Best tips on raising babies and toddlers

12 Ways to Make Food Fun For Toddlers

When youre an adult the steamed broccoli is just plopped onto your plate right next to the drab, boring looking chicken fried steak.

No one bothers to make a smiley face out of gravy or to mold the mash potatoes into a castle. Of course, if you were to do that stuff on your own youd get dirty looks from your spouse as well as the waitress.

But if youre a toddler its perfectly okay to make eating fun. In fact, its encouraged (those toddlers get all the breaks).

Before we jump right into the 12 ways to make food fun for toddlers, we should probably discuss their eating habits.

Toddlers dont really eat meals they just snack and they do so all day long. This eating pattern is a result of their small stomachs and their ability to burn calories extremely fast (if only that lasted into adulthood). A toddlers stomach is about the size of their fist. So obviously it doesnt take much food to make a toddler full.

I know what youre asking right now, Okay their stomachs are small, that makes sense, but why are they such notoriously picky eaters?

Well, a human triples his or her body weight during the first year of life. But humans of toddler age, 2- to 3-years old, gain weight at a much slower pace (although your clothing bill may disagree).

Since they gain weight more slowly, they need less food. Since they need less food they instinctively realize they can afford to be finicky (lucky you).

Finally, toddlers are like little Magellans. They are constantly exploring the world around them. Not only does this exploring burn calories but it also makes it harder for them to sit still and eat.

Now you know why your toddler is a persnickety grazer that never seems to want to slow down for meal time. Thats also why its important to make food fun for toddlers. The more enjoyable you make eating, and eating healthy, the more likely they are to develop responsible eating habits in the future.

Keepin It Healthy, Yo

This isnt exactly fun but it is important. Since toddlers are extremely active and eat very little its important that they eat the right kinds of foods. For each snack (meal) try to include at least two different food groups. Also try to stick to nutrient-dense foods like avocados, broccoli, brown rice, cheese, fish, kidney beans, pasta, peanut butter, poultry, sweet potatoes, and yogurt.

The Basics

Beyond the old airplane trick, there are some basic things you can do to make any food fun for your toddler. The first thing you can do is name the food. Eating something called Broc Wee or Avo Cado Wado is much better than eating broccoli or avocados (I still call tomatoes tom toms). Another trick is putting a face on their food. For instance using peanut butter to draw eyes and a smile on a piece of toast is always a crowd pleaser.

Dip It and Dip It Good

For a toddler, a dip and something to dip with is pure unadulterated fun. Its really like a cross between craft time and snack time. For dips, look to yogurt, peanut butter, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and guacamole. For dippers think about apple slices, pear chunks, bell pepper strips, or toast. Dont be afraid to mix and match. Peanut butter and bell pepper may not sound good to you but your toddler may love it.

Bring It On Cone

Take an ice cream cone or a wafer ice cream cup and fill it with bite-size fruit. Remember toddlers are tiny so make the fruit chucks very small. Your toddler can eat the fruit right from cone or they can pick the fruit out with their fingers. While they are at it they can also eat the cone. I do a similar thing with martini olives.

Spread Your Things And Fly

Another thing toddlers like to do is smear things onto other things (so do some adults but thats another story). So help them explore that skill. Show them how to spread peanut butter, cheese, or fruit concentrate onto toast, crackers, and rice cakes. Youll probably need to teach them how to use some sort of spreading implement or you could always have them use their fingers.

String Cheese Incident

Who doesnt love a string of food? Im still waiting for string bacon. String cheese is a great finger food that comes preassembled and ready to eat. Give your toddler two and they can use them as drumsticks in between bites. Another good idea: cut the string cheese into bite-size chunks and insert stick pretzels into the cubes.

Smoothie Operator

For a change of pace your toddler can drink a snack instead of eating one. Make them a smoothie using milk, fruit, wheat germ, yogurt, honey, and/or peanut butter. Keep in mind that its a good idea to avoid raw eggs (salmonella poisoning). Done right, a smoothie can be a very healthy and filling snack.

Just Try To Toppings That

Toddlers like food with toppings and why not? Its an awesome concept: food topped with more food. Toppings are not only a good way to combine two food groups but its also a good way to broaden their palette. You can top a food they like with food they havent tried or arent particularly fond of eating.

Just Another Fruit Brick In The Wall

Dissolve three envelopes of unflavored gelatin in 3/4 cup boiling water. Add 12-ounces of your toddlers favorite frozen juice concentrate (after all every toddler has a favorite frozen juice concentrate). Stir everything up until its thoroughly mixed. Pour the concoction into a lightly sprayed 9-by-13-inch pan. After allowing it to chill for several hours, cut into fun shapes and serve. Its like eating building blocks.

Nibble Tray

Grab yourself a compartmentalized dish, an ice-cube tray, or a muffin tinsomething bright, inviting, and safe. Fill the compartments with a variety of bite sized and nutritious finger foods like apple slices, broccoli florets, carrot bits, cheese blocks, and cereal. Place the buffet near their play area or somewhere they can easily get to it. Your toddler can graze on this smorgasbord for about hour or two before you have to throw it away (the food not your toddler).

