forkable food for fussy ds2

[suzywong]

Hello

Ds2 is 17 mo and will only really consume anything of any significant volume if he can feed himself with a fork.

But I am running out of things to give him with the right consitstency: not wet, not saucy, easy to prong and most of all not fried.
I give him pancakes and eggy bread and potato latkes with veg and chicken and that's about it?

Any ideas? (oh and giving him our food cut up is no good as we don't eat at the same time and ours is mainly rice and noodles)

TIA

[Tania2]

Good old Meat & Veg thats all my ds will eat 2yrs old. Do you have veg & meat with your rice and noodles? If so pick it out and serve it to him as a meat and veg meal???? Just a suggestion, As my ds wont eat anything the he cant reconise eg: casseroles, rice and noodle dishes etc he likes to be able to stab a veg with his fork and eat it bit by bit. IYKWIM.

[nailpolish]

hi suzy what about ravioli? easily pronged and stays on the fork from plate to mouth

[woodpops]

I've started making ds and dd tuna pasta bake and they love it. Especially when I let them smash up the crisps and mix them with the grated cheese for the topping. It's not at all runny and cuts up nicely so they can use their forks.

[hoxtonchick]

how about lasagne? nice & solid (i have been v. bad at e-mailing, promise to send one soon, xxx).

[woodpops]

Toad in the hold, gravy, mash and peas.

[Bozza]

Quiche. Small meatballs. Chopped up sausages. Cauliflower cheese (with cauliflower chopped to bite size).

[woodpops]

Fish fingers

[suzywong]

I like it, I like it
may put the frying pan away now, thanks

Hoxtonchick it will not be before time you naughty thing!

[hoxtonchick]

what about fish pie suze? i have been thinking about this!

[suzywong]

they don't have smoked haddock over here, it's j ust not the same

So where's my email then young lady??????

[Mothernature]

At this age, children grow very quickly and are usually very active, so they need plenty of calories and nutrients. A healthy and varied diet should provide all the nutrients your toddler needs.

Remember to include these sorts of foods every day:

Milk and dairy foods ? these provide calories, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Meat, fish, eggs, beans, peas and lentils ? these are rich in nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals. You can give boys up to four portions of oily fish a week, such as mackerel, salmon and sardines, but it's best to give girls no more than two portions of oily fish a week.

Bread, and other cereals such as rice, pasta and breakfast cereals, and potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes ? these starchy foods provide calories, vitamins, minerals and fibre.
Fruit and vegetables ? these contain vitamin C, and other protective vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre.

How a toddler's diet is different

Although toddlers can eat the same food as adults, before they're two years old children can't eat large amounts of food at one sitting. So, until then, give your child meals and snacks packed with calories and nutrients (nutrient dense foods) such as:

full-fat milk and dairy foods
meat
eggs
Don't forget to give them fruit and vegetables and starchy foods as well.

But if you tend to eat high fibre foods, remember that young children's stomachs can't cope with foods such as wholemeal pasta and brown rice. Also, too much fibre can sometimes reduce the amount of minerals they can absorb, such as calcium and iron.

By the time they're five years old, young children should be eating family food, which is more bulky as it contains lots of starchy foods and plenty of fruit and vegetables. But make sure it doesn't contain too much saturated fat, which is found in butter, hard-fat spreads, cheese, fatty meat and meat products, biscuits, pastry and cakes.

What to avoid
Take care to avoid the following foods:

Raw eggs and food that contains raw or partially cooked eggs because of the risk of salmonella, which causes food poisoning. If you give eggs to your toddler, make sure the eggs are cooked until both the white and yolk are solid.
Whole or chopped nuts for children under five years old because of the risk of choking. It's a good idea to crush or flake them. Shark, swordfish and marlin because these fish contain relatively high levels of mercury, which might affect a child's developing nervous system.
You might also want to avoid giving raw shellfish to your toddler to reduce their risk of getting food poisoning.

There's no need to add salt to your toddler's food. From the age of 1 to 3, children should be having no more than 2g a day. If you're buying processed foods, even those aimed at children, remember to check the information given on the labels to choose those with less salt.

There's no need to add sugar or honey to food for your toddler.

Don't give sweet drinks such as fizzy drinks and fruit squash because they cause tooth decay. If you do give fruit squash or sugary drinks, make sure they're well diluted with water and drunk at mealtimes. Between meals, it's better to give water or milk to drink.

