I’ve totally been guilty of googling ‘how many calories does a 14 month old need?’
Some days I just feel like she is so hit or miss with meals and I have that common mom worry- is she getting enough? I’m not about to start calorie counting for Kaitlyn just yet, but to take a closer look at what and how much she is eating, I decided to document an entire day for this month’s Munchkin Meals (first Thursday of each month!). It’s not the most glamorous day of food, but here’s how it went…
I try to make a smoothie for her once a day. I fill it with frozen banana, whole milk, almond/peanut butter, a date and some sort of vegetable. Sometimes it’s raw spinach and sometimes I use these frozen purees (Giggle Bites). The spinach and zucchini blends in really well!
Sometimes I’ll add a little protein if she is sharing it with Hailey, but otherwise I just stick to the basics. She’ll usually drink a full sippy cup’s worth, or close to it.
We don’t always do morning snacks, because we usualy do early lunch, but if one happens to pop up, I’ll offer it to her. This sweet nectarine was a hit.
Lunch was picnic style at a local park.
She ate about 4 crackers with hummus, 4 slices of mango and about 1/3 of the yogurt pouch.
In the afternoon she ate the rest of her yogurt pouch, a graham cracker and a few raisins. Then came dinner.
I almost held off, wanting to show a more cohesive meal, but the truth is a lot of the girls’ meals are pretty piecemeal. Black olives, roasted sweet potatoes in olive oil with a sprinkle of salt, deviled eggs and red pepper strips.
No surprise what she went for first.
Girl loves poking her fingers in the black olives and gobbling them up.
And the finish… tada!!
Just kidding. This is a bit misleading, as she swiped some of her food right off the tray, to Koda’s delight.
She ended up eating all the olives, most of the egg, half the sweet potatoes and 1 out of the 3 pepper strips.
She doesn’t drink milk, though I keep offering, but sips on water all day long. She still nurses once in the morning and once in the evening before bed.
What have your kids been eating recently?
Any must try foods?
Related Posts:
Munchkin Meals: 13 Month Eating Challenges
Munchkin Meals: A Day of Eats for Hailey at 14 Months Old
Ruth says
My 2 year old has been loving salad (cucumber, tomato, avocado and capsicum), chicken, cold pasta and blueberries at the moment. She also loves chia seeds soaked in water but calls them gooey seeds 🙂
Brynn says
love your posts! My son is a few months younger, but sweet potatoes, olives and a homemade pouch (with veggies) are his favorites.
Brittany Dixon says
I’ve really just been getting into the homemade pouches! What is your favorite combo?
Brynn says
My son loves carrots and applesauce and mango/avocado/spinach/banana the best. But honestly, he would eat anything I put in the pouch! haha!
Rachel says
My almost 16 month old loves black olives too. He’s a pretty good eater, and some of his favorites include meatballs, guacamole, Cheerios, most fruit, and waffles. We got figs in our Bountiful Basket last week and he gobbled that up! First time I’ve ever seen a fig outside of a Fig Newton.
Brittany Dixon says
“outside of a fig newton” – haah! i remember feeling the same thing with my first fig! 🙂
Jessica @Myhealthypassion.com says
I think your doing a fantastic job, especially with variety! Good work Mama!!!!!
Linda says
Brittany,
You mentioned sometimes putting protein in the smoothies.What do you use?
Brittany Dixon says
I have Shaklee’s on hand, so I use that. I don’t always use it though because I feel pretty good about the protein content from the milk and nut butter. Hailey just likes the added vanilla taste 😉
Katie D. says
This is waaaay more than my 13 month old eats! She does drink whole milk decently and still nurses 3-4 times a day (morning, after dinner, before bed and once during the night). Last night she ate 1/2 a jar of peas, a handful of cheerios, 2 pieces of cucumber and 1 cherry tomato.
She is VERY finicky about textures – she loves baby food peas but will spit out a frozen/steamed pea.
Brittany Dixon says
I’m jealous that she drinks milk though! I feel like that is a nice safety net to have. I’ve heard lots of little ones are finicky about texture so you aren’t alone! Sounds like a good dinner still though 🙂
Katie D. says
What kind of cup do you use for smoothies??
