Easy Meals for Fussy Toddlers: Quick, Healthy Recipes You Can Make Together

If you have a fussy toddler, you already know the drill. You spend time cooking something nutritious, put it in front of them, and they look at you like you have just served them a plate of dirt. It is exhausting.

After three kids of my own and years of chatting with mums at sessions, I have learned that most toddlers fall into one of three categories: the one who eats everything (lucky you), the one who refuses anything green, and the one who will only eat plain food. If yours is in category two or three, these tips and recipes might help.

Give Them a Choice

One of the simplest things you can do is let your toddler choose. Not from the entire fridge, but from three options you have already decided on. "What does your tummy feel like for dinner? We have this, this or this." It gives them a sense of independence and makes them more likely to actually eat what ends up on the plate.

Cook Together

Meals you make together are not just about food. They are bonding time, education and conversation all rolled into one. My kids always gave me one-word answers about their day at childcare, but put them next to me at the kitchen bench with something to stir or mash and suddenly they would not stop talking. It breaks down that barrier because they are focused on spending time with you rather than running off to the next toy.

Use Their Interests

Whatever your child is obsessed with right now, use it. Monster trucks, unicorns, Bluey, dinosaurs. Unicorn pancakes with a banana horn. Dinosaur toast with vegetable claws. If it is too fiddly to make from food, grab a cheap plastic toy from the party section and pop it on the plate. It sounds silly but it works.

Three Quick Recipes to Try

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients: 

1 x Ripe Banana

1 x Egg 

2 x Table spoon Self raising flour

Mash the banana until smooth, whisk in the egg and flour, let it sit for five minutes, then cook spoonfuls in a non-stick pan over medium heat for one to two minutes each side. Done. Fruit disguised as a treat.

Pirate Ship Tacos

Ingredients: 

Old El Paso - Soft Tortilla bowl

500g x Mince

1 x Shredded Cheese bag.

2x Tomatoes 

1x Iceberg lettuce

1 x taco seasoning 

1 x pack of little flags ( pirate flags, princess flags - relate to your toddlers interest - usually found in party or baking section at the grocery store.) 

Set up five small bowls and get your toddler to separate the ingredients into each one. It will be messy, but that is half the fun. Let them build their own taco, top it with a little flag from the party section at the shops, and call it a pirate ship. Make one for yourself too.

Dippy Eggs and Soldiers

Ingredients: 

1 x Egg ( per child) 

2 x toast.

Boil the eggs for three to four minutes for a runny yolk. Toast the bread, cut it into long strips and let your toddler dip away. My grandma called them dunking soldiers and it is still one of the simplest meals that kids love.

You Are Doing a Great Job

Feeding a fussy toddler is one of the most frustrating parts of parenting. But if they are fed, happy and loved, you are nailing it. Try one of these this week and see how you go.

Kate x

How to Create "Me Time" When You're a Busy Mum

If you are anything like me, you have probably forgotten what it feels like to do something just for yourself. Between school runs, work, cooking, cleaning and making sure everyone else is happy, your own needs end up at the very bottom of the list. And at some point, you stop noticing they are even there.

I get it. I have three kids, and there were years where I could not tell you the last time I sat down with a book or went for a walk on my own. Everything revolved around everyone else. But here is what I have learned: you cannot pour from an empty cup, and taking time for yourself is not selfish. It is necessary.

Start with 30 Minutes a Day

That is it. Thirty minutes. Read a book. Go for a walk. Meet a friend for coffee. Have a nap. Yes, I said it. A nap. Whatever you want to do with those 30 minutes is entirely up to you.

This might mean the laundry does not get folded straight away. The groceries might wait an extra hour. But does it affect anyone? Does it hurt anyone? Not at all. If your baby is safe, fed and loved, you are doing your job.

This does mean working as a team with your partner. And for the record, this is not just about mums. Dads need a break too. Working together on this can genuinely change the dynamic at home.

Meal Prep to Buy Yourself Time

Dinner is one of the biggest time drains. You collect the kids, get home, cook, feed everyone, do bath time, story time, bedtime, then clean the kitchen. By the time you sit down, it is your bedtime too.

Meal prep changes this. Pick a day, maybe Sunday, and cook a few meals for the week. Get the kids involved, or do it with your partner or a friend. Pop the meals in the freezer and you have just bought yourself time during the week. Time to spend with the kids without rushing, time for yourself, or time to just sit on the couch with your family and do absolutely nothing.

Get the Kids Involved in the Housework

The laundry is never going to go away, so you might as well make it work for you. Depending on how old your kids are, turn it into a game. Little ones can match sock colours and line them up on the couch. It is colour practice for toddlers and a bit of bonding time for you.

Toy clean-up works the same way. Create a chart or a whiteboard. If your child picks up all their toys and puts them back in the right spots, they get a mark. Five days in a row and they earn something special on Saturday. A matchbox car, a trip to their favourite park, their favourite dinner, or movie night with popcorn. Positive reinforcement helps them build good habits and gives you a bit of breathing room in your routine.

You Matter Too

There will always be a way to create more time in your day if you look for it. And there is no need to feel guilty about taking it. You are human. You matter. And you are doing a great job.

Kate x

Postnatal Depression and Anxiety: One Mum's Story

Why is this something we never talk about? The number of women that go through it, and you only hear about it after you reluctantly say something to a friend, or even a stranger. And often after the worst of it has passed and you are coming out the other side.

I remember finding out I was pregnant with my second, and if I am completely honest, I felt so much guilt because I was not happy to be pregnant. I wondered if I had made a mistake, and it felt awful inside that I might not actually want my baby.

I then started to get really sick. I was three months pregnant and was skin and bone as they investigated what was wrong with me. In the end, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. My feelings totally flipped around. I realised how much I wanted my baby. I was terrified about whether he would be okay. I was told to take medications that can cause birth defects, but was informed by my doctors that if I did not get better and look after myself, it would be worse for my unborn child.

In the end, I gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby boy. I was loving every moment. I had forgotten the newborn touch and smell. I was taking everything in and able to enjoy it the second time around, as I was not filled with the fear and unknown of a first-time mum. But as the months went by, I found myself getting lost in dark thoughts. I would sit in my room feeding and just crying, and not sure why. I never spoke to anyone about how I felt and was confused as to why I felt like I did.

I found myself going to the feeding clinics at the community centre, even though I had no issues feeding. I would find myself crying when the community nurse told me I was doing a great job. I guess this raised some alarm bells with her, so she asked me to come in for an appointment where they get you to answer a questionnaire. I do not think I was completely honest in it, but even still, I was recording levels of depression.

One night, confused and feeling alone and unable to sleep, I took a whole sleeve of anti-anxiety medication. I did not have the intention of self-harm but just wanted to sleep. However, when I look back, I did also know that what I was doing was not good.

I then decided that to get better, I had to talk. I told my psychologist, who I had started seeing towards the end of my pregnancy, and I had never talked to her about my feelings. I had previously only spoken about the children and dealing with trivial daily things. I had the community nurse ring my husband and GP, telling them what was going on, so I could no longer hide it. And had I not started to open up, the healing process may never have started.

It is so important to know that you are not alone. You are never alone. Even if you do not want to seek help from those you are close to, seek it from other places such as helplines and medical practitioners.

Sarah, mum to two boys, Harrison and Hugo

If you think this could be you, please reach out for support.

Lifeline (24 hours, 7 days) 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au

PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia) 1300 726 306 Monday to Friday 9am – 7.30pm, Saturday 9am – 4pm (AEST/AEDT) www.panda.org.au

Healthdirect Mental Health Helplines www.healthdirect.gov.au/mental-health-helplines