#92: Taking the Overwhelm Out of Meal Planning with Laura Fuentes

We see online all the time “baby friendly recipes”, “baby led weaning recipes”, “6 month old food ideas”, etc. So it’s easy to think that we need special recipes for our babies. But here’s the truth…you don’t! Not only is it extra work to make one meal for you and a separate baby friendly recipe, it’s also not helpful to be eating different foods from your baby from the perspective of modeling eating behavior! Also, allowing baby to partake in “adult meals” means it’s that much easier to introduce foods with different flavors, textures, and spices - expanding your baby’s palate and the types of food they will accept. Plus - who wants to be eating baby finger foods all day everyday? It’s absolutely possible to serve your baby - even your little 6 month old - the same food that you’re having. Meals YOU actually enjoy too! There are obviously some considerations, which I go over in this episode (hint - the guidelines out there for babies and salt intake are more flexible than you think and it’s easy to omit added sugar and make almost any food safe with a few modifications!). I also talk about how to deconstruct meals and make meals easier for your baby to consume. This goes for whether you’re doing purees or finger foods for baby! And good news - if your family meal plan could use a little more variety and tweaking to make things healthier and baby friendly - don’t worry - my newly revamped 60 day Baby Led Feeding Meal Plan walks you through the first 30-60 days of starting solids with family friendly recipes - good for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and adults. You’re all going to love them!  This meal plan makes sure that all your baby’s nutrient needs are covered and each meal is perfectly balanced (as well as contains iron rich foods for baby led weaning!). It also strategically introduces allergens to your baby in a step-by-step way over 60 days so you never have to worry about which highly allergenic foods to introduce when, and how to introduce them to your baby.  Each and every recipe in the meal is safe and appropriate in texture for your baby, while keeping your baby advancing in eating skills and challenged with various textures from my Texture Timeline™. Get out of that mealtime rut and enjoy tasty, healthy meals for the picky eaters and baby led weaning babies in your home - without cooking more than one meal for everyone! I want to give you your time back with your baby so you can just look forward to mealtime instead of spending time figuring out which ones to make. I wish I had something like this when I started solids with my boys!  Get the 60 day Baby Led Feeding Meal Plan here! Leave a review and win!  Help The My Little Eater Podcast hit #1 on the charts and reach even more parents who may need some extra help when it comes to feeding their little ones!  All you need to do is head over to Apple Podcasts and leave me a quick review about what you loved about this episode, or a previous one. Thanks so much in advance for your continued support. As a thank you, you’ll be entered to win a 15 minute call with me where you can ask me anything about feeding. Just make sure to leave your Instagram handle so I can find you if you’re the lucky winner! ♥ Listen on Apple Podcasts                 ♥ Listen on Spotify                 ♥ Listen on Google Podcasts   Additional Resources: 60 DAY BABY LED FEEDING MEAL PLAN: https://mylittleeater.com/blfmealplan/ Grab this epic meal plan to have over 80 recipes to use when starting solids with your baby, to serve as nutritious meals for picky toddlers, and just for the whole family to enjoy! If you do have a baby just starting solids, it also includes info on moving through my signature Texture Timeline™, as well as allergy introduction. It ensures variety and takes the guesswork out of what’s for dinner for up to 60 days! All of the meals are balanced to keep the babies, toddlers,

On this 100th episode of the My Little Eater Podcast, I’m bringing back my “how to serve” series. Because, at the end of the day, I want you to feel prepared to start solids with your little eater, and being confident in how to serve fish to your baby (among other things) will help with that!  Fish is an important food for babies, not just nutritionally where it’s an excellent source of protein for babies, it’s an iron rich food, and some types even have essential omega 3 fatty acids for proper brain development. But it’s also important from an allergen standpoint, introducing it early and often is key in helping to prevent an allergy from developing, and understanding how to cook fish for baby led weaning will help make that possible. This is why I’m giving you all my top tips today for serving fish to your baby, including going over my favourite fish to serve babies, and how I would offer it (this one will surprise you!). I’ll also give you a bit more info about why fish is such a great option, from a nutritional perspective, for your baby’s growth and development. Leave a review and win!  