Toddler Won't Eat Meat? Read This for Easy Tips to Help (2024)

FAQs

Toddler Won't Eat Meat? Read This for Easy Tips to Help? ›

There are a variety of reasons that toddlers shy away from meat. First, it can be too hard to chew—softer and cut up meat works better. Second, the texture can bother children, especially when it's a new meat. To remedy this, parents can encourage toddlers to touch and guess how the food will feel in their mouths.

If your child is vegetarian or does not like to eat meat (e.g., beef, pork, goat), chicken, turkey or fish, offer alternatives such as eggs, peanut butter, tofu, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and soy-based meat substitutes. These foods have similar nutrients and will help your child meet their nutritional needs.

Foods such as milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, nut and seed butters, beans, legumes, and whole grains all contain protein. Because serving sizes for toddlers are small, you may find your child is eating adequate amounts of foods to meet their protein needs.

If your child doesn't eat meat or fish, they'll get enough iron if you give them plenty of other iron-rich foods, such as fortified breakfast cereals, green leafy vegetables, beans and lentils. Children who don't eat meat or fish are more likely to lack iron, which can lead to iron-deficiency anaemia.

Legumes – Peas, beans of all varieties, lentils and chickpeas are excellent sources of iron as well as protein. Try adding to their favourite pasta sauces, soups, homemade baked beans, mashed or even using in dips like hummus. The choices are endless. And most importantly, your toddlers are bound to enjoy them!

Try offering your child soft, tender cuts such as pork tender loin. Cooking meat slowly in casseroles and stews keeps meat softer too. Using minced meat, sausages, meatballs and burgers is also a popular way to offer softer meat.

Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans and nuts

These foods provide protein and iron for growth and development. Red meat such as beef, lamb and pork contain iron, offer them 3 times a week. Give meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans or nuts to your child at each of their 2 main meals every day.

Beans, peas, nuts, seeds, and soy products are especially high in protein, but it's also found in dairy products, vegetables, breads, and grains.

Set a good example. Have family meals together and let your child see you eating a variety of nutritious foods yourself. Also, toddlers are more likely to eat what their peers eat, so look for opportunities where she can eat healthfully with friends. Involve her in choosing the vegetables you serve.

What foods can replace meat? ›

Williams added that children who don't get enough protein may experience health issues, including fatigue, poor concentration, slowed growth, bone and joint pain, delayed wound healing and decreased immune response. But with small changes you can protect against protein deficiency.

Use a pressure cooker or slow cooker to make the meat soft and easier to eat. Marinating can also make meat more tender and easier to chew. Or if you're serving a more difficult-to-chew piece of meat like a steak, pork chop or chicken breast, try cutting it into tiny bites.

Whole soy foods, such as edamame, tofu, tempeh, soy milk and soy nuts, are great sources of lean protein.

Chunks of meat are a common choking hazard for children under 4. Make sure you're serving meat safely to your little one by offering puréed or soft, gummable meat (like meatballs or logs made from ground meat) for the earliest eaters, then cutting meat into small, bite-sized pieces for bigger babies and toddlers.

Dysphagia can be long-term (chronic). Or it may come on suddenly. If your child's swallowing issues start suddenly and your child is normally healthy, your child may have something stuck in the esophagus. If your child has trouble swallowing and a fever, it may be because of an infection.