I worried my toddler son would die from nutrition deficiency and my face would be splashed all over the local news for being most horrible mother. My picky toddler would only eat fruit chews, graham crackers, and cottage cheese! Nothing else. I did not have tasty toddler recipes. He could tell if we tried to hide vegetables in his food and would refuse to eat it.

Because I have diabetes, I have to eat a special diet. My husband has very unusual taste. Our own recipes are not very appetizing to a toddler. I couldn't make three separate meals. I needed recipes that he would eat, were made from nutritious common ingredients, and were simple.

I became frustrated with internet searches. I simply didn't have the time to build up a nice recipe collection on my own. I read some cookbooks with toddler recipes, but the ones I tried were either too complicated or my picky toddler did not like them. Plus I was drowning in cookbooks already.

One day I was on the net doing research for my web site and came across the most charming site that filled my needs exactly. It is called Baby Spoon and is located in the United Kingdom. This is not a site you can easily find in the U.S.

My Five-Star Internet Find:
Baby Spoon:

• Over 130 recipes (Babies, Toddlers & Children)
• Weaning Guide by Age
• Over 40 vegetarian recipes
• Fingerfoods ideas
• Recipes grouped by indexes
• How to freeze into ice-cubes
• Food Tables by Age

Get Toddler Recipes

Immediately signed up to become a lifetime member, and I am still thanking my lucky stars I found this site that provides tasty and simple recipes that are so easy to remember and make over and over.

Of course, a small portion of the recipes have terminology and ingredients that sound unusual, but a quick internet search can solve any mystery (for example courgette = zucchini). The recipes use the metric system, and you can easily find American and British measurement equivalent charts on the net. It's very easy to figure out, and the recipes are so simple and toddler-friendly, it is worth gaining a little bit of extra knowledge!

There are over 130 recipes on this site for babies, toddlers, and children. New recipes are added regularly. Each recipe lists the minimum age your toddler must be, whether it can be frozen, and often has extra tips such as how to use leftovers. There are also free weaning tips and ways to use frozen vegetable "ice cubes" to have homemade and convenient food always on had for your little one.

There is a very small one-time fee for a lifetime membership and you do not get access to the site immediately. Your induction is handled by a - gasp - human! I personally felt it was well worth the short wait!

Would you like a sample recipe? Here's a very easy one:

Creamy Chicken

Age: from 6 months
Freeze: YES

Ingredients

butter
1 shallot
1 tomato
double cream
diced chicken breasts
a handful of grated cheddar cheese
flat leaf parsley

Melt some butter in a small pan and fry the finely chopped shallot until soft.
Add the chicken (I normally cut it into strips) and fry for a few minutes.
Add the skinned and chopped tomato and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the cream, the cheese and the chopped parsley.
You can give the strips of chicken as finger food dipped in the cream, or blend.