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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that Iceland food isn't poisoning my child...?

132 replies

RoystonVaseySmegHead · 05/09/2015 21:30

A bit long, sorry Grin
yesterday I was at DGP's house, with a bag of shopping from Iceland.. Chinese food (Saturday night 'takeaway') and a bag of smiley faces for me (haven't had them since primary school!!) and DGM was horrified and wouldn't stop going on about how Iceland food was all convenience food, the wrong kinds of food and that I 'was setting my son up for a bad future' she also seemed to think I don't cook and don't feed my son 'proper' food and vegetables!! WTF I can and do thanks I really don't know whether she's right and I'm a crappy mum (not her words but the way she was talking to me about it seemed like that was her opinion) I'm a bit upset about it... I love her to bits but she's quite a my way or the highway sort of person and I usually end up doubting myself after these sorts of discussions with her.. Especially as my lads a big boy (size 4-5 clothes at 2.5yo) and he's got to go back to the children's centre next month to make sure his heights caught up with his weight but he's about 100/101cm tall now and 22kg... So now I'm feeling really guilty and a bit of a crap mum Sad
Is Iceland food really bad? Ds usually has cereal/toast for breakfast then a sandwich or sometimes hoops/beans/ravioli on toast with sweet corn or peas for lunch and a meat, carbs and veg tea before he goes to bed.. Is that a really bad diet for him?

OP posts:
Original poster
RoystonVaseySmegHead · 05/09/2015 22:35

What's dried fruit like sugar-wise? He'll not eat raw apple, but I've given him leftover peas and sweet corn for a snack before. He doesn't have yogurt everyday, maybe 3x a week and raisins maybe once in a fortnight. Maybe there's a way to cook apples and make them nice and not mushy... I'll have to have a nosy ont' interwebs Grin

OP posts:
quietbatperson · 05/09/2015 22:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

W00t · 05/09/2015 22:37

triptrap- do you dice the aubergine? (not that it's likely to work on my 'fussy' one- it's genuinely taste issue for him)

Original poster
RoystonVaseySmegHead · 05/09/2015 22:39

I hope so, maybe he'll end up at 6'7 like his uncle and grandad w00t although his other uncles only about 5'6 so who knows haha

OP posts:
fastdaytears · 05/09/2015 22:40

Dried fruit is pretty sugary and like raisins it all sticks to the teeth.

I love Iceland. You have to ignore about 80% of it but they sell a few really amazing things. Ostrich steak and cook at home pain au chocolat my favourite but I could go on and on.

It does sound like a few tweaks could be made to your DS's diet that he might not even notice. No sugary drinks would be a good start and spag hoops on toast is probably more of a treat than an every day lunch.

On a side now does anyone else's autocorrect want to make that "slag hoops"?

W00t · 05/09/2015 22:41

Dried fruit has lots of sugar, which then stays on their teeth and can lead to issues. now and then is fine.
Could you make compote with apples and (at this time of year) plums or cherries, or blackberries, etc? It freezes well (I use ice cube trays, so I can just defrost a little at a time to go on yoghurt, porridge etc), or keeps for a few days in the fridge. Would he eat peas still frozen as a snack? (might still be a choking hazard with a 2.5yo, not sure, it's been a while since mine were that age!)

fastdaytears · 05/09/2015 22:41

Under 5s are supposed to have a minimum of 3 hours running around a day. that makes me tired just thinking about it.

6'7! Wow!

TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge · 05/09/2015 22:42

For maximum effect W00t grate it. One very handy thing about aubergine is it kinda absorbs flavours and also brings them out. That's why many people moan about it being rather 'tasteless' when not coated or mixed in with something.

W00t · 05/09/2015 22:42

fastday mine corrected it to 'spa' Hmm

fastdaytears · 05/09/2015 22:43

W00t you are so much classier than me!

When I was a teenager slag hoops were those huge hoop earrings. I had diamanté ones.

W00t · 05/09/2015 22:43

grate it? I didn't even know one could grate aubergine! Thanks, trip trap.

I'll try it in something for us though- he even picks out shreds of leek from shepherds pie (2mm x 2mm)... grr.

Original poster
RoystonVaseySmegHead · 05/09/2015 22:44

fast alas, i fear i may be the last of the British born and bred amazonians.. But pretty sure my dad and uncle fell down a beanstalk at birth Grin

OP posts:
W00t · 05/09/2015 22:45

Grin Hahaha- I have never been to a spa, and I am never likely to go to one!
I think we called those type of earrings 'gypsy rings' tbh.
'Slag hoops' sounds like a mispronunciation of slag heaps. (that you don't hear much about these days, do you?)

TeamBacon · 05/09/2015 22:46

Wow, the judgement crew are on teh house.

Those of you being arseholes - being rude isn't going to help anybody. Stop being a dick, just be nice

JemimaMuddledUp · 05/09/2015 22:47

22kgs does seem quite heavy for a toddler. My 9 year old weighs less than that, and although I appreciate she is small for her age and every child is an individual I think I would be keeping and eye on his weight if he were mine.

