My 3-year old is a hard-to-feed toddler and it troubles me so much that he’s probably not having the right amount of nutrients necessary to help him grow. He also seems to be shorter in height and according to his pediatrician, he’s 1 kg lighter than what he’s supposed to weigh. It is because of these reasons that I researched about toddler meal plans to help encourage my kid develop good eating habits.

The first photo below was taken last year, and it was the first time I actually thought about getting creative with his food. My husband and I purchased a few cookie cutters and rice molds / rice shapers. I started serving him with light meals for breakfast then gradually introduced more food variety week after week. My goal is not only to hone my creativity with food but also to offer him a balanced diet. I usually serve him bread or rice, oatmeal or cereals, fruits, meat, and dairy products for breakfast. For lunch, I serve him rice, meat or fish, and veggies. His favorite snacks are raisins, yogurt, french fries, donuts, chicken nuggets, and noodles.

Processed food such as sausages, tocino, bacon, and chicken nuggets are not recommended to be served on a regular basis so I’m thinking of marinating meat and fish during the night so I’ll just toss them in a pan when needed.

3 Food Categories to serve everyday:

• Energy Providers – grains, sugars, and fat
• Body Builders – dairy products, meat, eggs, and legumes
• Protectors – fruits and vegetables

Flattened white bread cut in different shapes, fried egg, gummy bear vitamins, and aspirin. This photo was taken days after he’s had Kawasaki Disease.

Toasted bread with butter, cheese slices, fried egg, cashew nuts, KoKo Krunch cereals (his favorite), and apple slices for my little picky-eater.

Toasted bread with butter, slices of cheese, Hungarian sausage, peanuts, and apple slices.

Heart-shaped brown rice, cheesedog, cheese slices, KoKo Krunch cereals, nacho chips, peanuts, and orange slices. His great grandma gifted him a food tray for Christmas. I honestly believe that he enjoys his breakfast more when I serve his meal with this brightly-colored tray.

My husband leaves for work very early in the morning during weekdays so I only have the chance to prepare breakfast for him on Saturdays and Sundays.

Grab-and-go meal for kids: I made my own Kids Omelette Breakfast, baked using muffin trays. What I love about this omelette is I can actually sneak in chopped veggies and macaroni pasta.

To make sure that my son gets all the nutrients he needs, he drinks PediaSure Plus for Preschool Age (recommended by his pedia). He loves its vanilla flavor.

Yes, my son still drinks from the bottle. My mom instructed me to include ground rice or “giniling na bigas” in his diet. I cook the ground rice until it becomes a paste, then mix it with his milk feedings.

He also gets his daily intake of multivitamins. Propan Syrup or Appebon (Appetite Stimulant), L’il Critters Gummy Vites Multi-Vitamin & Mineral Formula, Zinbee (Zinc) Syrup, and Ceelin Chewables.

I can say that my efforts are being rewarded because right now, he wakes up with excitement in his eyes, and he regularly asks me what’s for breakfast. He’s also trying out new food and flavors, unlike before.

I still have a long way to go when it comes to cooking and food preparation but I love the fact that I’m learning something new everyday. It’s for my family anyway so every piece of hard work is absolutely, definitely, and totally worth it.

Pediasure Plus
pediasure.com

Published: 2013-01-14 12:51:18