Vegetarian toddler very picky

So he is eating at 4 and then not eating breakfast?

They aren't feeding him anything in the evening?

So you are basically giving him all 3 meals each day?

You need a proper sit down here as you may as well adopt him at this rate.

I've not known a childminder provide food before, I have to pack all food and lunches for my child when I drop her off. I'd just simply say you're concerned that he isn't eating your food so parents need to provide a packed lunch from 'said' date.

Also, as you're working in an educational role as a childminder I'm going to be pedantic and correct your spelling of tomato and potato, no E in either of them.

If he’s eating the majority of his food at your house, and you know it’s not a well rounded diet, I know it’s through no fault of your own, is there a responsibility to alert a professional? You do have a safeguarding responsibility.

One of my children was very iron deficient before we realised. They were irritable, tired, weren’t eating much, picky, cold hands and feet and it took strong iron tablets and a nutritionist to sort it out. They weren’t vegetarian, just fussy and strong willed. It’s crazy how much low iron levels affects you in all sorts of ways.
i would suggest a concern to the parents. It’s not a bad thing to check someone’s iron levels and weight gain.

Can you switch the main meal around so they have the eggs before they go. Could you ask parents to provide some leftovers that they know he will eat so you can see if it’s just your setting that he refuses food in. Or you send some batch cooking home with them and if he eats it at his house then it’s a behaviour thing you need to ride out.

And so can many other things. Equally, meat eating children can also be iron deficient- not that you know he is. If you are a certified child minder, surely you have more evidence-based resources to develop healthy relationship with food, irrespective of diet type?

Yuck no, please don't do that and ignore ignorant comments like this.

Sounds daft but have you tried something like a bento box or a tray with compartments? And offer say 6 or even 8 different things in small amounts? I know a faff but things like tofu (my fussier veggie kid loves it) grated carrot, cheese cubes, olives, anything that you know he’ll eat. Fruit in some. Rotate the things you offer but always include a couple of reliable options. Fully accept that he won’t eat some or even a lot of it but just keep offering with little comment.

I agree with others that this is a normal phase at that age. Both my kids rejected most vegetables from around 20 months, our youngest is starting to eat them again now at 2.5. she was completely fine with most meals before then.

It took a lot of effort from us to get back on track, it's really not something I would expect the childminder to do.

We provide a lunch box as well. I think you need a proper talk with the parents to understand what's happening at home. I would also make them provide at least 1 of the main meals.

My meat eating toddler goes through phases of only eating toast and fruit. It doesn't usually last longer than a day or two but we just go with the flow.

If he's eating pretty well at home then I wouldn't worry as much. As others have suggested just offer some finger foods, alongside the foods you know he will definitely eat. Just keep offering and one day he will probably try it. Stop batch cooking for now as its a waste of your time and food.

Its no different than some omnivore kids who refuse to eat anything but chicken dippers and chips.

Just wondering if you've tried him with a smoothie? Could be yoghurt and the fruit he likes, with copious honey or maple syrup, and gradually start getting tiny amounts of other things in and reducing the sugar.

100% agree on both points!

Haven't read all the comments, so sorry if it's already been mentioned. Could you try doing his main meal at lunch time and the foods you know he'll eat at tea time. He might be more amenable to trying more at lunch time than at the end of the day when he's tired.

My two also LOVE mushroom soup despite both refusing to eat mushrooms! Carrot and lentil soup also goes down pretty reliably and I'll often serve with cream cheese on toast if I feel they need more calories.

Another mum of two vegetarian children here (4yo and 5yo, both high percentile for height and weight and happily do junior ParkRun most weekends along with cycling, swimming and hiking so certainly not lacking anything!). Easy vegetarian meals that might be worth trying...

