5 year old twins and food

[thursdaygrumbles]

My DD5 has just had her tonsils & adenoids removed as well as a bronchoscopy. She’s recovering well but her appetite is (understandably) quite a bit off

But I find myself in a real hole with meals for them. DT1 is pretty good and will eat a good selection of food, DT2 (who’s just had the op) has always been fussy. She’ll only eat plain pasta and Rice, she won’t eat any potato of any kind. She’ll eat carrots & green beans, and absolutely loves fruit. She’ll eat chicken (chicken breast as well as nughets) sausages, beef and fish fingers.

It’s not the food I had in mind when I became a mum, it’s so unbelievably dull and repetitive.

My twins were prem so feeding/food has always been a massive anxiety for me, right now I keep saying well they’re fed that’s the main thing, but I’m desperate to mix things up.

obviously I won’t try anything with DT2 until she is fully recovered but please if anyone out there that has any tips to improve things I’d greatly appreciate it 😀

What about something like scrambled eggs, omelette with veg, cheese etc added or eggy bread?

I had best success when adding a new food alongside a food ds would eat. It often would take several (lots) of times before it would be tried. I encouraged trying/giving it a lick rather than forcing.

with time ds has got much better

Thank you!

I like one pot tray bakes, lasagnes, casseroles etc but at the moment there’s zero chance either would realistically eat it. They enjoy their foods separate and not all mixed together.

I will try adding new foods, I like us all to eat together as much as we can so inevitably we end up eating the same bland food - I do sometimes mix it up, so if they are having rice & chicken, I’ll serve theirs up and then throw ours into a frying pan with some soy sauce and a few other veg to make chicken fried rice. We always offer it to them but it’s never accepted

Will she eat soup? Lentil with vegetables and it could be puréed. There's so many different soups. Macaroni cheese with added onion, peppers and tuna?

I see they like their food separate so my suggestion is probably rubbish! I read about offer the food to the table and let them choose or not.

don't plate up
offer plain options at every meal but let dc decide what and how much to take.
our only rules are that dc have to take one portion of veg and that the meal needs to last until the next meal. but it's up to dc to judge that.

it WILL get better

Most small children don’t like casseroles that much.

Serve a selection of foods in the middle of the table, making sure there’s always something T2 will eat, and let everyone help themselves. Eat as a family and make no comment on what anyone does or doesn’t take. It’s easier to try a new food without pressure. Make sure there is no anxiety around meal times. If it becomes a power play situation you will lose.

Cold dairy products feel nice on a very painful throat and can offer calories and calcium - ice cream, yoghurt, mix different flavours into the yoghurt yourself? Also, cold applesauce, which is very healthy. Not "real" meals, but a good start.

Sauteeing a piece of chicken or pork in a pan with some veg (carrots, broccoli, or green beans) is easy. Or just peas? I'd always keep trying to put the food on their plate. Sweet potato fries?

Any chance they'd eat pastry? Surprisingly, mine will eat spinach and onion cheesy pastry. Easy enough with frozen pastry.

Agree with always offering the veg and suggesting one tiny taste of each thing.

I also used to do a plate of carrot stick / cucumber stick / cherry tomato and put it on the table / play mat near kids 10 mins before dinner while I prep the rest of the meal. I'd say that was the pre-dinner nibbles and entirely leave them to eat or not as they chose. Sometimes it was ignored but it did get eaten too.

If you want them to get more calories, put butter on the pasta or rice. And cheese.