Help The My Little Eater Podcast hit #1 on the charts and reach even more parents who may need some extra help when it comes to feeding their little ones!  All you need to do is head over to Apple Podcasts and leave me a quick review about what you loved about this episode, or a previous one. Thanks so much in advance for your continued support. As a thank you, you’ll be entered to win a 15 minute call with me where you can ask me anything about feeding. Just make sure to leave your Instagram handle so I can find you if you’re the lucky winner! ♥ Listen on Apple Podcasts                 ♥ Listen on Spotify                 ♥ Listen on Google Podcasts   Additional Resources: BABY LED FEEDING ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/baby-led-feeding/ Starting solids isn’t meant to be just another thing you have to stress over as a parent - it’s supposed to be fun! So, let me help you keep it that way and ensure you raise a baby who loves all food! My Baby Led Feeding Online Course will help you start solids with confidence, ensuring you have the knowledge to gently push your baby through textures to prevent picky eating and be healthy in all aspects! If you’re looking to start solids with your baby, then you need to get the gear! Head over to Bumkins to grab some of my favourite feeding supplies, like their long-sleeved bib, chewtensils, or one of their first feeding sets - perfect for starting solids with your little eater! And make sure you use my code at checkout for 15% off your purchase. BUMKINS DISCOUNT CODE (15% OFF): MYLITTLEEATER15 https://www.bumkins.com/ EPISODE 46 - BEST TYPES OF FISH FOR YOUR BABY: https://mylittleeater.com/46-safefishforbabies/ FISH GUIDELINES FREEBIE: https://courses.mylittleeater.com/fishguidelinesforbaby Skip To… What age can babies have fish? (1:56) The benefits of serving fish to your baby (2:51) Are there downsides to serving your baby fish? (7:11) Where fish fits on my Texture Timeline™ (9:37) My favourite fish to serve babies (12:13)

On this episode of the podcast, I’m teaching you about why the size of finger foods for baby led weaning is so important. There literally can’t be a “one size fits all” approach to preparing finger foods for your baby. Texture of foods and the development of various oral motor skills have to be considered as well. Understanding why larger pieces of food are often safer for your baby, not to mention easier for your baby to move around in their mouth, is key to seeing progression with baby led weaning, and in preventing choking.  Whenever I show pictures of baby led weaning finger foods for 6 months, I hear from a lot of concerned parents that the large size of the foods will cause their baby to choke. When in reality, small pieces of food are more likely to be choked on - especially in the beginning. I think we have this picture in our head of our parents and grandparents, and maybe even us with our older kids, cutting up their food so they can eat bite sized pieces and more easily chew them. What we’re forgetting is that babies are brand new to this! They don’t know how to move that tiny piece of food around in their mouth, they don’t have molars to chew it with, or even know how to move their mouth in a way that would grind down that tiny bit of food. Older kids will because they have experience on their side! This is not to say that babies need teeth or to know how to do all those chewing motions to have finger foods - not at all (they have to start somewhere!). We just have to know how to prepare food safely for them, which is why often bigger pieces of food are perfect as baby led weaning starter foods.  Listen in to hear more about how I recommend you prepare baby led weaning starter foods, and if there are any exceptions to the rule of offering larger sized pieces in the beginning. Leave a review and win!  Help The My Little Eater Podcast hit #1 on the charts and reach even more parents who may need some extra help when it comes to feeding their little ones!  All you need to do is head over to Apple Podcasts and leave me a quick review about what you loved about this episode, or a previous one. Thanks so much in advance for your continued support. As a thank you, you’ll be entered to win a 15 minute call with me where you can ask me anything about feeding. Just make sure to leave your Instagram handle so I can find you if you’re the lucky winner! ♥ Listen on Apple Podcasts                 ♥ Listen on Spotify                 ♥ Listen on Google Podcasts   Additional Resources: TEXTURE TIMELINE CHALLENGE: https://mylittleeater.com/texture-timeline-challenge-live If you’re ready to jump into starting solids with your little one, and want to learn more about how to do baby led weaning and purees, or maybe you want to learn about spoon-feeding your baby, self-feeding, and when to stop purees, enroll in my Texture Timeline™ Challenge! It kicks off February 23rd, 2022 and runs for 5 days with live support from me every single day! BABY LED FEEDING ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/baby-led-feeding/ Starting solids isn’t meant to be just another thing you have to stress over as a parent - it’s supposed to be fun! So, let me help you keep it that way and ensure you raise a baby who loves all food! My Baby Led Feeding Online Course will help you start solids with confidence, ensuring you have the knowledge to gently push your baby through textures to prevent picky eating and be healthy in all aspects! If you’re looking to start solids with your baby, then you need to get the gear! Head over to Bumkins to grab some of my favourite feeding supplies, like their long-sleeved bib, chewtensils, or one of their first feeding sets - perfect for starting solids with your little eater! And make sure you use my code at checkout for 15% off your purchase. BUMKINS DISCOUNT CODE (15% OFF): MYLITTLEEATER15 https://www.bumkins.com/ Skip To…

On this episode of the podcast, I’m calling it like it is and getting fired up about something I feel very strongly about…mixing purees and baby led weaning! But, more importantly, I’m here to tell you that spoon feeding is NOT wrong, or bad for your baby. Period. I listened to another podcast over the past weekend that sparked this episode of my own, and I’m not pointing any fingers, but I will explain why I wholeheartedly disagree with their stance on puree feeding and whether or not you can combine puree feeding and baby led weaning.  I’ll chat about the main controversy of purees vs. baby led weaning - does it really need to be one or the other? I’ll go over how to do baby led weaning and purees, in fact, I’ll share with you the benefits of doing so! And we’ll cover some other important topics like why I feel strongly that you need to feed your baby in the way that feels right for your family, and how baby led weaning is not better than spoon feeding, despite what some experts would have you believe (pssstt…it’s not a competition, there is no winner here). So, if you’re sick of hearing about the black and white of feeding, or parenting for that matter, and want to learn about how you can safely exist in that grey area in-between in a way that benefits both you and your baby - download and listen now! Let’s collectively decide to throw out any narrative that suggests you have to do things one way to be a “good parent” and if you do it another way you’re causing irreparable harm…nope. I don’t agree with that, and I’m over reading about it online. You CAN find a happy medium in feeding (and in other things too), and I’m here to help you do just that.  P.S. Don’t forget to send this to another parent that could benefit from finding their happy medium by learning about how to do baby led weaning combined with purees. Leave a review and win!  Help The My Little Eater Podcast hit #1 on the charts and reach even more parents who may need some extra help when it comes to feeding their little ones!  All you need to do is head over to Apple Podcasts and leave me a quick review about what you loved about this episode, or a previous one. Thanks so much in advance for your continued support. As a thank you, you’ll be entered to win a 15 minute call with me where you can ask me anything about feeding. Just make sure to leave your Instagram handle so I can find you if you’re the lucky winner! ♥ Listen on Apple Podcasts                 ♥ Listen on Spotify                 ♥ Listen on Google Podcasts   Additional Resources: BABY LED FEEDING ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/baby-led-feeding/ Starting solids isn’t meant to be just another thing you have to stress over as a parent - it’s supposed to be fun! So, let me help you keep it that way and ensure you raise a baby who loves all food! My Baby Led Feeding Online Course will help you start solids with confidence, ensuring you have the knowledge to gently push your baby through textures to prevent picky eating and be healthy in all aspects! EP. 76 - SPOON-FEEDING USING THE BABY LED WEANING METHOD: https://mylittleeater.com/spoon-feeding-purees/ TEXTURE TIMELINE CHALLENGE: https://mylittleeater.com/texture-timeline-challenge-live If you’re ready to jump into starting solids with your little one, and want to learn more about how to do baby led weaning and purees, or maybe you want to learn about spoon-feeding your baby, self-feeding, and when to stop purees, enroll in my Texture Timeline™ Challenge! It kicks off February 23rd, 2022 and runs for 5 days with live support from me every single day! If you’re looking to start solids with your baby, then you need to get the gear! Head over to Bumkins to grab some of my favourite feeding supplies, like their long-sleeved bib, chewtensils, or one of their first feeding sets - perfect for starting solids with your little eater! And make sure you use my code at checkout for 15% off your p...

