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

[RoystonVaseySmegHead]

A bit long, sorry
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
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?

Ok will try bottled water. Today he left his breakfast so he's having spag hoops with a bit of cheese now as an early lunch.. Then probably won't eat til 4ish. Not sure what I'm cooking yet though.

His food is so so salty. Hoops and cheese is a really salty lunch.

It doesn't sound like he has much fresh fruit or veg? And I agree with everyone else that you need to stop the sugar added to drinks.

I find that roasting a whole chicken and using that for sandwiches, to make pasta sauce etc works out much more economically than buy chicken breasts.

Oh I now buy whole chickens and after watching a Youtube video carve them up myself - its much cheaper and you get more "bits" for your money. 2 big breasts, or 4 breast fillets, 2 things, 2 drumsticks and 2/4 wing pieces, and then some odd "bits". It doesn't take that long, and I freeze the bits I'm not using. You can even use the carcass to make chicken stock.

OP- you said that he isn't a picky eater but earlier you had said:

Ds is doing through the picky eater thing right now so we usually have a bag of fish cakes, potato croquet things with beans or cheese in the middle. But there's a draw full of chicken and a draw full iv veg in the freezer so it's not all processed stuff although this week the only meat to pass DS lips has been chicken dippers....

please stop giving him tea and hot chocolate. there is really no goodness in it, and it could harm him.

my ds is only 24kg and hes almost 11.

I meant more like if he liked it on Monday he'd think it was poison on the Friday.. Eg we had spag Bol last week, and a pasta bake on Tuesday and he wouldn't touch it

so are you saying you cook a different meal for him if he refuses thr first?

Maybe you should consider non-food rewards when he's doing well with his toilet training? Like you could have a star sticker chart and when he gets 10 he could maybe get a little toy of some kind.
I don't know if you watched that Jamie Oliver programme about sugar the other day but it's a good idea to reduce it as much as possible.

giles no, if he refuses to eat his tea I usually give him a yogurt and raisins or a banana before bed, I think he's testing boundaries though because he ate anything and everything til about 3 weeks ago. He'll refuse to eat something maybe twice a week? oyster I'll try find it on demand it sounds interesting

I'm sorry to have to tell you this but if your son, who is only 2.5 years old weighs 22kg (3st 4lbs) then I'm afraid he is extremely overweight, my 4.5 year old doesn't even weigh 3st! So to be fair if your rock up to your families home with a bag full of food from a shop that is notorious for selling pre packaged junk then I'm not surprised that they are concerned.

sorry I was just checking in case he perhaps held out fir the stuff in the drawer rather than the meal.

I will say that although "once a week" kind of stuff isn't often. there's alot if crap that is just "once a week" if that makes sense.

so no a can of ravioli once a week isn't a problem in itself . combined with a once a week takeaway on a Saturday, a once a week fish and chips on a Friday and a once a week spag hoops on toast on a Wednesday if he didn't eat dinner on Tuesday adds up to overall not a very good diet. if that makes any sense ?

I would personally at this stage just ditch the cans so your not tempted to give them

I would perhaps replace the yogurts and raisins with maybe cheese on crackers. again less sugar.

although I was mean if my kids refused tea they went to bed on an empty stomach

Instead of hoops why not try small pasta shells with a homemade tomato & carrot sauce?
If you cook then blitz the toms & carrots with a stick blender, and freeze it in an ice cube tray you can just use a couple of blocks at a time to cover a handful of pasta. It's a bit more effort at the start than a tin of hoops but one can of tomatoes will make lots of cubes of sauce, and it will have less sugar and salt than the hoops.
He really doesn't need tea or hot chocolate. Warm milk would do if you want a "comfort" drink.
Ready made fish cakes & croquettes etc have a lot of added salt as well.

I agree with Caroline, he sounds very overweight OP. Are you sure you got those figures right because he is well over the 99th centile line for weight if he is that heavy at that age?? Please don't kid yourself that its all cute baby chubby folds if he is that overweight.

DS is a tall but skinny 10 yo and is only just 5 stone or almost 32kg.

I think that sugar free drinks are ok. My DD mostly drinks water and some milk, but she is allowed sugar free drinks. I know some people don't like their DC having artificial sweeteners, but that is far from universally accepted.

Trying to think of some more ideas for you. What about sweet potato or butternut squash 'chips' to add another veg to his meals? Also Shredded Wheat with warm milk and banana is a lovely breakfast as well as porridge already mentioned - I do mine with cinnamon and add some berries , grated apple or banana.

Ooh yes I love sweet potato chips! Good call. they don't need any fat.

Also works with carrots (for me).

phantom he was on the scales at my house day before yesterday and said 3st 1, so I don't really know :/ the scales aren't wrong because in the right weight on then

3st 1 seems much more likely.

It sounds like your son is going to be tall, OP, but maybe you should stop worrying about him being a picky eater. Offer him lots of fruit and vegetables and less carbohydrates and when he is hungry he will eat. My dgd has a great appetite but there are days when she doesn't want as much, much like me and my dd.

dixie that's good to hear! Ds has been in a hbb for a few months as every time we got out of the car he screamed and said his feet hurt, he kept getting pins and needles bless him

Avoid raisins/yogurt/banana as an alternative to tea, just before bed. You're giving him something nice as a treat for not eating! No wonder he's getting picky.

Just re-offer him his rejected meal instead.

Before bed re-offer him the meal he rejected earlier. If he refuses it, he really can't be hungry