I've been wanting to share some toddler food successes i have had recently….i know any parent or carer of a toddler will fully understand my excitement…..and my frustration!
Tara has always been my twin that eats everything…she was the one who helped me keep trying new things when Ruby wouldn't touch anything…and that which she did touch usually came back up after a fit of gagging and vomiting! I could at least hold onto some shred of motherly pride knowing i could still cook food that little people would eat when Tara gobbled it all up…..unfortunately now she has reached the ‘fussy' stage and mealtimes have become even more frustrating!
Ruby is not really classed as a fussy eater (although many….and i do mean many other parents or experts tell me differently) She has issues with her sensory processing and this led to the gagging and only eating certain coloured or textured foods. It doesn't help to just ‘let her go hungry' or offer her foods time and time again….she isn't just fussy…sometimes she is actually scared of her food…how it looks, smells and tastes.
Working with an OT we have come along way…she now eats by her self using a spoon although it is very messy, she has picked up an apple and banana…her first tastes of fruit as a finger food, she has used a fork to pick up and taste things she doesn't physically like the touch of, she has eaten a sandwich made of soft bread and she has eaten some things that are soft and odd shapedrather than crispy, crunchy and round.
She still will not eat cheese as a finger food or any sort of meat as a finger food. She will now not let me feed her which is how i used to get some meat and vegies into her so the concern is iron intake at the moment. I have been experimenting with some different ways of getting meat into Ruby disguised as a finger food and also not looking or smelling like meat!
She likes little ball and finger type shapes and will happily eat homemade wedges and chips every night if i let her….which i became in the habit of doing just to see her eat something!I have made my own chicken nuggets and various other forms of nuggets but after a few chews she would spit them out…..chewing the meat is just too much still,the texture is too tough…..but as the OT reminded me…at least she tried them. 6 months ago she would not even touch new things let alone pick them up!
I was beginning to really despair that i was never going to get anywhere, often in tears at night because i wanted to provide lovely homecooked food for my girls but it just wasn't working,all that effort every night was being wasted…then i stumbled across Allie at One Handed Cooks and found some crunchy type finger foods that might just work!
With renewed enthusiasm i tried 3 of Allie's recipes:
I knew Ruby wouldn't eat the risotto from a bowl as it would be too gluggy in texture for her but i rolled the mixture into small balls , then egg washed and rolled through some panko crumbs (my new best friend by the way!) and fried in a little oil.
SUCCESS!!!
I couldn't believe she actually ate rice let alone meat (i know it was bacon which isn't great but it was meat!!!)
Such an easy recipe that the whole family enjoyed as risotto…next time i am going to try adding a few more vegetables!I love that it is an oven baked risotto as i truly do not have the time or patience to stand stirring risotto which is why i never usually make it!
I then decided to try….
These were a huge achievement for Ruby and currently she has them every night and is yet to grow tired of them…she even chooses them over the chips! I rolled mine into smaller patties and a few sausage shapes and again rolled in panko crumbs and fried. The panko crumbs seem to be just the right texture and look for Ruby (believe me i have tried many types of crumb!)
I slightly mashed the peas and corn but only lightly and also added some grated zucchini. I have just made a batch with some added minced white fish and although they aren't as popular she is eating them…i seriously cannot describe my joy to see her eating some different and nutritional foods!
I have been making big batches, cooking lightly then freezing…they just need a quick fry at dinner time then.
By this time i was getting excited…the addition of rice in the patties and balls seemed to be helping her swallow the other foods (she had only ever eaten rice in a creamed rice dish without gagging before so this is huge for us!)
I decided to try Allie's recipe for :
I wasn't sure this would be a winner but i was surprised…i sprinkled panko crumbs and a little olive oil onto the top before baking to give it a crisp crust, cut into short fingers and guess what…they both ate it!!!
I did actually leave the tomato out as neither likes it but i love that they were getting some vegies into them and also cheese which Ruby needs.
You can probably tell i am pretty excited about these recipes…they are basic but they have been a huge step forward in getting Ruby to eat what i class as some normal and nutritious food …the next challenge is to get the toddler twosome eating meat and vegetables from their bowls again…since they learnt to spoon feed themselves it has been downhill in that department. We tend to stick to the bento type tasting plates so they pick and choose.
At least One Handed Cooks has plenty more recipes for me to try…i urge you to stop by for a visit!
I'd love to hear what works for your toddler at dinner time or if they have a favourite food…Imight just win this war yet!
Warm Wishes…
