What do you feed others peoples dc?

[feedingotherspeoplesdc]

My dc eat anything, and everything. It seems I'm very lucky in this regard.

Because whenever we have other children over to play I ask if there are allergies/ preferences and all the parents say "no she'll eat anything!"

They don't. They never do. Bolognese has been rejected. Cottage pie. Omelette. Stir fry. Beef stew. Basically everyday food. I'm not serving sushi!.(Albeit rejected by different children over a period of many playdates)

It seems whenever dc go to others houses they have chicken nuggets or fish fingers and chips. Which I'm fine with but don't have a freezer so can't make at home.

Am I supposed to offer the children alternative meals? I don't , I just take away their picked at plate and give them a glass of milk, telling their parents they didn't each much when they are collected. Aibu not to offer the unspoken fixed menu of chicken nuggets and chips when I host others dc? Surely they eat bolognese etc at home?

Hotdogs are easy as usually something you can have in. Or sandwhichs and cut up veg.
Tbh they won't starve for one evening of having had a small dinner.

I've mostly done pizza too, with an occasional foray into fishfingers, and once some chicken nuggets.

While my children generally eat a wide variety of food, I do tend to go with easy uncomplicated food when others are here. Pizza generally works because if I do a plain base I can get them to choose the toppings (from a limited range - ham, extra cheese, sweetcorn, peppers, cooked chicken etc) and its dead cheap. Plus they can just shovel it quickly and run off to play, or take it in the garden to a den. No cutlery or table manners are particularly required (more than basic good manners).

Having said that, DS2 was at a friends house yesterday and he got cottage pie which he ate a good portion of. Maybe I go too simple?

I always make sure I have a frozen pizza, nuggets and chips in when we have DC's friends over. We don't eat frozen processed food everyday but it's just easier when their friends come round to have that sort of kid pleasing food in.

DD quite often has friends back and the most successful thing I've fed to children (without complaint) has been cheese & tomato pizza with carrot sticks, cucumber & hummus. Sometimes they'll eat a few cherry tomatoes.

Even jacket potatoes have been rejected in the past by some of DD's friends. How can you not like potato?

I do pretty much the kind of things that you do, but I tend to check it the parents first. So for e.g. "I was thinking of making salmon pasta/Bolognese/roast chicken with roast veg tonight. Do you think X would like that, or should I rethink?" Gives them a chance to say "actually, X isn't very keen on fish/tomato sauces, so could he just have the pasta with some grated cheese" or "X isn't very good with meat except for pork. She'll probably eat some, but don't worry at all if she only has the vegetables and not the meat" or whatever. If the parent says it'll be fine and DC clearly isn't keen when it comes to it then I usually let them pick at it, see whether they'd like something to follow like a slice of toast or some fruit, and don't give it much extra thought. Food is on offer if they're hungry, and I'll mention to the parent at pick-up if they haven't eaten much and may need some supper.

I wouldn't worry. Kids don't die if they don't eat one meal. Just tell the mum, sorry they didn't eat what I offered. It is very good for children to learn there is only one thing on offer. barring allergies, they get one choice.

My DD is usually the hardest to feed, although on the upside I've yet to find a visiting child who refuses what I've suggested, but I keep it simple, pasta, garlic bread, fish fingers, veggie sausages with either peas or broccoli or raw carrot, chips or boiled potatoes. Yummy eh?
My DD doesn't eat meat, but will eat fish, won't have anything with a sauce (pasta sauce from jars is a no, but homemade is acceptable) no to beans, no to melted cheese (pizza is off the menu) no to gravy, ketchup or mayonnaise. Etc, etc. Baked potato is ok, but not with a filling.

I nearly always give pizza. You can even make it without cheese if you end up with a dairy-allergic child over for tea. Also, they really do like doing the toppings themselves.

sausages, rice and boy choi (we live in Asia)

We eat a big variety at home but when my DC have friends round, we play safe and do simple pasta dishes, pizza and crudités etc. So it would be easy for other parents to think that we eat like that normally. I wouldn't assume that is the usual diet of the family. I would assume they are also playing it safe.

