Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Listmania: What to Put in Those Picky Toddler Bento Boxes

I have a picky eater, at least at meal time. This usually leads me to spooning banana into her mouth as she plays around the house, or allowing her to carry around a snack cup full of cheddar bunnies. So I searched for the solution and all over Pinterest I kept seeing this great idea for Baby Bento boxes (at least this is what I call them).

Essentially you take an ice cube tray and fill each spot with colorful, healthy foods, then place this artistic buffet in front of your toddler and watch the magic happen. She no longer has to fight me on food because she can pick whatever she wants! It's genius! I want her to enjoy her lifelong experience with food, and I want her to make her own healthy decisions (something I still need to be better at for myself).

What seemed to be a little lacking in all these posts is ideas on WHAT to put in each of these snack compartments, so THAT is what you will find listed below. Pick and choose obviously as YOU please - we all have different opinions on what should go into our children.

It goes without saying that all these foods should be bite-size, right? Please cut them up appropriately. My daughter can handle all these food options, and she (still) only has two teeth.

Do you have additional ideas? I would love to try new things I'm not sure she'll like...from the pic above, she already learned that she actually LIKES cucumber and corn - SCORE! I'll add more as we explore more options!

Baby Bento Box Ideas

Fruit
  1. Blueberries
  2. Grapes
  3. Strawberries
  4. Mango
  5. Mandarin oranges
  6. Raspberries
  7. Blackberries
  8. Raisins
  9. Craisins
Vegetables
  1. Green peas
  2. Corn
  3. Cherry tomatoes
  4. Cucumber
  5. Broccoli
  6. Steamed sweet potatoes
Grains
  1. Cheddar Bunnies (Whole Foods organic knockoff of the infamous Goldfish)
  2. Wheat Bunnies
  3. Cooked conchiglietti (baby shell pasta - we go through BOXES of this in our house since this is the easiest thing to get Bugga to eat)
  4. Oatmeal
  5. Cheerios
  6. Baby puffs
  7. Kix cereal
Dairy
  1. Yogurt
  2. Cheese chunks
Protein
  1. Cooked turkey hotdog
  2. Mini peanut butter on tortilla sandwich bites
  3. Chopped egg white
  4. Scrambled egg

5 comments:

  1. Awesome list - thanks! Dealing with a picky 15mo right now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good luck! We've all been there! The next phase is "I Only Want What's On Your Plate Mom"... :-)

      Delete
  2. This list is awesome, and a terrific idea, crossing my fingers it works, If i may i thought some of these foods may be good to use as well. avocado, applesauce unsweetened, shredded chicken, mashed califlower,

    ReplyDelete
  3. Im dealing with a fussy 4year old. Pls help im so tired he only likes sweet stuff. N anything else has to be easy so there's no biting for example weetabix, porridge. Any suggestions? ?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Im dealing with a fussy 4year old. Pls help im so tired he only likes sweet stuff. N anything else has to be easy so there's no biting for example weetabix, porridge. Any suggestions? ?

    ReplyDelete