If your child belongs to the group of picky eaters, feeding him can be truly stressful. To make sure your toddler gets the right nutrition he needs, why not prepare homemade meals for him instead? Creating your very own food concoction is pretty simple even if you are not an expert cook. By doing so, you ensure he gets a lot of nutritional benefits. Plus, it might even encourage him to eat more.

Food for toddlers consist of anything tiny, colorful, sweet and tasty. With a little creativity, you can actually incorporate all of these in every food you make. To make home cooking easier for you, here are some tips as well as popular meals to help you create foods your toddler will surely love.

Know His Favorite Food

Making homemade food for your toddler will be less confusing once you figure out his food preferences. The next time he eats, keep an eye out on which food he likes to gobble the most. In this way, you are able to maximize cooking his favored food. For example, if he likes chicken, you can make a chicken sandwich, grilled chicken lollipops, vegetable salad with chicken strips and so on.

Have Variety

Just because you know he likes chicken does not mean you only have to feed him meals with chicken. Even if he prefers it over other foods, you can still encourage him to try out different foods. How? Have variety. The more you introduce new foods, the better. But, just keep in mind to serve new foods in small proportions so as not to overwhelm him. Being consistent in letting him try out various food choices will train him to eat different food selections. From breakfast to dinner, always offer a wide variety of tastes. Remember to stick to colorful and tasty meals. Avoid giving him bland food.

Here is a good example of homemade meals your toddler might like:

For Breakfast

• Whole Wheat Pancakes. Use wheat flour instead of ready to cook pancakes. Wheat flour is a natural ingredient that is rich in carbohydrates which is perfect for keeping your toddler active. To make it more interesting, why not add his favorite fruit into it. Just slice a mango, peach, blueberry or banana into tiny pieces and mix them together with the flour.
• Fresh Salad. The secret to making your toddler eat his vegetables is to cut it into tiny portions wherein he can easily use his hands to grab them. Instead of the usual cereal, slice colorful veggies and fruits (e.g. tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, spinach, corn and some apples, lemon or orange) and mix all of them together in a bowl. Add a tasty salad dressing. The cheery color will appeal to him and intrigue him to try out the salad.

For Lunch

• Mac and Cheese. Create your very own macaroni and cheese by adding pumpkin to the ingredients. One of the most nutritional foods, pumpkins are good sources of vitamins and minerals, potassium, carotene and vitamins C and E. It has a sweet taste and its color is beautifully concealed with the cheese sauce.

For Snacks

• Cheese, Crackers or Oven Baked Potatoes. Dairy products are good for strengthening his bones. Steer clear of chips and ice cream during snack time. Instead, go for cheese and crackers. You can slice them up into tiny servings or add his favorite filling to the crackers for a yummier taste. Oven baked potatoes are healthier than French fries as well.

For Dinner

• Chicken or Fish Sticks. If your toddler will not touch his food because he dislikes using utensils, opt for finger foods like fish or chicken sticks. Slice them into thin strips or stick a popsicle stick into the chicken or fish. He will truly enjoy these tiny treats.
• Vegetable Soups. Soups are a toddler’s best friend. Most likely, your little one is willing to try out different types of soup. Each week, serve him a different soup. Mushroom, corn and broccoli soup are the most popular. Just add small strips of chicken or meat into the soup so your toddler will not find it too plain and boring.

Stay Away From Grainy Foods

When making homemade food for your child, minimize grains. Grains are too solid for his tiny stomach and this may cause indigestion. Plus, they have high sugar content that can also be found in sweets and sodas making it a useless and unhealthy homemade food.