On this episode of the podcast I’ve got some special guests joining me to talk all about the benefits of flax seeds, chia seeds and hemp hearts - otherwise known as super seeds! Kim and Tina are the founders of Tiny Sprouts Foods, where they formulate seed mixes for babies and toddlers to help them meet their nutritional needs. And as a lover of the benefits of seeds, I’m always tossing them into dishes we make at home as an added nutrition booster because it’s just so easy! Kim and Tina explain many nutritional benefits of seeds - fiber, omega-3’s and iron are among some of the nutrients they offer, plus so many more - and this episode digs deep into them all…plus how they can even help a picky eater! And if you have a toddler, you know the importance of preventing constipation and seeds are a great example of a high fiber food for constipation. Make sure to listen in to get more details and find out easy and safe ways to incorporate them into your baby or toddler’s meals! Plus… if you’re wondering how the heck you store them, you’ll want to check this episode out too! Trust me when I say you’ll be shocked (I know I was)! Leave a review and win!  Help The My Little Eater Podcast hit #1 on the charts and reach even more parents who may need some extra help when it comes to feeding their little ones!  All you need to do is head over to Apple Podcasts and leave me a quick review about what you loved about this episode, or a previous one. Thanks so much in advance for your continued support :) As a thank you you’ll be entered to win a 15 minute call with me where you can ask me anything about feeding. Just make sure to leave your Instagram handle so I can find you if you’re the lucky winner! ♥ Listen on Apple Podcasts                 ♥ Listen on Spotify                 ♥ Listen on Google Podcasts   Additional Resources: BABY LED FEEDING ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/baby-led-feeding/ Starting solids isn’t meant to be just another thing you have to stress over as a parent - it’s supposed to be fun! So, let me help you keep it that way and ensure you raise a baby who loves all food! My Baby Led Feeding Online Course will help you start solids with confidence, ensuring you have the knowledge to gently push your baby through textures to prevent picky eating and be healthy in all aspects! FEEDING TODDLERS ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/feeding-toddlers/ If you have a toddler or child aged 1-8 years old and you want to prevent or manage picky eating and learn how to enjoy stress free, happy mealtimes as a family - enroll in my Feeding Toddlers Online Course now! Get started early on curbing unwanted mealtime behaviours before they start, overcome picky eating and set your toddler up to be an adventurous eater!  TINY SPROUTS PRODUCTS: https://tinysproutsfoods.com/?ref=HMdDMKNbQV--I If you want to try some of these amazing super seed blends mentioned in the episode, you can use the code MYLITTLEEATER and get 10% off your purchase!  MORE INFO ON SEEDS FOR BABIES: https://mylittleeater.com/seeds-for-babies/ Tiny Sprouts Bio: Tiny Sprouts Foods is a children's nutrition company that produces easy, convenient, nutrient-rich products that offer functional health benefits to the developing child. They are committed to making every bite count through their debut range of Organic Superseed BoostersTM, which can easily be added to any food to boost nutritional content and support a child’s daily health needs. Leading with a transparent and simple approach, Tiny Sprouts Foods strives to reduce mealtime stress and help parents & caregivers navigate children’s nutrition, enabling children to sprout, grow and thrive to their best potential. You can find out more about their products on their website, with their Digestive Booster being their best selling product! Also head to their Instagram and find out more info about each super seed and some yummy recipes.

