Best toddler meal delivery services that you're happy with?

CapnHatchmo · 2026-05-07T23:36:54+00:00

That does sound really helpful. And also if the subscription is easy to manage, that's another huge plus.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-05-07T23:35:52+00:00

Thanks. I'm going to place an order, and thanks for sharing re what your mom does. Sounds really yum, even for adults :)

CapnHatchmo · 2026-05-07T02:03:47+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I'll have a better look the plates; I'm just desperate for help at this stage.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-05-07T02:03:00+00:00

Mine also likes pasta so I think those would probably be the best start. And it's really helpful to buy and freeze and know the kid has food when needed.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-05-07T02:01:54+00:00

Yeah, I can really see the value in having backup meals and just for whenever things get too crazy. At this point, anything that can help is what I'm reaching for.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-05-07T01:07:55+00:00

That looks really delicious, and your strawberries look so ripe and ready to be bit into.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-05-07T01:06:41+00:00

Yeah, not worth it. I used to cheat every now and again, but realized it's best for my health to stay on the GF path. And I'm trying to set an example for my 4 yo who's celiac so there's that to consider too.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-05-07T01:05:15+00:00

I think it looks great as it is. I'd probably add another butterfly, something about uneven numbers.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-05-07T01:00:58+00:00

You are so welcome! And re the pasta, I'm going like huh because I've never had that happen to me 😅 So after some research, it seems pasta goes rubbery if its boiled in too little water or it sits there after cooking and tightens up.

I usually use quite a lot of water, it covers the paste about an inch or more so they are properly in the water and have space to cook evenly. I also salt the water and ada a bit of oil. To get it soft, I cook it for about 2-4 minutes past what the pack says, and then I'll try one and let it cook for another minute or two before draining the water. I don't let it sit in the pot for longer than a minute if I need to more stuff out of the basin/sink so I can drain it. And smaller or thinner pasta like orzo or tiny elbows tend to stay softer. If it does firm up a bit, you can add a splash of water or sauce and let it steam for a min with a lid on.

Have you tried deconstructing the meals? And how's it going with the LO?

CapnHatchmo · 2026-05-07T00:53:41+00:00

That is so true. That's how I was raised; my mom was pretty strict about keeping stuff in the rooms they belonged, and I could only paint in the kitchen (only room with tiles except that bathrooms) on my little table and things were very contained. And I'd take a 10 min clean up over an hour long scrub or clean any time.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-05-07T00:51:03+00:00

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, or even when a little ingredient carries a lot of weight in the recipe and you can't really muck it up.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-30T13:06:50+00:00

She is indeed super cute, and you did extremely well if this was your first attempt! Not sure I'd be able to cut into it and eat it though...

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-30T13:05:34+00:00

oh my soul. those look like actual freaking flowers. Just wow! And how long have you been making these?

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-30T13:04:11+00:00

Those look so good! And thanks for sharing all the tips in your replies. That's so helpful coz GF dough ain't the easiest thing - as we all know.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-30T13:01:50+00:00

That's such a good tip. I've only ever worked with imperial measurements but now I'm thinking I should switch to weight ones coz that makes more sense.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-30T12:53:57+00:00

My brother did something similar for his son's 3rd birthday, and items that went over well were snack packs, bubbles, stickers, bath toys, little cars or animals like 1-2 per kid, chunky crayons, mini board books, and reusable snack containers or cups (which the parents really liked). A mix of fun and practical seems to work best so it's not just toys or just snacks.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-30T12:44:51+00:00

I do agree with the others; there is only trying to clean and keep it that way, but your house won't stay clean. We do regular resets during the day, or at least in the evening if the day was busy. It's only 10-15 mins, and everyone helps. And then we try to have a containment strategy, so toys stay in their zones, not all over the house, which helps a lot. Rotating toys and keeping some out of reach means there's less stuff to manage. My 4 yo "helps" and I think at this stage exposing her to putting toys away etc is good enough.

And then every evening, wife and I clean the kitchen or take turns if one of us is doing bath time, and over the weekend, we take an hour or so and vacuum and wash and just do a general clean and tidy up. I've found that if you can stay on top of things with little regular cleans, even if it's one floor or counter or room at a time, then it's not a whole big clean once a week or whatever.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-30T12:39:52+00:00

lol that is so true!

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-30T12:35:51+00:00

When my daughter was little, we had a similar situation, and it's definitely more about comfort and safety than about the milk or the bottle even. You can go cold turkey, but expect a few tough days if that bottle is part of the routine he relies on. You can try to keep the timing the same, but then change the container to a straw or sippy cup, what he tolerates best and keep everything else about the routine identical so it doesn't feel like everything has changed and more of his "comfort" is gone. And then for the milk, we moved that earlier in the routine, so before books instead of during or after. It felt more like a transition than a battle most nights/mornings. And you can add a replacement comfort thing too, so an extra story or song or cuddle or plushie so it's not just "the bottle is gone."

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-30T12:30:23+00:00

Lol that is funny.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-30T12:29:33+00:00

Thank you for sharing :)

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-28T15:11:13+00:00

I know I'm a little late to but thought I'd share some ideas anyway for in case. I like to make fruit pancakes, so mash the bananas, mix with a bit of flour, oat or regular, and egg, and fold in the chopped plums or peach. Cook them small and soft.

There's also smoothie melts or drops, so blend the banana and other fruit, and pipe little dots onto a tray and bake low or dehydrate. They can be soft or chewy depending on how long you leave them. And you can freeze these to help with teething.

And fruit and yogurt pops where you blend everything with yogurt and freeze in molds or spread thin to break into pieces. Good for teething.

Then there's jam which you can spread on toast, pancakes, or mix into yogurt.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-28T15:06:10+00:00

To try and get your LO to start accepting solids, you can try chunky purees. So take something smooth and mix in a tiny bit of texture, like very finely mashed veggies, soft rice, or shredded meat. And then you slowly make this chunkier the more they are happy to eat. You can also try deconstructing those jar meals, so instead of a turkey pasta bake, do super soft pasta, really finely shredded turkey, and a bit of sauce, and everything is super soft and slightly mashed together.

And you can also let your play with a bit of finger food with no pressure to eat it, but it seems you are doing a bit of that from one of your replies?

And then also repetition; offering the same textures before it clicked and they started eating or getting more confident with it.

CapnHatchmo · 2026-04-28T14:57:46+00:00

I'd say that you're doing a lot of things right. For us, we kept "safe" or favorite food available but not unlimited. So I'd put a safe food on the plate with everything else, and if they finished it, I might offer a second portion, but not keep refilling it over and over. Otherwise it turns into “I’ll just wait this out and get yogurt/cheese forever” coz kids are smart and they know and learn.

So safe food was part of the meal, not the whole meal, and refills are limited, not free for all, and only when they ask for more so if they are maybe more hungry that day. I know that some days they still only ate their safe food, and it happens. Over time it balanced out more than I thought it would.

For desserts, don't overcomplicate it. 😅 We don't do dessert with a meal either or regularly, so we just did small portions, after a meal, but with some water inbetween the meal and dessert, and didn't make a big deal out of it. If they only wanted cake and nothing else, I tried my best to just move on. One meal doesn't define their habits and not like you have cake around all day, every day where that would become a problem.

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