• roast veg (tomatoes, carrots, peppers, onions) blend it up and add a bit of bicarb to reduce acidity, then serve with pasta and cheese (do all three separately if you want). Also work well with gnocchi, especially if you bake it in the oven with cheese on top
• falafel wraps with grated carrot, cream cheese/hummus, cucmber (again, can all be separate)
• scrambled eggs/hard boiled eggs/fried with toast (mine will only in the white part of the egg)
• tofu fingers with mashed potatoes (get firm tofu, slice, dip in beaten egg, dip in panko bread crumbs and fry) and chopped raw veg (mine eat raw veg happily but are much funnier about cooked veg)
• stir fry noodles with raw pepper and cauliflowe on the side and scrambled tofu or quorn (though that's probably upf)
• home made chips with a variety of dips (hummus, cream cheese, tzatziki, roast veg)

Honestly there are some small minded people on this chat. Open your mind, read a book, learn something

Hi OP. Mum to two fussy eaters from birth - now 4 and 2 and much, much better. Mine also went through an eggs, fruit and toast phase. Don’t stress. That’s pretty good going for 18 months.

Your meals sound lovely but my kids would not have touched it at that age because it’s all too “together” and they wanted things very separate. Those bowls with separate compartments worked well for mine to make sure nothing was touching. I would go back to basics for tea. He likes toast and cheese from what you’ve said so I’d be doing things like pasta with blended chopped tomatoes, stock cube and double cream in one compartment, toast fingers in another and cheese in the other. The following day do a (chopped) jacket potato with butter, cheese and toast in the other compartments. Fruit for pudding. I know there’s not much veg but I’d try and get him eating the basic staples like pasta and potatoes and gradually add in veggies. Once he accepts things like the pasta, for example, you can switch out one of the other compartments to carrots etc. It’s slow going but the idea is to work off what he currently enjoys eating with a bit of something new as well.

The one random hit my kids loved (and still love) was mushroom soup. No idea why but if you get stuck for ideas, it’s worth a try.

A lot of little ones start being fussy around this age, regardless of being a veggie.
My middle child was baby lead weaned and he ate everything then when he was around 2 he started turning down food he had always eaten.
I would do a ‘picky tea’ and give him things you know he will eat. Finger sandwiches, homemade cheese straws, cucumber sticks and fruit, jacket potato, yoghurt, homemade pitta bread pizza fingers.
Soup was always a hit for some random reason, I’m guessing because it was a smooth texture and he could dip things into it.
All you can do is offer it, it’s down to his parents to feed him again when he gets home if he hasn’t eaten much at yours.
My childminder offers tea, and then depending on how much ours has eaten he always has something when he gets home.

I agree with the suggestion that the parents should provide you with a couple of of favourite meals and see if it's a behaviour or taste thing. Good luck.

If I was the parents I would be annoyed that you'd just hand my child over saying they didn't eat their dinner, I don't think that's reasonable. Just feed him what he likes to eat. If that's egg, toast, yoghurt and berries for lunch and dinner that's fine, he's got nutrition and won't go hungry. It's his parents job to expand his diet as they wish not your problem to worry about. You just need to make sure he isn't hungry. We had a childminder like this once and I moved my DD because I was fed up hearing she'd cooked some complicated meal that my child had refused to eat so I'm collecting them late after work and now have to make them another meal. Not helpful at all.

FFS! Being vegetarian isn’t a restrictive diet! 🙄 There are millions of vegetarians all round the world.

And yes, the OP should totally add meat to his meals….if she wants to be sued!

I’d stop batch cooking and literally give him the stuff you know he’ll eat. Let the parents know what he’s had so they can make up the deficiencies themselves?
There’s little point in lovingly crafting nutritionally balanced meals you know will be going in the bin.

I’d ask the parents to send some meals they know he eats.

Then see if he will eat the at your and ask for the ingredients and instructions and see what they see to use.

How about a sweet potato and cinnamon lentil dhal? I added carrots sometimes, and butternut squash, spinach sometimes. It’s in the wean in 15 joe wickes book. I blended it down for a smooth texture. The cinnamon and sweet potato make it appealing to toddlers