Food/snack Ideas for 15 Month Old W/only 3 Teeth

Try cheerios. They are a basically healthy whole grain cereal, he can pick them up off his high chair tray all by himself and pop them in. They are crunchy, he can chew them, but they are also soft enough that he could simply gum them to death no problem. :-)

lots of great ideas already.
we weren't parents who obsessed over how much the kids ate. if they were full of energy, we knew they were fine. but there were times when we really didn't know what they were going to eat. we'd set out a toddler smorgasbord and see what happened. we'd include a lot of what's below, plus black olives, peas, banana chunks, cherry tomatoes (cut), red bell pepper slices, parmesan chunks (our one daughter hated milk, ate cheese), chunks of ham.

we laid off the shakes because then they just wanted sweet stuff.

don't forget... their stomachs are only the size of their two fists!

Did you ever see those little food grinders that you can take with you even in a diaper bag? I never bought baby food for our children, but as they got older could grind up what we were eating--hamburger, veggies, etc. It is a nifty little gadget that, by investing $8-10 can save you loads!

T.,

I used to shred a carrot onto my kids' plates. It worked better when they see you do it because it interests them and the carrot is juicier right when you shred it. Don't do this if your son is wearing white though because he will turn all orange. Carrots are really sweet, so I don't think you'll have the veggie battle with him over them.

Oatmeal has also been successful in our home.

Good luck

Hi T.,

I too recommend a food grinder. I used it a lot. I got mine at a baby thrift store, brand new. You can also find them at health food stores. Anything soft or cooked can go in it. Or puree butternut squash and mix with unsweetened applesauce for a nice healthy meal, pureed cooked brown rice mixed with fruit and a little milk or water makes a nice breakfast.

Also try mashed or tiny pieces of banana, avocado, yogurt, applesauce, whole grain bread, oatmeal, canned peaches or pears(in juice only-no syrup), tofu. My first daughter lived on tofu, yogurt and avocados as toddler. Give it a try!

have your tried chicken. i know my son likes chicken. another thing you can do is yogurt my son is almost 15 months and he likes it. he did not get any teeth for about 4 months almost five and all of a sudden he got three in at the same time. your son may be teething also, therefore be a little pickier.scrambled eggs with cheese melted in them he may like. unfortunately, you have to keep trying.
feed him what you eat for dinner and see what he likes.

Have you tried the Gerber Wagon Wheels and Puffs made from veggies and fruits? My triplets always like those. How about breads, canned mixed veggies, canned fruit cocktail, jam sandwich, veggie crackers, canned yams, mini ravioli and meatballs (drain or rinse the sauce off), fish sticks, chicken nuggets...

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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I love the fresh shredded carrot idea! Some things we snack on: yogurt, berries, avocados, whole wheat bread lightly toasted and sliced into sticks, scrambled egg that is dry enough to eat with fingers, peeled and quartered grapes, carrot and celery pieces that have been cooked in seasoned broth, apples cut into matchsticks - any fruit cut into matchsticks for that matter, and whole wheat pita bread. I would do a yogurt & fruit smoothie for something a little healthier than the breakfast shake. Have fun!

My middle child was (and still is) a picky eater. However, one thing that my pediatrican suggested (which turned out to be true in our case) is that my son was getting too much whole milk (which is very filling), so he wasn't eating as much food. You may want to examine how much whole milk he is getting.

My son loves chopped up fruit, goldfish, cheerios & cheese for snacks. He prefers to feed himself, do you let your son feed himself? If he prefers veggies, nuke the hard ones (like carrots) in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them.

HI T.,
You've gotten a ot of good ideas here already. I just wanted to share three thoughts:
1. Maybe he's eating less because he has a few teeth on the way and it hurts a bit?
2. My son used to LOVE a Carnation Instant Breakfast in the morning but the are very filling! Try giving him his food with water or without a beverage. Give him something to drink toward the end of his meal. I think a lot of kids fill up of milk, juice, etc instead of food.
3. Offer him ANYTHING he can physically handle, regardless of whether you like it and if it seems like it's not appropriate for the meal time (ex. slice of turkey for breakfast) I have a 5 yr old who likes literally EVERY food. I cringe because he likes such odd things but I buy them for him and he's happy! Today he made a "Dagwood" sandwich for himself before Kindergarten consisting of chicken pieces, pepperoni, pickles, relish and cocktail sauce.
:-0 YUK! I can't even watch it but he ate every bite. Kids often like a wider variety of things than we realize they just need to be given the opportunity to try them.
Oh--what about pancakes & french toast?
Good luck!

Well, I don't know what kind of breakfast shakes you're doing, but if you're not already doing it, fruit smoothies are great snacks. My 3 kids all love them. Their favorite is strawberry-banana. I blend together 1 carton vanilla yogurt, 1 c. milk, 1 banana, and 2 c. frozen strawberries. You can add a little honey if you like it sweeter. This works well with other types of berries and fruit too, like peaches. Pretty healthy and doesn't require teeth! ;)

Few other ideas - fish sticks and meatballs! You can sneak veggies like spinach into them if you make your own meatballs!

Since he likes crunchy have you tried cereals like Rice Krispies and Cheerios? Though initially hard and crunchy they soften and dissolve easily. If you have the time and the inclination what about making your own chips - potato, sweet potato, carrot, apple. I've seen them for sale in stores, but I've never tried making them.