Feeding kids

[k3am]

Since my BMB is dead, and you've all got or had babies with a caretaker other than yourself and limited time to prep.. tell me what to feed DS.

He moves up rooms this week, and they encourage more finger foods there. DD was never into food (and still isn't really), so I made her the same 3 kinds of muffin bites weekly.. which I don't have time or energy to do.

What can I send him that's quick and easy and not just puffs?

So far I know he likes fruit and black beans. Leftovers are a great idea but ummmm.. yeah we don't have them. Because.. umm.. we don't. So let's just leave it at that.

[brachysira]

Easiest=black/blue/raspberries, bananas, string cheese, breads, tortillas and *as capable) hummus, cubed nut butter sandwiches, healthier lunch meats, frozen heat up things like black bean burgers, soy nuggets, etc., pouches, yogurt in assorted ways, pre-cut sweet potato fries, frozen waffles, packaged fruit like mandarin oranges.

Slightly harder: very thinly sliced apples and raw carrots. Well-cooked carrot medallions, broccoli, green beans, etc. Cut-up grapes, strawberries, oranges. Chunks of cheese. Pancakes either sweet potoato or other add-ins or just plain (freeze and heat), pre-cooked beans.

[kbw12]

Do they allow foods you send in to be warmed up? If so you could cook some noodles and throw turkey burger and veggies with them.

Also, cheese sticks, muffins (you don't have to make 3 separate kinds), sandwiches cut into smaller squares, fruit, crackers

[tas1883]

My daycare always provided meals for DD but a few things I remember them feeding the kids once they hit the solid finger food stage are: puffs, cheerios, peas, fruit (all kinds), cottage cheese, yogurt, pasta, applesauce. Basically they gave the infants the same stuff as the older kids just left out the choking hazards (hot dogs, hard meats, grapes).

[indyrowergirl]

+1 to tas1883. DC chopped up what the big kids ate and fed it to the tots. I remember corn, peas and carrots, cubed chicken (like the size of a pea), etc.

[indyrowergirl]

Oh! And I remember I used weelicious.com a lot during that stage to come up with other ideas.

[k3am]

All the rooms have microwaves in them, but I'm not sure how often they're used. I'm not averse to him eating cold foods that are typically served hot though either.

Food is 100% brought from home at this age, until they're old enough for hot lunches.

He just really hasn't been all that into food. But we haven't been all that good at giving it to him either.

[oldbaylover1024]

Cheerios, peas, cottage cheese, soft fruit (blueberries, strawberries, banana, raspberries, etc.), yogurt, cut up sandwiches (pre grilled cheese, nut butters, jelly/jam, etc.).

Are you allowed to pack nut products? We couldn't do any peanut butter because a kid in J's class had an allergy.

[supertrooper1]

When DS was just starting to eat solids, we tried to do foods high in calories and protein to keep his weight up, so most of my suggestions fall into that category.

Shelled edamame
Firm tofu rolled in crushed up Cheerios
Avocado and chicken mashed, put on bread for finger sandwiches
Meatballs
Tortellini
Scrambled eggs

[erinshelley21]

Ds was an eating machine when he was a baby. I remember his favorites being sausage links and grilled chicken. The sausage links were just the fully cooked jimmy dean kind and I think it was the applewood flavor.
Toast, eggs, steamed broccoli and other veggies.

[mommyatty]

Your DS was born like an hour ago. How is he already old enough for finger foods??? Time is flying by.

Scrambled eggs, beans, peas, corn, Cheerios, crackers, banana, strawberries, cut up grapes.

[2chatter]

I sent a mix of homemade things and the Gerber toddler food - DS especially loved the little raviolis. Tons of fruit. Avocado and cheerios. Tiny broken up fresh mozzarella. Rolled and sliced cheese and lunch meat. Soup without the broth - chicken noodle worked well if you super dice the chicken. Roasted carrots diced. Pancakes diced. Scrambled eggs. Anything you can cut up, really.

[k3am]

Feb 8, 2017 21:22:14 GMT -5 mommyatty said:

Your DS was born like an hour ago. How is he already old enough for finger foods??? Time is flying by.

Scrambled eggs, beans, peas, corn, Cheerios, crackers, banana, strawberries, cut up grapes.

I know, right?!? It scares me. In 4 weeks, he'll be headed off to college.

[k3am]

PB and nut products are okay. If they have an allergy in the class, they'll segregate while eating, and if it's serious enough let parents know.

[mlee116]

I sent Cheerios, diced sweet and reg potatoes, pasta (esp tortellini), diced mozzarella, green beans, broccoli, peas, mixed veggies, diced meat, black beans, eggs, yogurt.  

I used to always intend to send leftovers but we never really had any either, so I'd usually cook a couple of things on the weekends and keep some packaged stuff, like fruit cups, string cheese, etc. to supplement. 

[sudokufan]

We did a lot of fruit, cheerios, those freeze dried yogurt puffs; I'd buy the Gerber's ravioli "dinners" and split them into a few little containers. Scrambled eggs, little debbie muffin packs when I didn't have time to bake. Tortillas, half a bagel (he started eating the refrigerator kind straight from the fridge when he was teething). Fruit cups packed in juice (teachers drained them before serving).

[liziz]

Frozen veggies (and you don't have to cook, just thaw!) like peas and corn (or even diced carrots)
It's really easy to find butternut squash cubes in the freezer section, so a few of those.

My kid also eats minimum one hot dog/day. We used to cut them up small, when needed, but she has also always enjoyed sandwich meat like turkey or chicken.

Every day in her lunch we pack sweet potato "fries". I chop up (now spiralize up) a big batch of sweet potatoes every so often, and bake them w/coconut oil & cinnamon. She loves them, and it's often the only veggie she eats regularly.

When she was first on finger foods, we did steamed/boiled carrot sticks, too - big enough to hold, soft enough to not choke.

[mustardseed2007]

In addition to what people mentioned here, veggie burgers cut up; those little gerber finger food things (like the green beans and pastas); canned veggies (b/c soft); all kinds of berries, fruit cups packed in juice (I was a little neurotic and drained the fruit cups and rinsed them and then repacked them).

[McBenny]

Feb 8, 2017 17:38:27 GMT -5 k3am said:

Since my BMB is dead, and you've all got or had babies with a caretaker other than yourself and limited time to prep.. tell me what to feed DS.

He moves up rooms this week, and they encourage more finger foods there. DD was never into food (and still isn't really), so I made her the same 3 kinds of muffin bites weekly.. which I don't have time or energy to do.

What can I send him that's quick and easy and not just puffs?

So far I know he likes fruit and black beans. Leftovers are a great idea but ummmm.. yeah we don't have them. Because.. umm.. we don't. So let's just leave it at that.

How old?

[k3am]

McBenny, 9 months.

[seamonster]

Grilled cheese cut into straps
Strip of bell pepper
Soft roasted or steamed carrots
Roasted sweet potato sticks
Steamed broccoli
Cucumber strips
Banana cut into strips
Refried beans and shredded chicken/beef/pork
Pasta with sauce
Pasta with cheese sauce
Cheese sticks
Fruit in a mesh feeder
Egg and veggie muffins (like a crust less quiche)
Ravioli
You could cut some things like chicken and veggies, mash, and freeze in ice cube trays. Then send 3-4 cubes for lunch