I generally get the individual small cheese and tomato pizzas and then do little bowls of meats, veg and extra cheese and let them create their own. I serve with cut up carrot and cucumber sticks. Usually goes down really well. Followed by Strawberries and ice cream.

I give them several choices and let them choose. I'd not let them go home hungry as they didn't like the meal on offer.

Homemade pizza - let them put the sauce, cheese and toppings on.

I agree; keep it simple. I've successfully done sausages, pasta and beans (I know!!), pizza and veg sticks; build your own wraps with breaded chicken, mayo, ketchup, salad bits, grated cheese etc (this was a massive hit as there was something everyone liked).

My neighbour made bolognese that made me gag, let alone the kids (who very embarrassingly, didn't touch it!) the meat was undercooked compared to how I make it. She said "but you made bolognese when we came over, and they all ate it!" Which goes to show that different people make different versions of the same thing.

I was brought up on middle eastern food which I loved, and still do, but was so embarrassed when my mum's friend's son who was in my class, said that he didn't like coming over because my mum cooked "poison" kids can be horrible! Best just give them easy stuff.

Pizza or tomato pasta or just chips.

Had the same. All other people's children seem to eat is junk food. I gave up cooking any thing else for all but a few known 'proper food' eaters.
Pp is probably right. It has to look exactly like their home version before they'll eat it.

I check what they eat at home normally and either do something similar, or I do burgers - as in I cook the burgers and provide buns, cheese, salad, and most of the extras so they can put together their own. Mine would eat beef burgers with EVERYTHING including the gherkins (yuck) and sometimes someone else will just eat the equivalent of a lettuce sandwich, or just the burger, but they usually like having the freedom to choose what they eat from a selection, and you can get veggie burgers, chicken burgers etc. for those that don't eat meat or beef etc. However there was one memorable occasion I took my stepson down to stay with my parents (with my children - he didn't live with us) and he started to cry when faced with (perfectly ordinary) cottage pie so I had to quickly rustle up a cheese sandwich as I knew he would eat that. My father was of the children should be seen and not heard/eat it or starve brigade but even he knew enough to keep quiet on that occasion..... You should have seen his face though!

What you are doing sounds fine. I tell parents that mine will eat anything if hungry but frequently don't touch their dinner and don't offer them anything else if that's the case. With visiting smaller children I always ask them or get my child to ask them what their favourite meal is and make them that.

Or I do jacket potatoes with loads of choices of filling to help themself from.

Fishfinger, chips and peas.
Pizza
Roast chicken, chips and peas.

Those are the three choices and I have never met a child yet that wouldn't eat one of those meals.

I serve up what everyone else is eating. If they don't eat it, a glass of milk and help yourself from the fruit bowl. I don't have frozen shit or sausages in the house (the sausages i would love to have but am abroad and British-style sausages aren't sold).

My son us a fussy eater, yet seems to polish off every school lunch and wolf down whatever is served in other friends' houses. Children are funny buggers.

The classic ones in Italy are vegetable soup (minestra), tomato pasta and where we are, passatelli in brodo. I would love to see an English kid's face if you served up floaty cheesey worms in a broth!! Over here they are ecstatic (and eat bugger all as per usual)

If DC have friends to play, they tend to go home before dinner so will just have an afternoon snack where I offer fruit, toast and then something like a chocolate biscuit or muffin (or a lolly in summer).

If a friend of either DC does come for dinner then we tend to serve pasta, or omelette.

I think it's not that they don't eat it at home I just think it's probably different so if you did a omelette with mushrooms and they don't like mushrooms then they will say they don't like it. I think again with stews / spag bol ECT every one does it differently and this sounds awful but we only eat steak mince from butchers I don't like any other mince as the textures wrong so I have been served say mince and dumplings and hated the mince part. I think pizzas you can do with pittas ect are a winner then serve with veg on the side or pasta with a tomato sauce and cheese are good. I would just mention what you are making to the parents it then gives them a chance to say if their is a problem

In the past I've mad chicken nuggets with the children for dinner and then asked them why they would like with it- chips/pasta/rice veg etc and let them lead the way.
Also decorating cakes is a fun pudding. 🙂