Today’s episode is all about healthy crackers for babies and toddlers, including what factors I consider when choosing the best crackers for your little one! Crackers can be a great finger food for your baby if you’re starting with baby led weaning, especially as a vehicle to eat those tougher purée textured foods like peanut butter, potatoes, hummus, puréed meat, mashed beans (the possibilities are endless here!) and make an easy grab and go snack for your toddler on busy days.  When it comes to picking the best crackers to offer your child, there are some key things to consider.. like what or how many ingredients they have, the salt and sugar content and if they have the nutritional components to be a truly healthy snack option. But as busy parents, you don’t have time to look at the nutrition label of each and every brand - there’s just too many crackers out there! Download my FREE cracker guide that takes out all the guessing work, and gives comprehensive lists by age of the best crackers to serve, the runner up and the ones you should avoid if possible! I’ve used all the tips I cover in this episode to really fine tune this guide, so make sure to check the link below to get your copy! Leave a review and win!  Help The My Little Eater Podcast hit #1 on the charts and reach even more parents who may need some extra help when it comes to feeding their little ones!  All you need to do is head over to Apple Podcasts and leave me a quick review about what you loved about this episode, or a previous one. Thanks so much in advance for your continued support :) As a thank you you’ll be entered to win a 15 minute call with me where you can ask me anything about feeding. Just make sure to leave your Instagram handle so I can find you if you’re the lucky winner! ♥ Listen on Apple Podcasts                 ♥ Listen on Spotify                 ♥ Listen on Google Podcasts   Additional Resources: BABY LED FEEDING ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/baby-led-feeding/ Starting solids with your baby isn’t something you should have to stress over, especially if you start with my Baby Led Feeding Online Course! This course gives you all the steps to know what to feed your baby, how to feed it to them (with video demos!), common choking hazards, and how to master responsive feeding. It’s specifically designed to help parents just like you feel confident, and know you’re not alone on this journey. Enroll today and get started! FEEDING TODDLERS ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/feeding-toddlers/ Out of the baby phase? All good, I got you covered! My Feeding Toddler Online Course is the next step, and is so beneficial to start incorporating the lessons learned here early on so you don’t get stuck with the stress of feeding a picky eater. The Feeding Toddler course will give you the strategies you need to prevent picky eating, or stop it from progressing any further, helping you raise a happy, adventurous eater for life!  CRACKERS FOR BABIES & TODDLERS: https://mylittleeater.com/crackers-for-babies Make sure to download my free and comprehensive cracker brand guide to find out what passed my test for the best crackers, the worst and what ones are okay to occasionally offer your baby or toddler. Since babies and toddlers are very different, I even broke down my recommendations based on age, so you can rest assured these are all vetted nutritionally for whatever stage your child is in! ORGANIC FOODS: https://mylittleeater.com/organic-foods/ As mentioned in the episode, if you want to find out more about organic foods, their benefits and which foods are best to purchase organic, check out this blog post! ARSENIC IN RICE: https://mylittleeater.com/rice-for-babies/ Read more here if you want to learn my take on arsenic in rice, and why I don’t recommend using rice based products in excess. Skip To… Download the free cracker guide! (1:07) Look for high quality,

In this episode I’m going to be covering the million dollar question - and that’s how to get your toddler eating more vegetables! As parents, you know vegetables seem to be your worst enemy. Whether you have a picky eater or not, they just seem to be that one food that's literally impossible to get into your toddlers diet. But there are things we may be unintentionally doing that actually prevents them from trying them and ultimately eating them in the long run. Let’s face it, veggies technically don’t always taste that good, are kind of a weird texture and are ALWAYS the focal point of the meal, as many parents overemphasize them as the one food on the plate that their toddler should eat. So today I wanted to cover how to change your mindset on approaching veggies with your toddler by giving you my tips on when and how often to serve them, how to talk to your toddler about them and how to find fun in serving veggies. It does take consistency, and a bit of a mindset shift…BUT…all these tips are stepping stones for getting your toddler eating them in the long run - which is totally your goal!  