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What my toddler eats at 16 months old. Healthy and easy toddler meal ideas for 16 months or for young toddlers age 14-18 months.
Here is our 16 month update for what our toddler has been eating this month. I’m sharing our toddler meal ideas for 16 months.
Corbin has been getting 4 molars at once, so his food intake has been down a little bit. But, he has been trying new foods and liking some of them!
Our toddler sits in his high chair, but its pulled up to the table. I think this has helped him get excited agin about eating.
Its also been helpful to make him feel like he his part of the family when eating family meals and to be more engaged.
This month we have also been working on using silverware.
We love the munchkin toddler silverware set and use it every day.
Corbin has been practicing using the spoon, especially, and has been eating more yogurt and soup.
Keep reading below to see toddler meal ideas for month 16!
If you are looking for meal ideas for babies or toddlers, check out more posts from my feeding series:
- Combing Purees and Baby-Led Weaning
- Baby’s First Solid Foods
- Self-Feeding ideas for 8-12 Month Olds
- Self-Feeding Foods for One Year Olds
- 20 Easy Meal Ideas for 1 Year Olds
- Easy Toddler Breakfast Ideas
- Easy Toddler Meals with Frozen Food
- Self-Feeding Ideas for 12-16 months
- Self-Feeding Daycare Lunch Ideas for One Year Olds
- Toddler Meal Ideas – 15 months
- Toddler Meal Ideas – 16 months
- 33 Toddler Dinner Ideas
- Toddler Meal Ideas – 17 Months
Self-Feeding Tools
Silicone Plate// Since our toddler now sits at the table these silicone plates have become a MUST at every meal. He will throw his normal plate after a few minutes so we love how these silicone plates stay stuck.
Toddler Silverware// The Munchkin fork and spoon set is great for young toddlers who are more familiar with self feeding. We love this set and use it every day!
Straw Training Cup// The Contigo straw cup is our favorite right now! Its a little more like a real cup that the weighted straw cups we loved previously. This cup does not spill!!
For a full list of toddler feeding products that I recommend check out my post:10 Toddler Feeding Essentials!
Breakfast Meal Ideas
Corbin goes to daycare 5 days a week, so breakfast has to be quick and easy.
Breakfast normally consists of a whole grain and fruit. Corbin’s favorite food at the moment is yogurt, so when he gets yogurt its a big treat! Its also VERY messy, but that’s half the fun.
For more breakfast ideas check out my full list of toddler breakfast ideas.
1) Waffles – whole wheat waffles are our #1 go-to for breakfast. Top with jelly, cream cheese, or peanut butter.
2) Toast – whole wheat toast topped with avocado, jelly, or peanut butter.
3) Yogurt – yogurt is Corbin’s favorite food at the moment. I try to buy him whole milk yogurt when I can. We recently started buying the big tubs instead of smaller individual containers because he will eat more than the 4oz serving. He has been loving self-feeding yogurt using his munchkin toddler silverware set.
4) Eggs – eggs are not Corbin’s favorite so we have been serving them as a side and not the main course. Try scrambled eggs with veggies and cheese or hard boiled!
5) French Toast – I didn’t make french toast this month, but it is always one of Corbin’s favorites! It was one of his first solid foods and was great for introducing bread (we had already introduced eggs separately to test for allergies).
Lunch Meal Ideas
Since my toddler goes to daycare 5 days a week, I pack his lunch and he eats lunch there.
Lunch normally consists of a sandwich or protein, fruit, veggies, and sometimes cheese or yogurt. For a full list of fruits and veggies my toddler normally eats check out the full list here.
Below are meal ideas for daycare lunches. Note, that the photos actually include lunch + 1-2 snacks so that is why they may seem a little large on the portion size.
6) Avocado Sandwich – another favorite of my toddler is a smooshed avocado sandwich. Its like avocado toast, but a little less messy for school.
7) PB & J – peanut butter and jelly is another staple lunch item for us. Because what toddler doesn’t like pb & j?
8) Turkey Roll ups – one thing that we have added to his lunch rotation this month is turkey roll ups or just cut up deli turkey. I try to buy natural turkey breast when possible or low-sodium.
9) Cheese and crackers – another new item is cheese and crackers. We frequently do string cheese or sometimes do sliced cheddar cheese as well.
Dinner Meal Ideas
For the most part my toddler has always eaten what we do for dinner. This is a great way to introduce toddlers and babies to new foods.
I always try to have a “safe food” on his plate, which is something that I know he likes and will eat. This is especially true when trying a food I know he hasn’t liked in the past or trying a new food.
This month Corbin tried Thanksgiving (and loved it!) and also we have been eating a lot of soup and chili since it has started to get cold. He has been loving self-feeding yogurt using his munchkin toddler silverware set.
10) Burger with sweet potato fries – my toddler is not a fan of meat (especially beef) but we served it because we had it for dinner and he did try a bite.
11) Baked pasta with veggies – a great way to serve veggies for picky eaters is to cover them in sauce or serve with a dipping sauce. Corbin also loves pasta and red sauce so this was a hit!
12) Deconstructed tacos – serve anything you would fill a taco with, just without the shell. My toddler tried pulled chicken, beans, corn, and of course avocado.
13) Chili – Corbin tried homemade chili this month and loved it. I added some noodles to his for a little more sustenance and also served it with one of his favorite “safe foods” – avocado!
14) Thanksgiving – turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and apple sauce. He ate EVERYTHING!
15) Butternut squash soup – since my toddler insists on self-feeding everything with a spoon, I added some peas to help him have something to shoot for when scooping. This is another one of his favorites!
16) Quesadillas – cheese quesadilla with mixed mexican veggies and beans.
17) White Chicken Chili – served with mixed veggies and a dinner roll.
18) Pizza – in true toddler fashion, Corbin decided he didn’t like pizza this month. We tried white pizza and normal pizza with red sauce. Both served with a few “safe food” sides.
19) Chicken Tortellini – my toddler will always have seconds or thirds! Served with veggies and fruits to be a little more well-balanced.
Thanks for stopping by!
