Getting LO's to eat meat

Hey Ladies...I am in need of some help here. I cannot get S & A (they are 14 months) to eat meat other than black forrest ham and jarred mixtures. I have tried chicken, turkey, fish, ground beef and they spit it out as soon as it's in their mouths. I even try sneaking it into some of their favorites and that doesn't work.

Any tips/advice for me??

Thanks

 

My kids hate meat too! They will eat chili usually though, so I will make a big batch of chili and put it in a quesadilla or something like that. Also try meatballs. But more often I just give them meat alternatives like tofu, beans, chickpeas (they love hummus), quinoa. I think we're raising little vegetarians. Kidney beans were a favourite finger food of theirs for a long time.

 

I had a lot of luck pureeing chicken in with apples or sweet potatoes. Chicken nuggets (unfortunately ) are a standby here.

 

Oh yeah.. chicken baked with mangoes and a bit of curry powder was a big hit here too for a long time. Eventually they didn't like the texture though and we had to quit that. I should try again though.

 

For months the only way I could get my DS to eat meat was to let him dip it in ketchup. We also did a lot of cheese and peanut butter as protein sources in those early days.

 

Meatballs always worked for us. I too am a big fan og Hummus. Mine eat that on bread or in a bowl or anyway I give it. I've also found that dipping helps, ketchup, mustard, russian or ranch dressing. GL

 

Mine like flavor- taco meat in a quesadilla or on a spoon, cut up meatballs, things like that were hits to start. It took a while for mine to like meat and even then it's very, very soft, flavorful meat. Although now we have ketchup fans here, too.

 

Yes, it took my kids a while to like meat (still they do not like pork)...I agree with finding sauces for them to dip in (ketchup,mustard, ranch dressing) has been helpful. Good luck!

 

Same here (sigh). My kids don't like meat. Before they only ate sausage. Now they don't like it anymore. They eat chic nuggets, ground beef. we give them chic nuggets when we are on the go. I usually cook ground beef with veggies and BBQ sauce. They love it. They also eat ham. I will try to fry some chicken breast today. I also pressure cook beef and veggies and potato today. I hope they will eat.

I think it's all about texture. We need to give them some time and keep trying

 

Mine also like flavor. My DS will eat fish if I put Indian seasonings on it. Also, another good source of protein for my kids when they are refusing meat is eggs. My kids love them and they are an easy texture to eat!

 

it's so weird....all of my kids (I have 4) have gone through this stage where they don't eat meat(after they previously would eat all kinds of meat)....and they still continue to go in and out of stages with "pickyness" about meat. And all I can say is just keep offering it every day or so and sooner or later they usually come around. (Ketchup always helps too). I used to stress about it with my first 2 (they are 8 and 6 now) and now with my twins (they are 2) I don't have time to stress about it. I just make sure they eat peanut butter and have good amounts of dairy and it all kind of balances out in the end. I just keep offering it and try to go with the flow.

shannon

 

Why do you need to get them to eat it?
Are you worried they aren't getting enough protien or other nutrients?
There are plenty of people in the world who don't eat meat.
Here is an article that can give you some tips on what sort of non-meat things they can eat to make up for their dislike of meat. http://www.pcrm.org/health/PDFs/info_children.pdf page down to get to some sample menus and recipies.

It's likely just a phase, remember kids need to be repeatedly exposed to foods to develop a taste for them. Offer, but try not to let food become a battle--trust me, I've been there (at a much older age than your kids are now) and it's NOT fun.

 

Just have to say I find this thread ironic....my boys LOVE meat and aren't so great with veggies. :unknw: To the point that if I put all their food in front of them, they gobble down the meat and then refuse to eat any of the veggies. I have to give them their meat a bit at a time just so they will eat some veggies. They have loved their meat from day one.

Anyway, I would say as long as your LO's are getting protein from other sources, I wouldn't worry about it, but like the pp said, keep offering it to them and they may change their minds one day.