Brittany Dixon says
Any of them! I love the munchkin click and lock, and have a couple other cheap ones that I’ve picked up at Target and such. The smoothies for the girls are pretty liquidy, so they flow through any cup just fine.
liz says
I feel like that’s a pretty good day of food for a wee one! I’m always worried about how much my Georgina (17 months) eats. I finally tracked her the other day and it was a measly 300 calories in actual food, and 550 from mostly milk and some juice, for about 850 total. >.< So, at 1.5yrs old, she's still predominately milk-fed. I'm jealous of Kaitlyn's appetite!
Brittany Dixon says
Well I’m jealous of your milk drinker so we can call it even 😉
It’s so funny because I find it so easy to tell others that kids won’t starve themselves and just be consistent and blah blah but it’s definitely easier said than done sometimes!
Heather says
Lately I’ve been having trouble with foods for my 20 month old. She has suddenly gotten very picky and I never know what she’ll eat each day. Some days I can’t get her to eat fruit or veggies, so I try and make a smoothie, but that is also hit or miss. Definitely racking my brain. Thankfully, my 3 year old has been liking green smoothies, though! Hooray!
Jeannie says
Looks great to me! So cute too!
How do u make the deviled eggs?
Brittany Dixon says
Super simple! I just cut them in half, put the yolks in a bowl and mash them with a little sweet relish, mustard and a tiny bit of mayo, then spoon it back in each egg half. The girls devour them this way and since they both aren’t big into meat, I love that it’s a guaranteed protein choice.
Tammy J says
How about you shed your own disordered eating habits and give your kids some real food. Fruits and vegetables are healthy, but have few calories. How about some homemade macaroni and cheese, or homemade chicken nuggets? Meat lasagna? Rolled up lunchmeats with cheese? Piece-meal with that stuff doesn’t add up to anything. You know how hard it is to have an eating disorder, don’t force it on your kids.
Kristin says
It’s pretty disgusting that you suggest that Brittany is forcing any kind of “disordered eating” on her children. Shame on you! Just because she doesn’t immediately resort to chicken nuggets and mac and cheese (homemade or not) does not make her eating habits disordered. Plus, this was a snap shot of ONE day, not every day. How about you keep your snide comments to yourself? No one here wants to read your judgement.
Erica says
Tammy – I don’t think your comment is fair or true. Your suggestions for additional items Brittany can serve the girls are great but your comments about disordered eating are unjustified and frankly just cruel.
Liz says
Wow. Mac and cheese isn’t really a healthy food AT ALL. Chicken nuggets CAN be decent, but homemade ones require work, and sometimes you don’t want to do all of that (especially to document in ONE day of a month). She has even mentioned that the kids aren’t big meat eaters. But really… is this really what America has come to that we put down parents who give their kids healthy foods instead of mac and cheese? Homemade mac and cheese STILL is NOT good for you. Ridiculous. I hope my kids eat similar to this instead of eating the unhealthy foods that have become the norm in this country.
Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me says
I would have no clue how much to feed a baby! In fact, I have never thought about that until the post. I’d worry about it too! It looks like she is getting a great variety, and all of it sounds delicious! When I was little, I was all about the bananas and the tomatoes.
Natalie @ The Ravenous Mommy says
My 2 year old is so picky! I try to offer him new foods alot, but most end in rejection. I try to make him a spinach packed smoothie or green juice once a day. He is not into veggies 🙁
Niki @ Life With Niki says
I think you are doing a great job giving her various options and lots of nutrients. Kids that age are pretty in tune with their hunger, so I love how you let her eat however much she wants. As a baby, I really enjoyed purred veggies- especially carrots. Okay scratch that, I enjoyed ALL of the foods- which explains why I was in the 98th percentile for weight as a 1 year old ;).
Cassie says
She looks like she’s doing good to me!
Whitney says
Thanks for sharing all of this! What cups do you use for smoothies? My little guy wants to use a straw, but none of the cups we’ve bought seem that easy to use even when I try them. Right now he drinks mostly from a Nuk sippy or a regular cup with our help.
Brittany Dixon says
I use whatever we have- usually a Munchkin click and lock. I make their smoothies really liquidy so it flows well through any cup! I’ve made one thicker by accident before and stuck it in a reusable pouch instead!
Christine says
Oh the struggle sometimes! My 9 month old has good days and bad days with eating. Some days he will have a hissy fit if I present him with a food he does not want to eat. But I just let him be since he’s still getting is bottles, after he turns one I’ll probably start stressing more on how much he’s eating.
Lately he’s been eating:
Fruit (watermelon, blueberries, peaches)
Veggies (sweet potato, green beans, broccoli, black beans)
Chicken (drumsticks in the slow cooker, meat is tender!)
