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Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Top 8 Allergy Free Toddler Meal Ideas

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free Toddler Meal Ideas (Top 9 Free)

  • 11 min read
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If you’re feeding a free-from toddler, no matter how many restrictions there are, meals can feel hard. It’s even more compounded if your child has entered a selective/picky eating phase. Today I’m sharing quite a few toddler meal ideas, as well as a tips, recipes, and resources for you.

I also want you to know that it’s absolutely possible to feed a free-from toddler, offer them balanced meals, colourful meals, a range of nutrients, and help them thrive. So, let’s jump in, starting with the tips.

Keep Meals Simple When Feeding a Free-From Kid Five Times a Day

Most toddlers are on a feeding schedule that includes five meals per day (three mains + two snacks). That’s a lot to think about when you can’t rely on packaged/convenience foods.

My first big tip: Keep Meals Simple. You can serve very basic foods to your toddler and they’ll be happy. Pasta tossed in a little oil alongside ground meat and a dip makes kiddos happy. There’s no need to overthink mealtimes.

A few super simple meal ideas for your toddler’s plate:

  • Waffle Quarters + Steamed Broccoli or Steamed Cauliflower + Strawberry Slices
  • Broccoli Mac-N-Cheese + Green Peas + Apple Slices
  • Mini Pancakes + Sliced Bananas + Kiwi Slices
  • Toasted Bread + Smoothie + Steamed Baby Carrots + Dip

Meal Plan Where You Can and Wing it When You Need To

My next tip (to be taken with a grain of smoked salt): Meal Plan. It can even be a loose/casual meal plan. The real goal here is to rotate through a range of foods to make sure your nutrition bases are covered.

If nothing else, meal plan some basic items such as your starches (rice, sliced bread, bagels, tortillas, and so on); along with your main protein for the meal (ground beef, chicken, etc.)

Something that simple will at least give you some guidance with meals because you can then lean into the simple formula concept I’ve shared below. Here’s a few examples:

  • Ground Beef + Gluten Free Tortilla + Salsa
  • Ground Turkey + Steamed Green Beans + Rice
  • Shredded Chicken + Black Beans + Oven Roasted Sweet Potato

You can see that each combination is super simple and doesn’t require much work. You can plan for those proteins and starches, then pull produce from your freezer to heat up.

Batch Cooking Can Save Your Sanity & Help You Thrive

Tip number three: Batch cook foods your toddler loves that are also freezer friendly. Muffins are an excellent starting point for this. Cooking EVERY meal day in and day out isn’t sustainable. You’ll need to become your own source of convenience foods.

Other meals and meal components that are super freezer friendly:

RIASE has a whole section of freezer friendly meals that you can browse. Or, use the (free to use) Advanced Recipe Search which has more than 125 filters you can mix and match to meet the needs of your household, and choose Freezer Friendly as one of the feature options.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Top 8 Allergy Free Toddler Meal Ideas

Use an Easy Meal Formula

As you can see in the photo, I’m a sucker for cute toddler plates. You can also use regular plates and be just fine. In the case of the formula though, a divided plate makes implementing the formula method a little easier in my opinion.

Protein + Starch/Carb + Produce. Done. How simple was that?

You’ll also want to include healthy fats. Some fall under produce, such as avocado, and sometimes it will be with something else you’ve served (such as noodles tossed in oil).

If the formula idea works for you, run with it. You can rotate through seasonal produce to keep meals interesting. When meal planning, make a chart with 3 or 4 columns. Label them for Protein, starch/carb, produce, and fat. Then, fill them in with foods your toddler enjoys, or they’re learning to enjoy.

Easy Ingredients to Keep on Hand

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of ingredients you can keep on hand to help you use the formula method. I’ve separated this into four lists so you can see the different sections.

Protein

  • Ground Beef, Ground Turkey, Ground Chicken, Ground Rabbit, and/or Ground Bison
  • Pork Butt/Shoulder (for making pulled pork)
  • Chicken Thighs (great for pressure cooking)
  • Dairy Free Yogurt

Starch/Carb

  • Potato & Sweet Potato
  • Gluten Free Pasta
  • Gluten Free Bagels and English Muffins
  • GF Tortillas and Crackers
  • GF Oats (for those who can tolerate them, more on the topic in this article)

Fruits & Vegetables

  • Apples
  • Bananas
  • Berries (blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, and strawberry are all easy to serve)
  • Beans (pinto beans, black beans, chickpeas, navy beans, cannellini beans, and kidney beans are all easy to prepare and serve)
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Carrots & Baby Carrots
  • Corn
  • Green Beans & String Beans
  • Peaches & Nectarines
  • Peas

Fat

  • Seeds
  • Avocado
  • Coconut Products (for those who can tolerate coconut)
  • Neutral Cooking Oils (olive oil, avocado oil, tiger nut oil which isn’t a tree nut)

Remember, you can also include dried or freeze fried fruits and vegetables in your meal planning. Both options can add some great texture to your toddler’s meals.

Food Allergy Help 101: Toddlers

Deconstruct What You’re Already Eating

In many homes with a free-from toddler, it’s not uncommon for the whole family to become free-from. Many parents worry about crumbs on the floor/table that their toddler can eat and prefer to keep the home free from allergens.

