In Kids' Lunch, take a look into what people in the food world and the world at large pack their children (and occasionally their significant others and maybe even their pets) for lunch.
Today, Elise Joy, who shares crafts, DIY projects, and business advice on her blog Enjoy It, learns that patience is the most important part of successfully feeding her two-year-old daughter.
My daughter Ellerie just turned two, and I've learned that feeding a toddler is a lesson in patience more than anything else. I often find myself thinking, "Just eat something. Anything. Please."
We have hit on a few foods that work well(ish), though, and a quesadilla—called a "dee-ya" in our house—is pretty popular. I can almost always guarantee fruit will be a hit (for this lunch, I had already cut up some strawberries when Ellerie brought over a clementine, so they both made the plate).
The snap peas are hit or miss (she would probably prefer I just gave her the Trader Joe's crunchy baked peas), but sometimes she eats them so I continue to offer. I heard somewhere that as a parent, all you can do is provide the healthy options—you can't force your kid to eat them (or anything else). I try to keep that on my mind and the whole process—meal prep and meals—goes more smoothly.
What foods do your little ones enjoy most? Share with us in the comments below!
Photos by Elise Joy
Written by: elisejoy
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12 Comments
Other favorites are pasta drowning in butter or olive oil and Parmesan, hot dogs, any cured meats really, tomatoes, cucumbers, fruit (almost any kind), roasted seaweed, popcorn, cheese and if she could choose, an endless supply of butter and ketchup.
Cherry tomatoes and rinsed black beans. My daughter would eat an entire can if black beans if you have her the chance
In my own home, our now adult children were encouraged to try "just a tiny bite" of something new, or something previously rejected; the caveat (and power for them) was that they could choose to *politely and discreetly* spit it into their napkin if they couldn't swallow it. That option did wonders in our home.
Another thing we had success with was having the kids choose their serving size themselves.
There is a LOT to be said for teaching little ones to listen to their bodies ☺️. We purchase and provide the food, offer it in positive ways at the times we set, and they control what actually goes in.
I put the fruit and the veggie in his lunchbox every day, and he brings them home uneaten. Every. Single. Day. So I see all these food blog stories about how people's toddlers just LOVE to eat fresh raw vegetables and I have to assume that they are aspirational more than actual, else my head might explode a little bit.
Our son loves hummus but there are days he won't touch it. I think he runs out of time. He's out little Adkins Diet kid anyway, preferring proteins and fruit to all else.
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