 

It can take up to 10-20 offerings of a food before a kid will realize it's good :lol: So keep offering. "Sauces" or "dips" always help us out too

 

I just keep trying. The fact they are putting it in their mouth is actually progress towards them eating it. I recently found out Henry will eat meat if I tell him it is sausage. With all the milk they drink, I worry less about the meat than I do about Jacob's love of only corn and peas.

 

Milk is a great source of protein, and so are other foods (beans, yogurt, etc.) so if that's your concern, and they eat a varied diet, then I wouldn't worry. Just keep offering, model good eating for them, and let them choose what they like!

I have the opposite problem, especially with Nate. Dude was eating steak before he had any molars whatsoever; he'd gum it to death! :lol: The other day I told the boys that we were going out for a treat (I was thinking ice cream) and he said, "We're going to get meatballs!".

 

HIDE IT!

My girls ebb ad flow on their like of meat. Most times whe they "dislike it" it is because it isn't hidden.

Last night I made a yummy meal with pork (something the girls previously rejected) AND THEY ATE IT.

Here's the recipe:

Sear pork loin (I used boneless loin chops) in 1 C of apple cider or apple juice in a pan on the stove top.
Transfer the seared meat and the juice into the crock pot.
You can, but don't have to season the meat with salt and pepper (I added a dash of salt, no pepper)
Add 2 peeled and cubed granny smith apples, and a cubed butternut squash.
Add 1/2 C brown sugar (I thought it a bit sweet so you may want to reduce this)
Add 1 tsp ground sage (more or less to your taste preference)
Add 1 tsp thyme (more or less to your taste preference)


Cook on low for 5 - 6 hours. When done, take some of the pork and dice it up really finely. Smash up some of the apples and squash, them mix the pork into the smash. Add more apple and squash cubes to the smash for texture and let the kids have at it.

 

Thanks Ladies. Nice to know I'm not alone here with my non-meat eating kids. LOL

I will try the ideas given, hopefully something works...I know they get the nutrients they need via other sources of protien, iron, etc. I just want to one day cook one meal and the 4 of us eat it together...wishful thinking for now I guess!

 

HA! I can do that now if I want to eat mac and cheese or chicken nuggets! My DH doesn't eat beef, so it's a balance between what I eat, they eat and he eats. I'm not sure we ever eat exactly the same food.

 

If it makes you feel better, we rarely eat the same meals. We will sometimes eat the same meat, but I hate fish, but DH and the boys love it. And DH hates most veggies, but I love them and the boys will usually eat at least some of them. Heck, sometimes we eat three different meals even! (plus the boys are still soy intolerant, which limits their options, too, many of which we really like).

 

I know how you feel! I really value family meals, and it can be frustrating when you're dealing with picky toddlers. How I handle this is to serve a lot of options at meals, so everyone can have at least one or two things that they like. My guys don't really like veggies (esp. Nate), so a typical meal will include a meat, a veggie (for DH and I), a starch (potatoes, rice, bread, etc.), fruit, and milk. Everyone gets a helping and they can decide what they want to eat and how much. That way I can sometimes serve the super spicy foods that I love, and the boys can fill up on other things if that doesn't suit their tastes.

Just keep offering meat and it may click one day!

 

Like Valarie, we have a variety of options--but I never make what I would consider a different meal for any member of the family. In Mexico it is common to have beans or lentils as a side at every meal. All my kids really love lease and they are very healthy options (not to mention cheap!) so I'm fine if they eat that more than the "main" dish somedays.

 

I also serve a variety. A meat, a veggie, and a starch, with fruit and/or yogurt for dessert. Some days they demolish the meat, some days it's the veggies, and sometimes it's the starch. If they ate really good from everything, they can have a treat like a cookie, cake or ice cream for dessert. If they ate really poorly we stick with fruit and maybe a cup of yogurt.

 

Thank you for this thread! My girls have gotten picky about meat, and I've been trying to come up with good alternatives outside of black beans and cheese. I'm thinking about mixing chickpeas into peanut butter for an extra protein punch.

 

LOL. If only Xavier would eat corn or peas. The only veggie he will eat is tomato in the form of ketchup, spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce! I hide pureed veggies in the sauce when I have the time. Ah, gotta love toddlers!