Yes, We Have No Frozen Bananas

Bananas are the perfect food. Think about it, they already come in their own package. However, the banana can be made slightly better if you cut one into relatively thin circles and then roll it in crushed cereal or coconut. Place what you have in a dish and freeze. This is a great snack for your toddler on a hot summer day.

Dried Fruit Of the Spoon

Dried fruit is often overlooked as a healthy snack. Its usually better for your toddler than fruit snacks because dried fruit lack preservatives, food coloring, and artificial flavoring. Also, dried fruit is a nice change of pace from regular fruit; even toddlers get tired of eating the same old banana chunks and apple slices all the time.

About the Author

Ryan Hogan crafts useful articles for ParentingFun411, a website that offers parents a directory of fun Parenting things. Also find tons of parenting information for parents and parents-to-be such as the Best Ways To Make Food Fun For Toddlers.

Toddler Meal: Snack

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Healthy Snacks For Kids $6.26 It’s always a question — what to give your kids to eat? You want them to eat healthy food, but you don’t want them coming home saying, “I didn’t have time at recess”, or, “I didn’t like the look of my sandwich and anyway I dropped it in the yard”!! With this book, you’ll always have ideas for sandwiches, snacks, and drinks — even breakfast and dinner treats that will keep your kids healthy, strong and energetic. The recipe titles in this book are almost as yummy as the recipes themselves: Monkey Bars, Wiggle Sicles, Corny Pudding, Tomato Balloons. New Healthy Snacks for Kids provides pizzazz to lunch and snack time, and helps calm the chaos of cranky children who need to eat now. Warner has great ideas for smuggling nutrition into old favorites. She suggests using “props” to spice up food and get kids enthusiastic about mealtime. Each recipe includes a graphic representation of the food pyramid that shows which foods are emphasized.

Lunch Boxes and Snacks $12.99 Packing your child’s lunch box doesn’t have to mean another peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bag of chips. Renowned children’s cooking and nutrition expert Annabel Karmel shares more than 120 healthy, creative recipe ideas as well as time-saving hints and tips that will help you make a complete and nutritious lunch without increasing the chaos of your morning routine. Lunch Boxes and Snacks is packed with mouthwatering recipes that can boost your child’s brainpower, increase energy, and strengthen the immune system. You’ll find a wide range of delicious and easy lunch ideas, from Oriental Turkey Wraps, Individual Focaccia Pizzas, and Chicken Superfood Salad to Trail Mix Bars and Fruit on a Stick, that guarantee that your child will be the envy of the cafeteria. In Lunch Boxes and Snacks you will find: Inspirations for hot meals that can be packed in a thermos for winter days Quick recipes that can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge or freezer Tips to get your child involved in the lunch-making process Helpful hints on packing your child’s lunch box so that food stays safe to eat With Annabel’s help, even the busiest parents can easily pack a healthy and tasty lunch that their child will look forward to eating.

Healthy Snacks for Kids $3.95 It’s always a question — what to give your kids to eat? You want them to eat healthy food, but you don’t want them coming home saying, "I didn’t have time at recess," or, "I didn’t like the look of my sandwich and anyway I dropped it in the yard" With this book, you’ll always have ideas for sandwiches, snacks, and drinks — even breakfast and dinner treats that will keep your kids healthy, strong and energetic. The recipe titles in this book are almost as yummy as the recipes themselves: Monkey Bars, Wiggle Sicles, Corny Pudding, Tomato Balloons. New Healthy Snacks for Kids provides pizzazz to lunch and snack time, and helps calm the chaos of cranky children who need to eat now. Warner has great ideas for smuggling nutrition into old favorites. She suggests using "props" to spice up food and get kids enthusiastic about mealtime. Each recipe includes a graphic representation of the food pyramid that shows which foods are emphasized. Penny Warner is a nutritionist, a child development expert, and the author of many books.

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Knack Healthy Snacks for Kids $19.95 Children will snack, and fortunately health experts now tell us that snacking is in many ways an ideal way for humans to eat. But it’’s not easy to keep track of what children are eating. A plan to make healthy snacking part of a family’’s diet is an answer. Knack Healthy Snacks for Kids gives step-by-step information about snacks and snacking that also includes lunches and meals-on-the go for kids from toddler age to teens. The 350 recipes and snack ideas include sandwich variations, baked goods, dips and spreads, snacks from around the world, snacks for those with special diets, and snacks for hungry teens.