This means whatever you’re already eating is probably safe (allergen wise) for your toddler. Deconstruct it and serve it on a divided plate for them. This means less work for you, too 🙂

An example. You’re making egg free fried rice. As you cook each component of the dish, set a little aside for your toddler. Grown ups (and big kids) get the mixed together fried rice and your toddler has a deconstructed plate to enjoy.

Over time, your goal should be teaching your child how to enjoy mixed foods, which will give you more options in the long run.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Top 8 Allergy Free Toddler Meal Ideas

Top 9 Allergy Free, Gluten Free Toddler Meal Ideas (as Photoed)

Let’s take a look at the photo above and how these meal ideas can be varied as well.

Taco Spaghetti = Noddles + Ground Seasoned Meat + Avocado Sauce. Notice the formula in use there? Any pasta dish can be served deconstructed like this.

Pancakes & Produce = GF Top 9 Free Pancakes + Blueberries + Lunchbox Peppers. Whilst this isn’t a perfect representation of the formula, that’s OK. Not every meal has to have all three components. Produce can be fresh or frozen. The free-from pancake recipes on RAISE are all freezer friendly, meaning you can batch cook and make your life easier.

Rice & Veggies = Seasoned Rice + Broccoli + Pepper Strips. Again, we’re not representing all three categories and that’s OK. Remember, toddlers are in little bodies and their protein requirements aren’t that of a grown man.

Muffin & Fruit = Batch Cooked Muffins + Produce on Hand. Not every meal needs to be made from scratch or purchased from the farmer’s market yesterday. Lean into your freezer.

Waffles & Fruit = Batch Cooked Waffles + Seasonal Sliced Fruit. Have fun with colour. This particular waffle is green (spinach). When you feed your child a range of colours, you’re giving them a range of nutrients that will strengthen their biome.

Rice & Produce = Seasoned Rice + Quartered Cherry Tomatoes + Match Stick Papaya. OXO makes a grape slicer that you can also use on cherry tomatoes. These are choking hazards for small children and slicing makes meals safer for them. To make your life easier, you could cook up a big batch of rice, divide into 3 or 4 portions, then season each one differently. Now you have four options to pull from throughout the week.

Extra Gluten Free + Top 9 Allergy Free Toddler Meal Ideas

Rather than keep you here all day, I thought I’d share some additional helpful articles on feeding free-from toddlers.

Toddler Lunch Box Ideas by The Allergy Chef Easy Gluten Free, Dairy Free Toddler Snacks
Egg Free Toddler Breakfast Ideas (Gluten Free, Top 9 Free) Gluten Free, Allergy Friendly Toddler Food For a Day
Nut Free Breakfast Bars and Granola Bars Brands and Recipes by The Allergy Chef (Vegan Options, Gluten Free, Allergy Friendly)

Answering Your Free-From Toddler Questions

What’s the best peanut butter alternative for a toddler?

There are a lot of peanut butter substitutes to choose from. This article highlights different options depending on how you’d like to use the peanut butter alternative.

Since this article focuses on top 9 allergy free options, I’m going to suggest sunflower seed butter, chickpea butter, spreads made from other seeds, and tiger nut butter (tuber, not a tree nut). In terms of brands, check out:

  • SunButter
  • Beyond the Equator
  • 88 Acres
  • Roots Co.
  • Pulse Power Snacks

I’m also suggesting brands that last I checked, are using dedicated equipment. Be sure to reach out to them before making a purchase. This article on spreads can also give you more leads and ideas.

Do you know of a good dairy free and soy free chocolate chip?

Why yes I do. There are three main brands of free-from chocolate chips to choose from: Enjoy Life, Equal Exchange, and Pascha.

I can’t tell you specifics about Enjoy Life, but I can tell you that Pascha chocolate chips are made in a dedicated facility, on top 9 free equipment. They’re also the only brand that offers a truly corn free chocolate chip option (the 100% pure dark), not that you need that.

For Equal Exchange, you’re going to want the teal bag or the purple bag. It’s important that you read the label because they are not a top 9 free company, but have this product as an option. Last I checked, their free-from chocolate chips were made on dedicated equipment.

The equipment is important when choosing free-from chocolate because said equipment is notoriously difficult to clean. It’s very easy for trace amounts of allergens to make it to the next batch of chocolate.

What are some good sandwiches I can serve to my toddler?

That’s going to depend on what type of sandwich components your little one has learned to like. Rather than talk your ear off about sandwiches, I’m going to point you to this article instead. It focuses on sandwich ideas that aren’t PB&J, plus, it has sandwiches that taste good cold (great for picnics and preschool).

Need More Free-From Toddler Meals and Resources?

Check out these additional resources we have on RAISE (membership website), all aimed at helping your free-from toddler thrive.

30 Top 9 Free Toddler Meals Cookbook by The Allergy Chef Gluten Free, Top 9 Allergy Free Rainbow Lunches
Free-From Toddler Feeding & Nutrition Basics Letter to Preschools and Daycare Centers
Allergy Seminar: Introducing New Foods to Toddlers Allergy Seminar: Making Toddler Food

 

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