Lunch Ideas for Toddlers
Some days, feeding your little one the right midday meal can be a challenge. They need the right nutrients, but growing toddlers get picky when it comes to food, making lunches an even harder task. But preparing healthy, original meals can also be fun and you don’t need to always cook a different recipe for your younger child, since toddler can eat most of the whole foods that adults can eat. You just need to make some modifications for safe-to-chew textures.
Lunch Ideas for Toddlers: Things to Note
When making lunches for your little one, remember:
Keep Portion sizes in mind – your toddler’s tummy is still tiny, therefore can’t eat as much as an adult. A serving size for a toddler should be only about 25% to 50% of an adult portion.
Don’t Be Deterred by Picky Eating – just because a child doesn’t try a food the first or second time, they see it, doesn’t mean they won’t eventually like it.
Alternate Foods – another strategy to combat picky eating is alternating foods to expose kids to more variety. For example, if your toddler is into sandwiches, alternate the bread between whole-wheat bread, whole-grain English muffins, whole-wheat pita and whole-wheat wraps, then alternate spreads between cream cheese, nut or seed butter, avocado and hummus.
Try Frozen Produce – using frozen produce will save busy parents lots of time since it’s prepped and ready to cook, and is just as nutritious as fresh produce found in the produce aisle.
Avoid Unsafe and Unhealthy Foods – don’t include any food with added sugar and possible choking hazards in your toddler’s diet. Avoid popcorn, hot dogs, sticky peanut butter, marshmallows, raw carrots or celery and any round shapes like whole cherry tomatoes, whole grapes, seeds, or hard candies.
Lunch Ideas for Toddlers: Nutrients for Toddlers
Toddlers need the following nutrients for overall healthy growth:
Calcium – helps to build strong bones and teeth, plus it gives your little one energy.
Vitamin B – the B suite of vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6) contribute to the release of energy from food.
Iron – is a great choice for energy and healthy behaviour.
Magnesium – is good for strong bones, muscle activity, and a healthy immune system.
Potassium – helps in healthy muscle function.
Vitamin A – is necessary for vision and bone growth. It’s also important for healthy skin, hair and nails.
Vitamin C – is good for gums, and support a healthy immune system. Plus, it’ll help your toddler’s body absorb iron from those iron-rich foods.
Vitamin D – is a must for helping your toddler grow healthy bones.
Vitamin E – is a powerful antioxidant that also supports healthy immune system function.
Zinc – is a must for healthy growth, development, and energy levels.
Important Foods to Include in Lunch Ideas for Toddlers
Include as many as possible in each lunch for toddlers. These foods are the richest in the nutrients mentioned before:
Leafy green vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, tomatoes, red capsicum, spinach,
Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yoghurt,
Eggs,
Chicken,
Seafood, salmon, tuna
Lean red meat, beef,
Whole grains, sunflower seeds, nuts,
Avocado, bananas, strawberries, mangoes.
31 Lunch Ideas for Toddlers
Lentil and veggie stir fry. Sauté lentils and dice veggies the night before and serve with brown rice.
Whole wheat pita with black bean dip and sweet potato fries.
Yoghurt, fruit, and sliced avocado.
Whole wheat bread with unsweetened sunflower seed butter and mashed banana on top. Serve with a side of veggies
Cheese-and-bean quesadilla with chopped spinach and a side of apple slices. Sauté frozen spinach and black beans, then top on a whole wheat tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. Cut the tortilla into little triangle sandwiches for easy eating.
Mashed black bean and avocado roll-ups with celery and ranch, banana nut butter stacks and 1/4 cup pretzels.
Pita pizzas with zucchini and thinly sliced cucumber quartered strawberries and 1/4 cup trail mix.
Avocado sandwich, halved grapes, whole-grain crackers, and small pieces of your favourite cheese.
Turkey meatballs (chopped into pieces), 1/4 cup chopped pear, 1/4 cup well-cooked green beans and 1/4 cup of cereal O's.
Shredded chicken, 1/4 cup brown rice, 1/4 cup cooked asparagus tips, whole-grain animal crackers and 1/4 cup apricots.
1 small whole-grain homemade muffin that has been ripped into pieces, 1/2 cup Greek whole milk yoghurt, 1/4 cup strawberry halves and 1/4 cup canned carrot coins.
1/2 sunflower seed butter sandwich, 1/2 banana and 1/2 cup Greek whole milk yoghurt.
Whole-grain crackers with nut butter, 1/4 cup canned unsweetened pineapple and 1/2 cup cottage cheese.
Whole-wheat mini bagel with string cheese and carrot chips.
Whole-wheat pasta with olive oil paired with a fruit- and veggie-based smoothie.
Yoghurt with fruit and whole wheat crackers.
Tuna fish with mayo, guacamole, and whole-grain pita for dipping.
Brown rice cakes with guacamole spread and shredded mozzarella cheese and diced tomatoes sprinkled on top.
1 sliced hard-boiled egg, 1/4 cup canned green beans, 1-ounce whole-grain crackers and 1/4 cup blueberries.
2 tablespoons kidney beans, 1/4 cup chopped avocado, 1 small whole-grain homemade muffin ripped into pieces and 1/4 cup peach cubes.
2 tablespoons chickpeas, 1/4 cup mandarin oranges, 1 ounce of whole-grain crackers and 1/4 cup sliced beets.
Chopped grilled or breaded chicken cubes, 1/4 cup cherry tomato quarters, 1 string cheese cut into chunks and 1/4 cup blueberries.
Chopped grilled or breaded chicken strips with applesauce to dip (a great replacement for ketchup!) with cooked sweet potato fries.
Chopped soft pork loin cubes, 1/4 cup frozen peas (allowed to thaw in lunch), 1/4 cup roasted sweet potato cubes and 1/4 cup honeydew melon pieces.
A single serving of a hummus or guacamole pack with whole-wheat pita.
Canned salmon sandwich on whole-wheat bread with mayonnaise (cut into quarters for easy eating) and cooked frozen sweet potato fries.
Avocado hummus with roasted sweet potatoes, and fruit, such as strawberries and banana, for dessert.
Omelette sandwich with cheese, lettuce, and tomato.
Homemade chicken nuggets with roasted peppers and carrots.
Colourful salad with green, yellow, red peppers and chicken and avocado.
2/3 ramen of your choice (can be chicken, tuna, egg, veggies), 1/3 fruit, such as apple or mango, and 1/3 of nuts or raisins.
