Which meals can I give to my toddler?
It’s a meal time and you have a hungry toddler. What are you going to give them?
You won’t always be thinking terribly clearly, so it’s good to have a go-to list of options that you can prepare without thinking too much.
Whether you’re trying to think of different foods to feed your fussy eater, or just looking for some new ideas, here are some toddler meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack suggestions to help you on your way.
Breakfasts for toddlers
- Banana pancakes
- Muesli
- Porridge
- Eggs – scrambled, boiled, however your little one likes them (if they do)
- Mini bagel
- Baby cereal (Ella’s kitchen does some good ones)
- Peanut butter on toast with banana slices on the top/side
Lunches for toddlers
Fish Fingers or veggie fingers with vegetables*- Kids pasta shapes with cheese and vegetables*
- Beans on toast (low salt) or cheese on toast
- Sandwich fingers (ham, cheese, tomato)
- Mini bagel plain or toasted, with cream cheese
- Leftover roast chicken with potato and vegetables*
- Couscous and vegetables*
- Tuna and pasta
- Cold turkey meat with sweet potato (fries)
- Pancakes and fruit
- Crackers and cottage cheese
- Avocado pureed or sliced with fruit or crackers/toast
- Quiche with veggie or fruit fingers*
Dinners for toddlers
Usually toddlers eat what the rest of the family are eating for dinner.
- Lasagne is a favourite
- Jacket potato
- Vegetable pizza (you can use wraps as a base and load it with healthy veggies)
- Butternut squash fries with vegetables*
- Roast Chicken with rice and vegetables*
- Salmon with rice and vegetables*
- Mash with haddock and vegetables*
- Omelette, plain or with cheese / sweetcorn
- Butternut squash soup
- Spaghetti bolognese
- Macaroni cheese with vegetables*
Snacks for toddlers
The occasional snack to keep an energetic toddler going can stop an unexpected tantrum every now and then.
- Fruit (Sliced/chopped)
- Breadsticks with dip (hummus, tazeki etc)
- Yogurt (with wellbaby if your toddler is having a supplement and doesn’t like it straight out of the bottle)
- Rice cakes
- Ella’s kitchen does some baby crisps which can be a big hit
- Raisin boxes
- Dried fruit
*Which vegetables should I prepare for my toddler?
We’ve found that the following are useful vegetables to have in stock at all times
- Peas
- Sweetcorn (although be careful if you give this to them too young as you will likely see it all again and it can hurt their tummies)
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Courgette
- Celery (excellent for teething babies)
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
What fruit might my toddler enjoy?
Some fruits definitely go down better than others so you might have to experiment. They also change their minds about what they like quite a lot at this age.
- Apple
- Banana
- Clementine
- Kiwi
- Watermelon
- Mango
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Avacardo
- Cucumber
- Tomato
What if my toddler is a fussy eater?
Toddlers don’t always go for what you give them. Some of these suggestions will become regular meals, others will be turned away immediately.
We’ve not personally had a massive amount of experience with a fussy eater (although strawberries took some convincing), but if you do have a particularly fussy eater (and I’m not quite sure how you’d gauge that) then Michela Chiappa’s Baby at the Table has a lot of recipes that might help you out.