In answer to your question - not all food from Iceland is rubbish. Frozen veg are really handy, we usually keep runner beans, broad beans, peas, carrots, sweetcorn, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, peppers and spinach in our freezer. Likewise frozen fruit, we always have frozen raspberries and blueberries. Frozen fish (plain, without batter, breadcrumbs or sauce) and frozen prawns too. We also use frozen Quorn, which is processed so not great but is very convenient. But I wouldn't want to feed a toddler frozen ready meals. So it all depends what you are buying from Iceland.

W00t · 05/09/2015 22:50

It sounds like he's good with strong tastes (oranges, etc) so perhaps chili con carne would be good, as that can be bulk made and frozen easily.
Whatever I'm cooking, I try to make double, so I can freeze the rest. That way there's always something in for when time is short, money is short, or I'm just too tired.
Baked beans freeze well btw. So you can use a large tin for the two of you, freeze the other half, rather than buy those taffy, expensive little half tins.

EachandEveryone · 05/09/2015 22:51

Iceland fish is great and so are their frozen veggies for emergencies. Frozen veg is the same no matter what shop it's from.

Greengardenpixie · 05/09/2015 22:59

Well i shopped in Iceland today and there chicken fillets are a really good price. I bought two for £3 each. I got their cheese and milk. I stay away from their ready meals though but mostly because i dont like the taste. I did buy a few packs of greggs pasties though!!!!

fastdaytears · 05/09/2015 23:01

Oh god the Greggs range is my proper downfall. So wrong but so good. Greggs without leaving the house. I think being able to eat a Greggs chicken slice in your pants at the time of your choosing is a fundamental human right,

TheBobbinIsWound · 05/09/2015 23:09

Love their frozen veg!

Oh and OP. DH and I occasionally buy a "takeaway" from Iceland for a treat too.

It's less expensive than a real life takeaway, you have better control of portions (or how much you cook anyway!)
You have a clearer idea of exactly how shit it is for you because of the info on the packet. You said you had a I land takeaway treat and I think yum!

My mother would feed my DB and I carbs on carbs for lunch. Spag hoops (yup autocorrected to slag here too) on toast, ravioli on toast. And both he and I were an obese children despite both being VERY active (I'm talking your children who attend swimming training 4 times a week, dancing, running and then would cycle and skate in their free time)
Took me many many years to appreciate how full protein could make me as I was literally unable to comprehend a meal without heavy carbs.

Sugary tea and hot chocolate isn't really necessary. (Yed to whoever said that tea inhibits iron absorption. Been there, experienced that! Orange helps absorption however. Supermarket "fresh juices" will never be as good for you as an orange, even if he just sucks it's guts out! Grin

Lots of posters have offered some great ideas.
Does your son eat off a small plate? It's so so easy for anyone, even a child to overeat because the food is there. Have you tried serving him a very small portion (like 1/4 of a ready meal size) and telling him if he's hungry there's more but if he's not then that's ok.

Sounds like you have a wonderful eater who has a fantastic variety of tastes and I would take that over a picky fussy eater any day Smile

Celerysoup3 · 05/09/2015 23:09

I suspect your son will have an upwards growth spurt. He's bound to be tall.

What were you like size wise as a kid? When did you shoot up?

TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge · 05/09/2015 23:10

How many water filled chicken fillets did you get for the £3 though Green ?

nappyoclock · 05/09/2015 23:12

Nothing wrong with Iceland food per se, but quite a lot of the range is quite high in salt/fat and perhaps isnt appropriate for a small child.
I live too far away from an Iceland, but if I did live closer, I would certainly buy stuff like frozen fish & veg.

When you are dishing out his meals, are you serving an appropriate child sized serving? I tend to use my 2 year old's fist as a portion guide e.g. a fist sized portion of pie, or a fist sized portion of meat. Breakfast in the mornings is porridge- 15g oats and 100ml milk nuked for 2 minutes.

As for veg, I serve an amount that I think the 2 year old will eat, but there is always more in the serving bowls on the table should more be wanted. As for my older one, I serve the main part of the meal and leave them to serve the veg/sides

As for clothing sizes, my 2 year old does wear 3-4 and 4-5 clothing, however the toddler is very tall- over the top of the height chart. We still end up with what we call 'half mast trousers' where the waistband is too large though.

This link has some ideas as to portion sizes for small children.

nappyoclock · 05/09/2015 23:14

As for plates, the 2 year old uses the Ikea plates dont smash when they get launched Perfect for a hungry toddler.

Greengardenpixie · 05/09/2015 23:16

Well actually they arent that watery. I dont know but they do a bigger pack for £5. Its too big for us in one go. I refuse to pay the price at tescos. At one point they were charging over £7 for a tray of chicken breasts. Its the dearest i have seen but then i dont shop in waitrose or m&s