Lunch for Toddler

My kids picky-ness was at it highest at age 3. I think it must be developmental!
The thing that has helped me the most is to get the kids involved. We grew a small garden, and let each kid grow something. They were much more likely to taste it if the grew it. Even in a flower pot, if you have no yard. I also let them cook with me. If they made it, they were more likely to try/like it.
I also let them dip. In anything! Ketchup, ranch, syrup, whatever!

Does your daycare not provide lunch for the kids? I would be leary about bringing a 'special' lunch for your child if everyone else is expected to eat what is prepared/provided. My just turned 3 yr old loves raisins and nuts for snacks. Yesterday in fact she didn't eat much of her lunch that she normally would have devoured. I told her NO snacks until she ate her lunch. I told her I was putting her plate in the fridge and when she wanted a snack she would have to finish her lunch first. An hour or so later she wanted a snack, I told her she needed to finish her lunch first, she carried her plate to the table, finished eating and then didn't need that snack she was asking for!

Try to provide a variety of foods for your child. Include something on the table you know they will eat. Encourage them to try one bite of everything on their plate and then pick one thing to finish. Keep trying(offering) foods over and over again.

If you work in a childcare setting with other kids the same age, introduce new foods during circle time. Talk about a new fruit/food, how its grown, if you can find a book about it. Let each of the kids touch and feel it (if possible) then let them help you (again if possible) prepare it for everyone to try a bite. Then have that same food item be a part of the next snack, meal.

Good Luck!
P., Shakopee

They are so picky at three aren't they? My kids love the uncrustables PB and J sandwiches, yogurt tubes called GOGURT, grapes, juice boxes, Cheese It crackers, Mac and Cheese is always a hit too. You can buy the individual packets and if you have a microwave at work all you need is water.

My almost 2-yr-old eats Gerber raviolis, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, mac & cheese, strawberries, grapes, raspberries, cheese, crackers, yogurt, peas, noodles w/ tuna, etc. There's just some ideas. Good luck.

What you are giving him now might be what is turning him off to food... but you didn't say anything about his current diet, so it's difficult to know. In light of this, I would like to make some general suggestions about his unwillingness to eat "anything":

Stop giving filler foods like chips, puffs, cereal, toaster waffles, corn syrup-based "maple" syrup, pasta, cookies and bread. He will stop eating altogether for a while (a day) which may feel alarming to you, but it will go away.

Present him with all natural foods: sliced fruit, berries, melons for breakfast on day 1. This will stimulate his appetite. He'll be very hungry for something more substantial well before lunch.

Put food out for him while he plays (rather than putting him in a high-chair) and let him snack throughout the day. Small kids don't eat "lunch", they generally snack since they are so busy.

Snacks can be whole grain crackers, cheese, dried fruit, lots of fresh fruit, baby carrots, avocado chunks, nut-butter on bread/toast...

Dinner should be what ever you feed yourself minus any dessert unless the dessert is fresh fruit.

Once you have eliminated filler foods, his system will enjoy the flavors of whole foods again. Filler foods contain sweeteners, dyes and corn syrup which spike insulin production. This, unfortunately, sends a message to the brain: "MORE!" Then this is all we want to eat.

Most of us don't realize the impact of filler foods because we are sold them everywhere we go for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Pack fresh fruit, raisins and whole-food snacks when you leave the house and let go of the idea of a 'meal'... he'll eat when he is good and hungry.

Experiment, experiment, experiment. I have learned that my son loves vegetables, but only if they are frozen (uncooked, straight out of the freezer bag to his plate). He will eat pretty much anything if it is frozen. Each kid is an individual but I definitely encourage people to limit prepackaged food (it is generally loaded with sodium and high fructose corn syrup as well as artificial dyes. Keep offering new things (it takes an average of 15 times before kids will accept new foods) and offer at least one guaranteed favorite at each meal (make a list of the foods he will eat). And don't worry that he seems to eat the same foods over and over. Variety is not a toddler/preschoolers thing. They are genetically programmed to be cautious about new foods at this age because they can't tell edible from poisonous without guidance.He will pass out of this stage in a few years.

My son will be 3 in September and I agree with what's already been stated. My son absolutely loves fruit and sometimes I wonder if he's going to turn into a strawberry. We have not made chips and other junk readily available but I have a bowl of fresh fruit on the table for him at every meal. Don't wash the berries until you're ready to pack and serve and they will last several days longer. Grapes are great for traveling and since they come in two colors, it's like two different snacks. My son also loves hummus but I make it at home myself. It's much tastier and also allows you to control the oil and other ingredients. He eats this with wheat thins or pita chips and sometimes just with his finger. Baby carrots are also great because they are convenient and kid sized and dip dip dip, they love to dip! My son's been known to just dip his finger into ketchup, ranch dressing, anything and lick it.

Get rid of the junk and offer fresh. It's also important to allow them to eat frequently, every 2-3 hours. Many times I will just announce what's on the table waiting for him rather than ask if he's hungry or what he'd like. They're priority is playing but they will eat if it's there.

It's not really portable but my two toddlers love soup. One of their favorites is hot dog soup. It is vegatable soup with hotdogs sliced into it. Their other favorite kinds are chicken dumpling, chicken noodle, and split pea with ham. When ever I make soup I always freeze extra's in lunch size containers or we buy the progresso variety when it's on sale or campbells chunky. It is a good way to get them to eat their vegies. Sometimes they eat the vegie chunks with a toothpick which they call a poker and they pretend they are catching fishes.

They also eat boiled eggs good especially if I let them peel it and put the pepper on it themselves. I do the salt since it comes out to fast.

My boys also like fish sticks and chicken nuggets alot with dipping sauce.

They like tuna noodle salad.

Whatever we do for lunch I have two choices and I ask my almost 4 year old what he wants. He alway eats better if it is his choice and if he helps make it, but I can't say my 2 year old always agrees. :)

Portable lunches we don't do often but mine usually eat meat and cheese sliced up and crackers to put them on to make mini sandwiches. They like baby carrots and dip. Peanut butter sandwiched in between crackers for a snack. They also like string cheese, cottage cheese, and peanuts and raisins, and gronala bars. Fruit is also portable. Pack an apple or banana or a cup full of washed berries.

Good luck.

I do a lot fresh frozen fruit smoothies with milk, yogurt and fresh fruit. She loves them and they look more like a treat then food! She also loves noodles so we do different kinds of noodles with different veggies. Sometimes I will put hambergers or hot dogs in with them. It just depends! It can be very hard to get them to eat but good luck! Hope this helps some!!!

At that age I tried to make food seem fun. Maybe cut his sandwich using cookie cutters into funny animals - you can even paint raisin "eyes" on using more peanut butter or honey. I also sometimes cut up vegies and fruit and put them into the separate cups of a muffin tin as a snack - that way I knew they were eating the essentials and I didn't feel so bad if they did poorly at lunchtime. 3 year olds are very active, as you know, and to try to get them to sit still through a meal is near impossible. Trying to make it interesting was the way I found most successful. Noodles with animal or letter or number shapes can be fun. Make a picture on the plate with the food using fruit and vegies for flowers and cut up string cheese as clouds, slices of ham for tree trunks, raisin ants... If you cut it up at home, you can assemble at lunch - he can even help as an enticement. Good luck.