Feeding a toddler can be a difficult task. Some toddlers are very picky and others eat anything in sight. When you have a toddler with special dietary needs, a difficult task becomes an even harder one. You make a mistake and there can be dangerous consequences. To find healthy toddler meals, allergy parents need to get creative and find a little inspiration when looking for allergy-free recipes.
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Healthy Toddler Meals
After feeding Eli pretty much the same meal after 4 straight days I’m in a bind. I am not thinking about a healthy toddler meal, but any meal, so that I know he is fed. He has a long list of allergies, so I have come up with an easier way to make sure he gets the nutrients he needs and stays away from allergens. One of the ways I do that is to follow a vegan lifestyle. Since his diet works well for his eczema, I decided I wanted to share. This will help both vegan parents and food allergy parents at the same time.
Included, are items that will cover every meal of the day. They are what I often shop for. There is a wide range of food, so it can be tailored to work for your lifestyle. Every parent is different and while I love to use whole foods and fresh vegetables, realistically frozen and microwavable items are useful staples as well.
Quick Allergy Free Recipes for Toddlers
Breakfast and lunch are faster to make and dinner sometimes takes more effort. To make meals quicker use fruit cups, microwavable vegetable cups, rice cups, and microwaveable frozen vegetables. There are several options to come up with quick dinner ideas for toddlers. But, If you don’t like using the microwave use the fresh options on the list. The only wrong way to do this is to not feed your kid at all. I suggest you feed them every day.
I’ve listed specific brands because they are the ones I use and I know that currently, they do not have milk, soy, or eggs in them. This can change so always double-check. Morning Star products, for example, have gone vegan. This means no more eggs or milk included! On the other hand, some bird’s eye vegetables contain allergens, so all their frozen lentil pasta is not the same. Knowing this, I tried to be as specific as I could when naming products on the list.
A Day of Meal Ideas for Toddlers
Here is an example of a day in the life of Eli. I try to keep his meals well-rounded so that he gets everything he needs, even though he can’t have cow’s milk, eggs, or peanuts.
- BREAKFAST – Strawberries and Soy Yogurt
- LUNCH – Pinto Beans, Sweet Potato, and Broccoli
- DINNER- Soup (pasta y frijoles- Celery, Tomato, Carrot, Onion, Beans, Pasta)
- SNACK- Fortified Cereal/ Toddler Food Pouch
These meal ideas are just one day. If you would like 21 more meals and 7 snacks I’ve made you a plan. You can print it out or save it and fill out your notes on your favorite device.
The Vegan Toddler Meal Plan
The list has 40+ foods that you can feed your toddler at meal or snack time. The meals are interchangeable and can be tailored to your needs and the list can be used to make whatever meals you choose. Use it to spark your creativity.
The plan omits dairy, eggs, peanuts, sesame seeds, shellfish, fish, and tree nuts but not soy. Soy is included in this list because it’s our family milk of choice. Our best alternative is to avoid nuts and cow’s milk. In cases where soy milk is on the list, please substitute it for your milk of choice. Substitutes include coconut, almond, hemp, and more. Each has its own benefits and will work with your healthy toddler meals. You can read more details once you download the plan.
Give it a Try
Try to fit this grocery list and meal plan into your lifestyle. The list has several items, they don’t have to be one shopping trip. In fact, if I make something for dinner the leftovers will be lunch or dinner the next day. To stretch out this list to the max pick 3 days and rotate the meals and snacks out with each other for the week. Have fun with it. Use these ideas to make life easier. Fed is best! That continues through toddlerhood even if your child has food allergies and is or isn’t vegan.
Read my previous post about Eli’s vegan diet and learn how we found out about his allergies. Let me know in the comments below if you have your own meal plan and if you can’t get enough meal ideas. For even more ideas check out my Pinterest page. Enjoy Dinnertime.
21 Comments
Arianne Peters
My baby has a grain allergy so it’s super hard to find her stuff to eat. I will definitely be trying that lunch idea for her!
Lydia Knox
Awesome glad this will help. Enjoy Lunch!
Pheng Lineses
I really need this one. Will try some for my toddler one. Thanks for sharing.
Lydia Knox
Thank you. Hope it helps you out.
D. Allyson Howlett
Awesome list! I love looking for new things for my kids to try, even if they don’t have allergies. Love the suggestions!
Lydia Knox
Thank you. Glad you liked it. I hoped that it would be something everyone can use. You can mix and match and add your own foods.
mdunn4713
Love this! As a mom with a child that has food sensitivities, this is incredibly helpful!!
Lydia Knox
Thank you, I’m glad you think it is helpful. I’ve learned every little bit helps, so I like to share whatever I can in hopes it will be useful. Other parents share their tips as well and together we get through it all.
Emory farm
This is wonderful!
Lydia Knox
Thank you. Hope it helps.
Megan Ashley
This list will be so beneficial for parents looking for food ideas for the children with allergies! I am gluten free so I know the struggle!
Lydia Knox
Thank you. yes it can be a struggle to find ideas when you have different dietary needs. You probably have great ideas for gluten free meals. Thanks for reading.
Sarah
Awesome list. My 1.5 yeah old may be allergic to some things (getting tested soon) so I gotta pin this for later!
Lydia Knox
Hope the test comes back in your favor. If it turns out they have no allergies, still some good ideas there if you need them. Thanks for reading and pinning!
Julia from Balancing Bravely
What a great list – this can be so challenging!
Lydia Knox
Thanks, It really can be, hope this makes it a little easier for you.
thehabibihouse
This is so helpful, thank you for sharing!!
Megan
We are so fortunate not to have allergies in our home, but we have a few friends who do and I know how much work it is for mommas! Love these recipes and saving so I have more ideas for play date foods!
Meagan
Neat! I’m always looking for ideas when it comes to feeding my toddler.
Nobathembu Jantjies
Thank you so much for this, my daughter is three and she has the worst case of eczema and she’s a picky eater… so this will definitely be helpful. I am doing the grocery shopping list right now.
Lydia Knox
Your welcome I’m so glad you found it useful