Can I ask you to critique my toddler’s diet?

[Slatternforlife]

I’m on a bit of a thread posting mission tonight so apologies if you’ve seen me here there and everywhere.

I’m a bit worried I’m not feeding 16 month old DS a decent balanced diet even though I try, I think since we’ve been going out and about a bit more I’ve picked up some bad habits so wondered if you could offer any suggestions for improvement:

Typical day:

Overnight oats (about 5 tablespoons spoons with milk sometimes with fruit) or homemade pancakes, toast and Cheerios (these are given only every so often)

Snacks (one morning one afternoon): three baby rice cakes and hummus or fruit or a homemade lentil bite, cubes of cheese, baby biscotti (usually if we are out an about as they’re convenient), organix bar (same), homemade cheese oat and carrot biscuits

Lunch: rice and fish, leftovers from night before, tuna sandwich with fruit and or yogurt, cream cheese sandwich with chopped tomatoes on the side and some berries, avocado with eggs and toast, homemade pancakes with Greek yogurt

Dinner: homemade spag Bol, rice and fish, lamb couscous with veg mixed in, chicken bake, pasta with Turkey mince and veg sauce, other types of pasta with various veg and or meat or fish, cottage pie, mild chicken curry, sometimes with fruit or yogurt for afters, occasionally one of those little custard pots from Ella’s

He also drinks water throughout the day, a cup of wholemilk and bedtime milk

I try to vary things so if he has bread for breakfast he won’t have it for lunch,
If he has a lentil bite as a snack he won’t have lentil bake for dinner

He doesn’t like raw veg or veg batons so
I tend to chop it grate it into other things but I still feel like his diet is too carb and fruit heavy and not enough veg? Might be overthinking it! He also eats quite a lot so I’m trying to make sure I’ve got a good amount of protein in with his meals

Obviously these are all the types
Of things he eats for each meal, he doesn’t eat all that in one day!

I think it sounds fine.

If you want suggestions for alternatives/minor improvements. I'd say:

Add some protein to breakfast (eggs, avocado, peanut butter, baked beans). Maybe some veg (tomatoes, mushrooms) if you don't think he is getting enough.

I'd swap out rice cakes for oatcakes at snack time (at least sometimes). I'd get rid of the baby biscotti because I don't think that has any nutritional value and he's not at an age where he'll miss it. Maybe add peanut butter in as an option with a rice cake. Hard boiled eggs (make a few and leave in the fridge) also a good, if slightly smelly, snack. Sweetcorn also a good snack if he will eat that, good veg alternative to fruit (could try peas as well)

I don't think there is a huge amount of nutritional value in pancakes and yoghurt for lunch, I'd probably drop that as a regular option. Maybe swap pancake for omelette with veg and then yoghurt for pudding with some fruit. Baked beans (or any other type of bean) also good for protein and quick and easy when it's one of those days!

Dinner sounds great.

Thank you! He can’t have peanut butter as is allergic unfortunately but your other suggestions are great :)

The pancakes I make have egg, wholemilk, banana and grated carrot in them so they’re not the shop bought ones, so do you think they’re still okay or still skip them?

I think the pancakes are absolutely fine if he enjoys eating them and you like making them!

I think an omelette with veg would be a good alternative/slight improvement because it would have more protein and veg and less sugar (banana, yoghurt, milk sounds more pudding than lunch to me).