cucumbers like they're going out of style. Red peppers, tomatoes, sweet potato muffins/ pancakes. I steam broccoli, and we eat that a good bit.

 

What about fruit? Black or lima beans? I serve nachos with black beans, cheese, and chips for snacks sometimes. (I cook em in the microwave.) But black beans are enormously popular with the toddler I nanny.

 

(Or, what about veggie booty or plain popcorn?) Yogurt?