Toddler hates chicken and am sick of serving mac and cheese!

DMD1029 · March 2012

I need suggestions! I have a very picky 17 mos old DS who seems to only like mac and cheese or pasta in a tomato based sauce, but REFUSES to eat chicken or meat of any kind. DH and I live on chicken and I don't want to set myself up to become a short-order cook. Suggestions?

krissyh21 · March 2012

Dillon does not eat meat of any kind. He loves all veggies and fruit and most starches. I usually offer him chicken rice and veggies or what ever we are eating and if he chooses to just eat the rice and veggies, then it is fine by me. I stopped worrying a while ago. I can count the number of foods he will eat with my 10 fingers - luckily 8 of those things are normally side dishes to a meat eating family. Oh and sometimes he will even eat a few peices of the chicken or whatever before he decides he doesn't like it again.

sescms2004 · March 2012

We recently tried hamburger & turkey burger patties w/ our 19 mo LO's and they love it. Key is to smother it in ketchup

I take ground meat, sprinkle a little s&p, garlic powder & onion powder, cook it on the george foreman or skillet, and melt a piece of cheese on top when it's done. Cut into bite sized pieces, smother in ketchup, and they devour it. I've since discovered that my usual picky eaters will eat just about anything w/ ketchup on it! Tilapia, salmon cakes, you name it....I was shocked!

ladychicago · March 2012

This is my kid, too. For the most part, I have resigned myself to her pickiness to preserve my sanity. But... One thing that does work for us sometimes is dipping. DD is a big dipper and is much more likely to eat something when she can dip it. Hummus, ketchup, yogurt, and cream cheese are her favorite dips. Forget whether the food combo sounds good though (ie Anna likes to dip carrots into raspberry yogurt. Who am I to argue?)

GypsyEsq · March 2012

Can you add diced ham or diced chicken to mac and cheese? Or ketchup - like pp, our DD will eat almost anything with ketchup. Well except yogurt apparently, she told me last night that "No one eats yogurt with ketchup." This was just a random toddler statement appropro of nothing but I thought I'd share.

MBandBud · March 2012

We do rice a lot - I make a large batch and we rotate the pasta and rice with a veg. DD doesn't eat much meat either - but actually will take it if we 'hide' it with a spoon of pasta and jarred veg. I would try hiding the pasta in the tomato sauce.

I don't think this is too early to be offering bland options. I agree and am worried about being a short order cook but I do feel like it's early.

Dragonfly1226 · March 2012

The only meat P will eat is turkey meatballs that I make with spinach and pureed veggies. He will eat beans (black, garbanzo, navy), eggs, garden burgers, and cheese. Those are our main sources of protein. We live on chicken too, and I am hoping he will start eating it one of these days!

CHI-06 · March 2012

Here is what we do... I try to mix meat with stuff, or melt cheese on it, offer with ketchup (we don't dip cause they just eat the ketchup then). Also, if there is something like mac n cheese that they love I make it still, but do not let them eat it until they eat some meat/veggies...whatever it is you want them to eat. Two bites of veggies gets you a spoonful of mac n cheese for example. It doesn't always work though...but it has started to more and more often. Also, do not offer other food if they turn down what you are serving. He will not starve... and if you always give in then you're gettin played

PhillySue · March 2012

Seems pretty common to me to have a meat hating toddler. Katie also hated chicken and is just coming around. I still give her meat everytime I make it and try to get her to at least try one peice. I am ok if she just tries a bite and then eats her veggie and starch. The other night I made chicken cuttlets and she ate 2 whole cuttletts! DH and I both commented that we have never seen her eat that much chicken ever nothing even close. I say keep offering it and try it cooked differnt ways. Sames goes with all meat. I bet he will come around. Around that age is when K was the pickiest.

klaus · March 2012

DS isn't a big meat eater either. One day I made the skinny taste asian meatballs and he devoured them (strange since they have sesame oil, ginger, garlic and scallions in them) but, I froze them and now, I offer whatever we are eating and if he doesn't like it, I heat up an asian meatball. It's so nice to have something on hand I know he likes.

My niece wouldn't eat meat either (well, except organic hot dogs)- she is a dipper and like PP loves to dip her meats into ketchup or a ketchup/mayo mix. They also did "cheers" for chicken and "clinked" their chicken with hers so it was fun to eat! It worked for them.

Will your DC eat greek yogurt? That is a great souce of protein as is quinoa. I mix a fruit puree with the full fat greek yogurt to make it sweeter and tastier and DS loves that. I haven't made quinoa for DS yet but my friends 18 month old twins devour her quinoa mac and cheese (she adds carmelized onion, roasted peppers and a few other veggies to make it even healthier).

Mouseygail · March 2012

PhillySue:
Seems pretty common to me to have a meat hating toddler. Katie also hated chicken and is just coming around. I still give her meat everytime I make it and try to get her to at least try one peice. I am ok if she just tries a bite and then eats her veggie and starch. The other night I made chicken cuttlets and she ate 2 whole cuttletts! DH and I both commented that we have never seen her eat that much chicken ever nothing even close. I say keep offering it and try it cooked differnt ways. Sames goes with all meat. I bet he will come around. Around that age is when K was the pickiest.

good point! J is just coming out of a super picky stage and I think it started around 16 months and lasted until around 19 or 20. I just kept offering whatever we were eating, and if he didn't eat anything, I'd offer a string cheese or yogurt and move on. There were a lot of nights that he ate nothing or close to nothing (but I have no idea what he ate at daycare...he may have stuffed himself there for all I know..) Anyways, he is getting much more adventurous again. I'm not sure if its because he is coming out a picky stage or if its because we just don't have pasta or pizza or fries at home anymore due to DH and I being on the South Beach diet.... No help, just another story of "this too shall pass"....

Soon2beMrs.Sivert · March 2012

Popular meals in our house:

1. Black beans, white rice and corn salsa

2. linguine, potatoes, and green beans tossed in pesto

3. stir-frys (what ever veggies are around)

4. sauteed shrimp in butter and garlic w/couscous or rice pilaf

5. Pizzas (w/olive oil and toppings like tomatoes, basil, mushrooms, sausage, motz).

GuitaristsGirl · March 2012

Seems pretty common . I just focus on getting a bit of protein in him, and don't worry about meat. Milk, Greek yogurt, cheese, beans (and leafy green veggies for iron)... the pedi is the one who suggested this, fwiw.

They will eat deli meat on sandwiches, but it obviously had drawbacks even when I try to buy the lesser of the evils.

dusk42 · March 2012

DD eats what we eat and if she doesn't like it (she always tries it), she can have peanut butter, bread, fruit or yogurt.

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