Leave a review and win!  Let’s make 2022 the year that The My Little Eater Podcast hit’s #1 on the charts and reaches even more parents who need these tips and encouragement in feeding their little ones!  All you need to do is head over to Apple Podcasts and leave me a quick little review, even just a quick line about what you loved about the podcast episode, or a struggle that it’s helped you through can really help! As a thank you you’ll be entered to win a 15 minute call with me where you can ask me anything about feeding. Just make sure to leave your Instagram handle so I can find you if you’re the lucky winner :)  ♥ Listen on Apple Podcasts                 ♥ Listen on Spotify                 ♥ Listen on Google Podcasts   Additional Resources: FEEDING TODDLERS ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/feeding-toddlers/ If you have a toddler and you want to learn more about setting up a solid foundation for feeding and have mealtimes free of tantrums - this is the ultimate course to get you there! You see, preparing balanced meals for your toddler is important BUT the first step is knowing the basics of a positive mealtime environment and roles in feeding, all of which can help prevent picky eating and meltdowns! Enroll now and get started early on curbing unwanted mealtime behaviours before they start, overcome picky eating and set your toddler up to be an adventurous eater!  BABY LED FEEDING ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/baby-led-feeding/ Starting solids isn’t meant to be just another thing you have to stress over as a parent – it’s supposed to be fun! So, let me help you keep it that way and ensure you raise a baby who loves all food! My Baby Led Feeding Online Course will help you start solids with confidence, ensuring you have the knowledge to gently push your baby through textures to prevent picky eating and be healthy in all aspects!  DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITY: https://mylittleeater.com/dor/ The Division of Responsibility framework is absolutely crucial for setting up mealtime boundaries and consistency, a positive mealtime environment and less mealtime battles in the long run! Make sure to check out my blog post to find out what it is, how to do it and how it can help do a full 360 when it comes to feeding your toddler! Division of responsibility - blog FOOD PLAY FOR PICKY EATING: https://mylittleeater.com/food-exploration/ Food play can make leaps and bounds with picky eaters and can help you work through those 28 steps of feeding I mention in the episode. Check out my blog for more tips and benefits on food play for picky eaters! Skip To… Tip #1: Serve them more often! (1:26)  Tip #2: Treat veggies the same as every other food (7:05)  Tip #3: Engage their interest with food play! (11:45)  Bonus tip 1: Make them delicious (17:34)

Let’s tackle one of my most commonly asked questions - and that’s how to build healthy toddler meals and snacks that are filling, and well balanced. In this episode I’m going to be giving you the details on My Little Eater’s signature formula for how to build  meals for toddlers the way a dietitian mom would! It really is the easiest way to check off all the boxes nutritionally and keep your toddler full until their next meal, so they aren’t constantly left hungry and asking for snacks shortly after eating. My Little Eater’s FFP formula is a favourite amongst graduates of my Feeding Toddlers online course (now on sale for 20% off!), because it’s also so easy to remember and takes the guesswork out of meal planning! Anytime MLE parents are packing lunches, doling out a snack or meal planning for a couple days, they just have to remember this simple FFP formula and can easily mix-and-match foods that work to fit the framework without ever doubting if it’s balanced enough. In the episode, I provide detailed food ideas that fall into each of the “FFP” categories so you can get started right away! Leave a review and win!  