Knack Healthy Snacks for Kids: Recipes for Nutritious Bites at Home or On the Go $19.95 Children love to snack, and fortunately, health experts now tell us that snacking is in many aspects an ideal way for humans to eat. And yet it’s not easy to keep track of what kids are eating! The answer: an easy-to-follow plan to make healthy snacking part of a family’s diet. Enter Knack Healthy Snacks for Kids. With full-color photos and snack ideas throughout, it gives step-by-step information that also includes tips for meals-on-the go for kids from toddler age to teens. From fruit kabobs and gelatin jewels to pizza muffins and sweet potato fries, it is sure to leave even picky eaters asking for more. 350 full-color photos covering:Fruits • Cheeses • Baked Goods • Dips & Spreads • Sandwiches  • Salads • Drinks • Frozen Snacks • Quick Cooking • International • Nuts & Peanuts • Special Diets

Knack Healthy Snacks for Kids: Recipes for Nutritious Bites at Home or on the Go $4.5 New – Children will snack, and fortunately health experts now tell us that snacking is in many ways an ideal way for humans to eat. But it’s not easy to keep track of “what” children are eating. A plan to make healthy snacking part of a family’s diet is an answer. “Knack Healthy Snacks for Kids “gives step-by-step information about snacks and snacking that also includes lunches and meals-on-the go for kids from toddler age to teens. The 350 recipes and snack ideas include sandwich variations, ba

Lunch Boxes and Snacks: Over 120 healthy recipes from delicious sandwiches and salads to hot soups and sweet treats By Annabel Karmel $12.99 Packing your child’s lunch box doesn’t have to mean another peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bag of chips. Renowned children’s cooking and nutrition expert Annabel Karmel shares more than 120 healthy, creative recipe ideas as well as time-saving hints and tips that will help you make a complete and nutritious lunch without increasing the chaos of your morning routine.<P><I>Lunch Boxes and Snacks</i> is packed with mouthwatering recipes that can boost your child’s brainpower, increase energy, and strengthen the immune system. You’ll find a wide range of delicious and easy lunch ideas, from Oriental Turkey Wraps, Individual Focaccia Pizzas, and Chicken Superfood Salad to Trail Mix Bars and Fruit on a Stick, that guarantee that your child will be the envy of the cafeteria.<P>In <I>Lunch Boxes and Snacks</i> you will find:<ul><li>Inspirations for hot meals that can be packed in a thermos for winter days </li><li>Quick recipes that can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge or freezer </li><li>Tips to get your child involved in the lunch-making process </li><li>Helpful hints on packing your child’s lunch box so that food stays safe to eat</li></ul><P>With Annabel’s help, even the busiest parents can easily pack a healthy and tasty lunch that their child will look forward to eating.

Lunch Boxes and Snacks: Over 120 healthy recipes from delicious sandwiches and salads to hot soups and sweet treats By Annabel Karmel $16 Packing your child’s lunch box doesn’t have to mean another peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bag of chips. Renowned children’s cooking and nutrition expert Annabel Karmel shares more than 120 healthy, creative recipe ideas as well as time-saving hints and tips that will help you make a complete and nutritious lunch without increasing the chaos of your morning routine.<P><I>Lunch Boxes and Snacks</i> is packed with mouthwatering recipes that can boost your child’s brainpower, increase energy, and strengthen the immune system. You’ll find a wide range of delicious and easy lunch ideas, from Oriental Turkey Wraps, Individual Focaccia Pizzas, and Chicken Superfood Salad to Trail Mix Bars and Fruit on a Stick, that guarantee that your child will be the envy of the cafeteria.<P>In <I>Lunch Boxes and Snacks</i> you will find:<ul><li>Inspirations for hot meals that can be packed in a thermos for winter days </li><li>Quick recipes that can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge or freezer </li><li>Tips to get your child involved in the lunch-making process </li><li>Helpful hints on packing your child’s lunch box so that food stays safe to eat</li></ul><P>With Annabel’s help, even the busiest parents can easily pack a healthy and tasty lunch that their child will look forward to eating.

The Baby and Toddler Cookbook: Fresh, Homemade Foods for a Healthy Start By Ferreira, Charity Ansel MS RD, Karen and Charity Ferreira, Photographer Thayer Allyson Gowdy $24.95 Making fresh, homemade meals for your baby and toddler is one of the best ways to give him a healthy, happy start in life. And while every parent can appreciate the convenience of already-prepared foods, balancing them with wholesome meals you have prepared yourself not only provides better nutrition, but also teaches your baby good eating habits. Packed with over 90 recipes and loads of nutritional information,<I> The Baby & Toddler Cookbook</i> makes cooking healthy meals easy, even for busy parents. By setting aside only a few hours a week, you can make and store an array of nutritious foods to keep baby happy and fed. All along the way, this book will give you helpful hints, guidance, and plenty of recipes to ease your path to nutrition. Each chapter begins with detailed information about the child’s nutritional needs and how to address the needs at mealtime. Organized by age, the recipes follow, showing how to introduce different, appropriate foods at every development stage, from 6 months to 3 years. Each of baby’s stages is covered, from starting solid foods and introducing new ingredients and textures, to easing into toddlerhood with plenty of ideas for fun meals, snacks, and desserts. This book also includes tips for making foods ahead, using the freezer to maximum advantage, and making food fun for your toddler.