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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this tea is fine for a 3yo?

53 replies

lookingforthecorkscrew · 27/10/2017 17:32

DF visiting today just asked ‘Aren’t you going to give him something more substantial?’ as I served DS the following:

Bread and butter
Pom Bears
Fresh tomato
Cheese cubes
Raisins
Yoghurt (sneaky protein yoghurt, as he is off meat atm)

He’s just being an arse, isn’t he? Is he?

OP posts:
codswallopandbalderdash · 27/10/2017 21:17

Oh I still long for the days when DS would eat anything. Now it is a struggle to get him to eat veggies, fish etc and last night after refusing fish, noodles and broccoli, he had some relatively healthy granola with yoghurt and a banana. I think at least it has 3 food groups in it so could be worse

justdontevenfuckingstart · 27/10/2017 21:18

One snapshot of a meal is utterly pointless, sounds lovely to me. Don't worry about what others think.
Op I am overweight myself too, doesn't equal to what we feed our kids.

NapQueen · 27/10/2017 21:19

Dds favourite meal is a few slices of mattessons sausage, some plain pasta, cucumber and tomatoes.

So who am I to judge?!

Puppymouse · 27/10/2017 21:44

DD would love this tea Smile

Mamabear4180 · 27/10/2017 21:46

it's perfect op

RoganJosh · 27/10/2017 21:47

Would macaroni cheese with extra tomato seemed ok? Because that’s what the bread and cheese comes down to really?
I think people see it differently when it’s a hot meal which doesn’t make any sense nutritionally.

SuperBeagle · 27/10/2017 21:47

Very high in sugar and carbs. But it's fine as a once off.

maddiemookins16mum · 27/10/2017 21:50

You swapped his usual hot tea (I assume) for lunch and so he had his 'lunch time bits' at tea time. Nowt wrong with that.

TheDuchessofDukeStreet · 27/10/2017 21:57

It's fine. Tell him to mind his own business.

Dontknowwherethelineis · 27/10/2017 22:25

It's fine in terms of being a fussy eater - I've got one of those and the stress I had trying to get him to eat a variety of healthy foods.... It wasn't good for either of us. If that's what he'll eat, that's what he'll eat.
If all you ever offered him was pom bear-style meals of course it's not great but some days with fussy eaters you've done your best try with fruit and veg through the day and if they're skinny little things like mine by teatime you just want to get the calories in them.

Jojopugh · 28/10/2017 08:38

There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with this to me. This world has gone crazy. Cheese is good calcium, tomatoes is fruit, b&b carbs and fats, raisins fruit, yoghurt calcium.. Pom bears I get the salts etc but a little bit won’t hurt. The dietician & consultant told me when my daughter was poorly up until they reach 3-4 they need fats for there brain development. It’s not like you have given fried chips, sausage etc 🙈

SarahBeeney · 28/10/2017 08:56

My DC have a ‘picnic tea’ most days. They have a hot school lunch. Admittedly they have lots of raw veggies on theirs.

Minesril · 28/10/2017 09:19

It's just a deconstructed sandwich. My ds also 3 doesnt want much in the evening if hes had a big lunch. In fact that seems to be what they do at nursery, cooked lunch and snackier tea.

ZenNudist · 28/10/2017 09:29

What did he actually eat for lunch? If it was a full roast or something then i can see your point. If it was typical kids meal (junk with chips and beans) then i would have left out the pom bears and yoghurt.

Even then if youre giving 'proper' food usually then a one off snacky tea is ok.

Would he eat carrot and cucumber sticks with hummus? I think the addition of some salad veg, maybe a bit of cold meat (ham) makes a snacky tea more like a childs salad. Sort of outweigh the crisps and sugary dessert with healthy stuff.

Have you tried 'hiding' veg in tomato sauce / Bolognese or casseroles?

Hippadippadation · 28/10/2017 09:39

My kids love a picnic tea, which consists of:

Buttered oatcakes or crumpets / toast
rolled up ham / leftover roast chicken etc
cucumber
cherry tomatoes
cheese
radish (sometimes!)

with fruit & youghurt for afters.

I genuinely don't see what is wrong with it or the tea you posted OP. Don't worry about it.

ShowMePotatoSalad · 28/10/2017 09:48

Sounds fine to me. On nursery days my DS has a hot dinner so I do him a lighter tea. Usually something similar to the above, or dippy eggs or an omelette.

How can anyone criticise yoghurt? This place makes me laugh sometimes.

strugglingtodomybest · 28/10/2017 09:51

Sounds good to me!

Cakescakescakes · 28/10/2017 09:51

If my DC have a big cooked lunch then I normally do something similar for tea - toasted bagel, fruit, cheese and yoghurt. Totally and utterly fine. The amount of food oneupmanship on these threads is always hilarious.

BrutusMcDogface · 28/10/2017 10:06

It's fine if he had a cooked lunch!

Though my 3yo sometimes, on busy weekdays, ends up with two such meals. I really need to try harder in the coming term. Maybe I should start a thread about portable healthy meals that she can eat between carting her siblings to clubs.

milkchocolatx5 · 28/10/2017 10:14

I don't think it is a healthy normal tea for a three year old at all. But as a one off after a good meal out absolutely fine. I wouldn't worry at all

Myheartbelongsto · 28/10/2017 10:15

I wouldn't have given that to mine at that age to be honest for tea.

BarryTheKestrel · 28/10/2017 10:29

Of course it's fine. Especially as a proper meal was had a lunch time. My DD is a bit fussy about picnic tea and will only eat the treat bits, so instead I do a pitta pizza with a load of veg on it. She thinks it's a treat as she loves pizza, I think it's a lazy already had a big meal dinner. However some days the fight to get her to eat is not worth it, so a picnic tea is perfect. The odd junk meal won't hurt and frankly yours is a lot healthier that it could be!

DaisyTheDeer · 28/10/2017 10:33

That's fine. If your DS has already had a 'proper'/hot meal for lunch, there's no need to do a big dinner again.

Your DF probably expected him to have a hot dinner in the evening.

Sunshinegirl82 · 28/10/2017 10:37

It's fine OP, basically a sandwich with a few crisps and a yogurt. On nursery days my ds has all his food at nursery. They always do a cooked lunch and a snacky tea. Yesterday he (apparently) had cream cheese sandwich, salad veg and yogurt. He'd had fish cakes, mash and veg for lunch.

At home at lunchtime I regularly do a peanut butter sandwich, cucumber, pepper, sweet corn, ham/chicken and a couple of those Ella carrot puffs with a yogurt or fruit pouch for pudding. DS refuses point blank to eat any fruit in its raw form.

Am I alone in wondering what some people's children eat?! I'm amazed that people think a sandwich and yogurt is really that bad?

Messgalore · 28/10/2017 10:37

Was it portion size as well? I think lots of us struggle with not giving too much so a good idea to look at what's expected for that age.

I'm sure you know the health tweaks you could make to this eg

As a one off treat I give Pom bears but we try to stick to one packet of crisps max a week

Brown bread better than white as more fibre

For veg a good way is to sneak hidden veg in - i also have a child this age who hates veg but he eats lasagne and Bol so I good process veg into those (celery, mushrooms, carrots).

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