Let’s make 2022 the best year for The My Little Eater Podcast and get these valuable episodes out to all parents who need it! I couldn’t do this without you, and would be So grateful if you’d leave me a rating and review. All you need to do is head over to Apple Podcasts - even just a quick line about what you loved about the podcast episode, or a struggle that it’s helped you through can really help! As a thank you you’ll be entered to win a 15 minute call with me where you can ask me anything about feeding. Just make sure to leave your Instagram handle so I can find you if you’re the lucky winner :)  ♥ Listen on Apple Podcasts                 ♥ Listen on Spotify                 ♥ Listen on Google Podcasts   Additional Resources: FEEDING TODDLERS ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/feeding-toddlers/ From January 10th-17th, 2022 you can now get the Feeding Toddlers Course for 20% off! Don’t miss out on this sale!  If you have a toddler or child aged 12 months to 8 years, and you want to learn more about building healthy, balanced meals to keep them full, help them grow and save your sanity - this is the best time to get the course! It will give you all the tips and tricks to prevent or manage picky eating and learn how to enjoy stress free, happy mealtimes as a family. Enroll now and get started early on curbing unwanted mealtime behaviours before they start, overcome picky eating and set your toddler up to be an adventurous eater! Use the code “TODDLER”  BABY LED FEEDING ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/baby-led-feeding/ And of course, if you haven’t reached the toddler stage yet and are delving into starting solids with your little one, let me help you on your journey and enroll in my Baby Led Feeding Online Course!  Not only will it help you start solids with confidence, it will ensure you have the knowledge to gently push your baby through textures to prevent picky eating and be healthy in all aspects! Skip To… All about my Feeding Toddler course and the value it provides (1:17) The theory behind MLE’s formula for building a healthy and nutritious toddler meal (3:48) The FFP formula for building the best snacks and meals! (9:08) Adding the additional “P” to FFP (14:32) Foods that fit in each category (15:36)

Now that the holidays are over, your family is likely getting back into a routine, and most toddlers are returning to daycare outside of the home. It never fails that every year I get comments from parents like “ Why does my toddler eat so well at daycare, but is such a picky eater at home?” or “HELP! Daycare is concerned about my toddler eating so little at meals and snack time!” If you have a toddler who literally won’t touch meals at home with a ten foot pole, it can have you questioning if your food is awful, and wondering what the heck they put in the daycare food to make it so magical that your toddler clears their plate. On the flip side, you may be a parent of a toddler who won’t touch anything at daycare, not even the food they typically eat at home - nothing can be more stressful than the thought of your toddler getting no nutrition all day. But, the kicker is.. it isn’t always about the flavour or quality of the food itself, but a combination of other things that play a part in their intake. In this episode I really dig into how the structure of daycare, the peer environment and your toddler’s natural eating patterns can all play a huge role in how much they tend to eat at daycare vs home. Plus, some tips for those who are struggling with the stress of how little their toddler eats at daycare. Help me make 2022 the best year for the podcast, and make sure valuable episodes like these make it to the parents who need them most! All you need to do is head over to Apple Podcasts and leave a review - even just a quick line about what you loved about the podcast can really help!  Whether you’re a new or loyal listener, thank you for being here on this journey with me :)  ♥ Listen on Apple Podcasts                 ♥ Listen on Spotify                 ♥ Listen on Google Podcasts   Additional Resources: BABY LED FEEDING ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/baby-led-feeding/ Starting solids isn’t meant to be just another thing you have to stress over as a parent - it’s supposed to be fun! So, let me help you keep it that way and ensure you raise a baby who loves all food! My Baby Led Feeding Online Course will help you start solids with confidence, ensuring you have the knowledge to gently push your baby through textures to prevent picky eating and be healthy in all aspects! FEEDING TODDLERS ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/feeding-toddlers/ If you have a toddler or child age 1-8 years old and you want to prevent or manage picky eating and learn how to enjoy stress free, happy mealtimes as a family - enroll in my Feeding Toddlers Online Course now! Get started early on curbing unwanted mealtime behaviours before they start, overcome picky eating and set your toddler up to be an adventurous eater!  