Tater tots
Pork Carnitas (another slow cooker go to)
Raviolis (easy pick up food)
mini muffins (Just made a batch of apple and banana)
Pancakes (when he’s in the mood, if I add blueberries he’s all for them!)
He also eats the lunches at daycare which range from pasta (mac n cheese, taco pasta, alfredo etc) to soy nut butter sandwiches, and chicken nuggets.
Brittany Dixon says
We love pasta/ravioli over here too- so great for little fingers. Love the idea of chicken drumsticks in the slow cooker! Do you add a sauce of any sort? Thanks for the suggestion!
Christine says
Here is the recipe I used. I liked it because the flavors were subtle for our little guy. I think next time I’d baste with some sort of thick teriyaki sauce after they are done cooking for my husband and I. But overall they were really simple and easy to make and the house smelled so good!
http://www.joyinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2012/07/crockpot-teriyaki-chicken-legs.html#.VcIKLDBViko
Brittany Dixon says
Thank you!!
Elizabeth E says
I wish my kids liked eggs! They will eat any fruit I serve and have become more picky about veggies. Corn is always a favorite. It’s a lot of work trying to feed your family healthy meals!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
Ha! I love that she sticks the olives on her fingers! What a cutie!
Erica says
On the whole I think what she eats looks great! My only suggestion would be to possibly add something solid for her to eat in conjunction with the morning smoothie – perhaps a scrambled egg or pancake smeared with a little peanut or almond butter or zucchini muffin. Since she isn’t into milk (my now 2.5 year old has always been iffy on that too) how about some cheese? My boy loves his Gouda and parrano – maybe she’d like that? The biggest point to remember is what our pediatrician always said: look at the week in its entirety to assess their eating. If you assess each day individually you’ll go nuts ?
Brittany Dixon says
I like the zucchini muffin suggestion! I wish K liked cheese. I mean, who doesn’t love cheese?! But she is not a fan. And great point about looking at the week as a whole too!
Heather@hungryforbalance says
Matilda eats many of the same foods frequently! Her current favorites include bananas, oranges, watermelon, raw mushrooms (??), baby carrots, ALL THE HUMMUS (I think she could eat her bodyweight…), black beans, and avocado.
I hate that people assume that just because we favor whole and natural foods for our children that we are imposing restrictive and disordered eating. It is truly sad…
Brittany Dixon says
I love that she eats raw mushrooms!! That’s a new one I haven’t heard of. K likes sauteed mushrooms, so I’ll hand her a raw one next time just to see 😉
Like you, I’m comfortable with the foods I’m feeding my girls and the balance we have, so I just let people have their opinions and move on. 🙂
Jennifer says
My 3 year old son was just diagnosed with a peanut/tree nut/soy allergy yesterday after going into anaphylaxis shock on Saturday after eating a cashew. I know many kids these days have allergies, but to be honest I am devastated. This past week he has been eating a lot of yogurt, string cheese, grapes, bananas, Annie’s crackers, strawberries. I hope to use the weekend to cook many things from scratch to have at easy access like bread, pancakes, chicken nuggets, apple/zucchini muffins…
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my gosh Jennifer, what a terrifying experience! I’m so glad he is ok, but I know the diagnosis must feel shocking. I’m sure once you learn more about it, it won’t be so scary, but I would also feel completely overwhelmed by it at first too. Thinking of you <3
Ruth says
That must’ve been so frightening for you. I hope now the allergy is diagnosed you feel you have a bit more control. My daughter has multiple food allergies and you get used to making stuff from scratch.
Best of luck xx
Jessica N says
She is just like my little guy! I’m always thinking in my head- is he getting enough?! He’s 13 months and to me doesn’t seem to eat much and not a big fan of milk- probably drinks 10-12 oz a day. This reassured me that I guess he’s fairly normal. Thanks for posting!
Amanda says
My 14 month old daughter has been LOOSING weight. She is about 17lbs and has a dairy allergy which results in hives when consumed. I am currently breast-feeding her once in the evening after her dinner and bath. I’ve had a hard time getting her to drink soy milk but have switched to the vanilla type recently and had success with that. She’s still only drinking about 7 to 10oz per day. She isn’t very interested in meat at this point. I’m doing my best to feed her healthy food without too much sugar. I’m going to be trying boiled eggs after seeing your post. Ty