Toddlers are selective, predictable, and stubborn. Here are some tips to make lunchtime fun for your toddler!
Schedule: A key to good behavior during a toddler’s lunchtime is keeping to the same schedule every day. Sit down at the same time each day for lunch with your toddler.
Keep portion sizes small: In most cases, a serving of any type of food is about one tablespoon for every year of your child’s age.
Be patient trying new foods (or even new versions of old favorites): Raw broccoli, chopped broccoli, and broccoli soup—we all know its all broccoli, but expect your toddler to be suspicious. It can take a child more than ten times to try a new food.
Choices: Offering one large food item (a sandwich for example) for lunch will not go over as well as offering three to four small food choices. Provide a balanced healthy lunch every day that includes protein, fruits and/or vegetables, grains, and calcium. Food choices can be very simple and include things like:
- Cheese: cubes, slices, or sticks
- Toast or mini bagels with cream cheese and fruit spread
- Mac and cheese with peas and ham (recipe below)
- Lunch meat slices rolled up or cut into squares
- Fruit (toddler bite size): cooked apples, bananas, berries, pears, peaches, etc.
- Mini muffins
- Steamed vegetables (toddler bite size): broccoli, carrots, green beans, peas, etc.
- Yogurt
- Whole grain crackers
- Graham crackers
- Dry cereal (low sugar, whole grain)
- Pretzels
Food Temperature: Toddlers are sensitive to temperature—serve food slightly warm, room temperature, or slightly cool. Always check the temperature of foods before serving them.
Choking: Many foods are choking hazards until your toddler is over three years old. Avoid small, hard pieces of food. The most common choking hazards for toddlers are nuts (other than ground), peanut butter, whole grapes, raw and hard fruits and veggies, chunks of meat, pieces of bacon, hot dogs, popcorn, potato chips, and raisins.