FEEDING SCHEDULES FOR TODDLERS: https://mylittleeater.com/14-feeding-schedules-for-toddlers/ For tips on how to implement a feeding schedule for your toddler at home, and help them build up the hunger so they come to the table hungry (and eat more at meals!)! WHY A LITTLE HUNGER IS NOT AN EMERGENCY: https://mylittleeater.com/why-a-little-hunger-is-not-an-emergency/ Most times, your toddler’s constant snacking can actually lead to picky eating and prevent them from eating meals - plus - they’re learning how to mindlessly eat. Check out the blog to find out how to help your child build up appropriate levels of hunger between meals and avoid constant snacking. Skip To… How the structure of daycare schedules affect toddler eating habits (3:39) Other kids modelling mealtimes can increase intake (7:36) Pressure free environment and how that affects eating (8:36) Why they eat more early in the day vs. later (10:17)  Tips for if your baby/toddler isn’t eating well at daycare (12:05)

In this episode, I talk to Laura Fuentes, the creator of MOMables, to chat all about meal planning for busy families and how to get started when you’re too overwhelmed to take that first step! These tips will set you up for success in creating a maintainable family meal plan and make the thought of mealtime prep more enjoyable! Laura and I both agree that many times the thought of meal planning can be too overwhelming for many, especially when both parents are often working full time hours and carting their kids around to activities on top of school or daycare. I’ve been there too and I know the daunting feeling of feeding my family healthy meals, packing lunches and then doing the whole dang thing over again the next week. Laura has so much knowledge and really breaks down easy tips for making meal planning a habit, for planning meals with minimum time - and as a mom of 3 - she shares some of the super smart strategies she implements to have meals ready and on the table FAST! Plus… she gives us her top 5 breakfast ideas to keep ideas fresh and varied…cause that breakfast rut is a very real thing!  I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did and as always, if you find the tips helpful in this episode please leave a rating and review at Apple Podcasts! Just a quick one line review and a 5 star rating helps me reach more parents just like you who can benefit from my tips and tricks when it comes to feeding their little one :) ♥ Listen on Apple Podcasts                 ♥ Listen on Spotify                 ♥ Listen on Google Podcasts   Additional Resources: Starting solids with your baby? If you’re unsure where to start, jump right into my Baby Led Feeding online course! This course gives you all the steps - from what to feed, how to feed and how to progress your baby in textures, so you set your baby up with the skills to become an adventurous eater for life! BABY LED FEEDING ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/baby-led-feeding/ If you’ve started noticing your toddler having picky tendencies, my Feeding Toddlers online course is a great resource. This course will give you all the tricks to get you on the right path to raising an adventurous and happy eater, eliminating mealtime battles for good!  FEEDING TODDLERS ONLINE COURSE: https://mylittleeater.com/feeding-toddlers/ Laura’s Bio:  Laura Fuentes is the creator of MOMables, where she’s helped thousands of families improve their health and wellness by establishing healthier eating habits as a family with her Family KickStart Program and weekly meal plan. She’s the Author of 5 Cookbooks, a successful entrepreneur, public speaker, spokesperson, makes regular television appearances like on TODAY and Good Morning America, has competed on Food Network and won! Her 100K + YouTube subscribers make her an “official YouTuber” according to her 9-year-old that is. Laura is bilingual, born and raised in Spain, and currently lives outside of New Orleans with her husband and 3 kids. In her spare time, Laura reads, sleeps, and works out. What she loves most is taking her family on travel adventures. You can find more about Laura on LauraFuentes.com, on Instagram @LauraSFuentes and MOMables.com WEBSITE LINKS: https://www.laurafuentes.com  and  https://www.momables.com INSTAGRAM : https://www.instagram.com/laurasfuentes/ 30-DAY FAMILY KICKSTART PROGRAM: https://www.laurafuentes.com/family-kickstart-clean-eating-meal-plan/ COOKBOOKS: https://www.amazon.com/Laura-Fuentes/e/B00IKUA23W/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1397245955&sr=8-1 FREE CLEAN EATING HANDBOOK: https://www.momables.com/exclusive-real-food-ks/ Skip To… Laura’s journey with MOMables (3:07) The simplest way to start meal planning (9:57) Typical steps and tricks for easy meal planning (16:00) 5 go to breakfast ideas for busy mornings (28:17)