Just wondering how other moms' deal with so much wasted food. My two and a half year old constantly asks for food such as apples, yogurt & even bananas and two seconds later doesn't want it. I waste a ton of food this way. Tonight she asked for oatmeal for dinner and then refused to eat it. In retrospect she has been sick since the weekend but she does this wasting food thing on a good day. I never know if she is will actually eat the food she asked for or not. Any thoughts? Thanks.
P.S. My daughter actually likes the food she wastes especially bananas. She is just one indecisive two and a half year old!
Keep in mind: A "serving size", for a Toddler, is in terms of tablespoons.... one tablespoon per year of age. Not an entire thing.
Even for an adult, the serving size of say an apple, is not the whole apple.
So, don't make servings, per adult sizes.
And yes, Toddlers are very fickle.
Keep in mind that a 2 year old's serving size is actually pretty small. If you think she is not hungry, do not give her food if she asks - if she's already had a banana and is asking for yogurt but you don't think she's really hungry, don't give it to her. If she doesn't eat something and you know she likes it, when she says she's hungry again, give it back - if she made you open her a yogurt and didn't eat it, and then asks for something else, let her know that she will be finishing her yogurt before she gets the other thing. You have to teach them not to waste :)
usually if my son asks for food he doesn't waste it. but if he doesnt eat something I make him then he can eat it latter. (its different if he is trying it for the first time) If I know he likes it there is no reason to waste. If he doesn't want to eat breakfast I offer it to him again an hour latter and he usually eats it, but certain things I know he will not eat latter so they end up going to waste and it drives me nuts. Though sometimes he eats the weirdest things that I would not expect. Today he would not eat the baked apples and pancakes I made him, but instead ate a whole plate of peas and lima beans lol.
Bananas freeze great. I used to cut it in slices and give her a few at a time.. If she did not eat it all I placed it in the fridge. If we did not eat it by that night, I sliced it up and froze it..
With apples, if she did not eat the whole thing, I did the same thing but then tried to make sure my husband and I ate he rest in a green salad or fruit salad. Or place it in a zip lock and serve it with breakfast the next morning.
With the oatmeal consider only giving her about a 1/3 of what you normally serve her. If she eats it all, add a little more. The rest can be frozen and reheated.
Yogurt, serve small amounts at a time.. May only be 2 tablespoons of it.
When I am ill, a large portion does not look appetizing, but a tiny bit at a time I can handle.. Teach her to ask for "More yogurt, please". Your answer, "I like you manners, yes you may"..
I eat the leftovers too! Also the same tips as others... just try to give one or two things when she's really really hungry. I find that helps our daughter who is around the same age.
I always ate my kids left-overs - might have gained some weight from it, but at least it wasn't wasted. LOL!