Full-fat or semi-skimmed milk?
From two years old, you can start giving your toddler semi-skimmed milk. Fully skimmed milk isn't suitable as a main drink until they're five years old, because it doesn't contain enough calories for a growing child.

Vegetarian diet

If you want to give your toddler a vegetarian diet, it's important to make sure their diet is balanced and includes all the necessary nutrients.

Make sure you give them foods rich in nutrients such as milk, cheese and eggs. This will mean their diet won't be too bulky and they'll get plenty of protein, vitamin A, calcium and zinc.

Iron is found in many vegetables and pulses (beans, lentils and chick peas), in dried fruit (such as apricots, raisins and sultanas) and in some breakfast cereals, but it's more difficult to absorb from vegetable sources than from meat, so:

give your toddler foods containing iron each day
try to give foods high in vitamin C ? such as fruit and vegetables or diluted fruit juices at mealtimes ? because these make it easier to absorb the iron don't give young children tea or coffee, especially at meal times, because this reduces the amount of iron they can absorb

[Chandra]

Same problem with fussy eater/fork lover 2yrs old... without intention to kidnap the thread but to make it richer... any ideas for breakfast? DS only accepts plain cheerios and milk (provided the milk is not contaminating the cheerios but served on the side)

[suzywong]

well it's all very well and good pasting that but ds2's choices seem to be based on colour (golden brown) texture (crunchy) and whether or not there's a Q in the month

I bought some cunning vegetable vitamins and supplements in the shape of gummi bears - did he eat them, did he bogroll!

ANyway he's a sturdy fellow full of beans, I just want to know what you lot are doing for your fussy kids and whether or not any of them have acutally suffered in the long run thourhg thier fussiness?

[suzywong]

Hi Chandra, I make pancakes/drop scones for breakfast

But he will eat anything his granny has for her breakfst for a few seconds

Pesky Kids

[Mothernature]

Then don't give him a choice just put it in front of him! if he's hungery he'll eat it..

[Chandra]

Thanks Suzy. With regards to your question... well, DS starts a hunger strike every time we travel and end up drinking too much milk and too many fish/chicken fingers. We have tried the route of not offering the above but we end up with a very hungry child who would starve himself rather than eat anything different.

[suzywong]

good point, but easier said than done I'm afraid

[Chandra]

To explain how serious that was... last time he spend 2 days refusing food until we gave up!

[Mothernature]

quote: last time he spend 2 days refusing food until we gave up! if a child can survive on crips or jam butties and still come to no harm why then worry...

[bundle]

homemade chicken nuggets? bash out chicken fillets, cut them into strips and then marinate them in buttermilk if you can get it (don't worry if you can't, this is just me coming over all nigella...) after a day or so dip them into crushed cornflakes or crushed ritz crackers or cheese & onion crisps if you're feeling classy...fry in a little oil (or bake if healthy) and hey presto, you could make a whole freezer full. serve with pasta/rice and hide a piece of broccoli under one of them (i know, it doesn't work).

[suzywong]

wow that is stubborn!

I wonder what survival purpose it serves, this fussiness, I mean in terms of human evolution. Like Mothernature says, they should have the sense to eat what is put in front of them. Can't see too many Hominds who turned their noses up at roast antelope making it to adulthood

[suzywong]

I'm just moaning here, but I'm seriously interested in all these recipes and the kid's motives:

I have found that there is a direcct corelation between speed of refusal to eat and amount of time and effort put in to preparation. And the formula is not in favour of us

DId you get your noodles, bundle?

[bundle]

yes, they weren't bad but i rather foolishly opted for the thai green curry marinade instead of my usual sweet chilli, so the yum factor just wasn't there for me..

on a more positive food note i had a lovely work lunch yesterday with ainsley harriot (chicken salad with yoghurty dressing & pistachios - and no, he didn't make it himself, it was at the tv studios restaurant)

[Mothernature]

If all else fails then resort to getting the child to help make it, they can eat it as they go, which most of them prefer to do anyway...

[suzywong]

that's a good idea, I remember ds2 eating anything I baked if he was allowed to mix it.

Oooh Ainsley, did he gurn at you and come over all Frankie Howerd or was he normal. He's a large chap isn't he?