As your toddler begins to grow right before your eyes, so will he or she begin to have a mind of their own. Perhaps a quirky personality trait appears, or a new skill develops. But there are those handful tots who cultivate their own eating habits. For mums who have to prepare food for their little ones, here are some popular toddler food recipes in Singapore with a variety of tastes and nutrition for your rambunctious toddler.
Encouraging Toddler Meals
The first two years of your child’s life is essential for proper growth and development1. Establishing dietary patterns early on will help you in the long run. Therefore, let your child try out different toddler food recipes in Singapore repeatedly, even though they may not like them the first time. After all, it may take some time for them to get used to the taste and texture of new food. One tip for mums: mix the toddler food with something that your toddler already likes2.
It is also important to give it time before re-introducing the toddler food that your child did not like the first time. Letting him or her choose which foods to try and even giving opportunities to be involved in food preparation can encourage more openness to trying new food. Having meals together as a family can also help with being open to healthy meals, as toddlers tend to follow the example set by others, in this case their parents and siblings. Bear in mind that it is normal for toddlers to be picky eaters, and the behavior often goes away once your child is about 5 years old2. Thus as parents, being patient is key!
Delicious and Nutritious Toddler Food Recipes in Singapore
Toddler food recipes in Singapore that incorporate sources of protein, fruits, vegetables, and grains make for healthy nourishment that your toddler needs. With a variety of available toddler foods, you can prepare the colors of the rainbow on your child’s plate.
Toddler Recipe #1: Chow Mien3
(As per the Healthy Meals in Pre-schools Programme (HMPP), this recipe serves 10 children)
You will need:
250g whole wheat noodles
1 tablespoon canola oil
15g garlic, minced
60g onion, sliced
50g Chinese mushroom, sliced
100g carrot, julienned
Seasoning, mixed together: 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 4 tablespoons lower sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
150g chye sim
8 eggs, beaten
20g lime
Instructions:
Prepare the noodles as per the direction on the packaging. Heat up wok with oil and fry garlic and onion. Saute mushrooms and carrot together with seasoning for about three minutes. Add noodles and chye sim and toss. Add eggs and cook until eggs are set. Serve on a plate with lime garnishing.
Toddler Recipe #2: Carrot and Potato Bake4
Ingredients:
6 peeled and diced carrots
3 peeled and diced potatoes
1 tbsp milk
1 lightly beaten egg
1 tbsp of finely chopped parsley
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup grated cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan
What to do:
First, boil the carrots and potatoes until tender. Then, mash them together before adding in the milk, egg and parsley. Place the mixture in a shallow dish. At this point, pre-heat your oven to 180°C. Combine the cheese together with the breadcrumbs, and sprinkle on top of the mashed mixture. Finally, bake the dish for 20 minutes or until golden.
Toddler Recipe #3: Delicious Chicken Dinner5
You will need:
200g chicken breast
1 potato
1 cup pumpkin
1 cup sweet potato
8 green beans
1 cup of cream of mushroom soup
Instructions:
Begin by peeling and dicing the potato, pumpkin, and sweet potato, Trim and chop the beans into bite-size pieces. Then, steam all the vegetables until soft. You can either poach or bake the chicken breast. Mash all the vegetables together. Split the chicken breast into smaller pieces using a fork. Combine everything together.
Toddler Recipe #4: Mini Egg and Vegetable Muffin6
Ingredients:
1 small carrot
½ zucchini
25g peas
6 eggs
25g feta cheese
What to do:
First, dice the carrot and zucchini. Boil the peas until tender. Remove any excess water. Then pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Brush a little oil on your muffin tin. After that, beat the eggs before adding in the vegetables and feta cheese. Pour the egg, vegetable and cheese mixture into the muffin tin enough to make 6 ‘muffins.’ Next, bake for 15 minutes or until the eggs are set. Let it cool for a few minutes before carefully removing the egg and vegetable muffins from the tin.
Toddler Recipe #5: Salmon Fish Fingers with Chunky Chips7
You will need:
2 potatoes
2 tbsp oil
1 egg
100g breadcrumbs
½ tsp smoked paprika
4 salmon fillets
Instructions:
First, pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Cut potatoes into wedges and arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle some oil and lightly season. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, making sure to turn them halfway.
For the salmon, first start off by beating the egg in a shallow bowl. Next, mix the breadcrumbs and the smoked paprika on a separate plate. Cut the salmon fillets into strips. Like a dredging station, dip the fish trips into the egg, followed by coating with the breadcrumbs. Lightly oil your baking tray before arranging the salmon strips onto the tray. Bake for 25 mins until golden. For some extra nutrition, serve the salmon fish fingers and potato wedges with your toddler’s favorite veggies.
Toddler Food Recipes in Singapore: Final Tip
These simple and easy to prepare toddler recipes will help expand your toddler’s eating habits. Furthermore, add in whole grain crackers and cut-up fruit such as apples, grapes, oranges, berries as healthy snacks. There are more toddler food recipes in Singapore that can change your toddler’s picky eating habits and have him or her wanting more - it’s up to your creativity to make them work.
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REFERENCES:
1. Infant and Toddler Nutrition (n.d.) Retrieved August 13, 2020 from:
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/InfantandToddlerNutrition/index.html
2. Picky Eaters and What to Do. (n.d.) Retrieved August 13, 2020 from:
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/infantandtoddlernutrition/foods-and-drinks/picky-eaters.html
3. Chow Mien (n.d.). Health Promotion Board. Retrieved September 20, 2020 from:
https://www.healthhub.sg/sites/assets/Assets/PDFs/HPB/Recipe/28.%20Chow%20Mien.pdf
4. Carrot and Potato Bake. (n.d.) Retrieved August 14, 2020 from:
https://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/recipes/carrot-potato-bake/zjefegvy
5. Delicious Chicken Dinner. (n.d.) Retrieved August 14, 2020 from:
https://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/recipes/delicious-chicken-dinner-recipe/y7qbicfr
6. Mini Egg and Vegetable Muffin. (n.d.) Retrieved August 14, 2020 from:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/toddler-recipe-mini-egg-veg-muffins
7. Salmon Fish Fingers with Chunky Chips. (n.d.) Retrieved August 14, 2020 from:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/toddler-recipe-salmon-fish-fingers-chunky-chips