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Fed up of food - help me with new ideas for my toddler!

9 replies

YukoandHiro · 20/10/2019 13:54

I have a very fussy two year old (who would live only on white carbs if allowed) who also has egg and dairy allergy. We are stuck in such a food rut - I feel like she has the same five things over and over again, sometimes with soup or sarnies thrown in at lunchtime.
I need some inspiration! I'm going food shopping later and would like to try out a few new things.
What meals do you cook for your toddlers, and what goes down well with the fussy/beige brigade ones?
Also looking for snack and pudding ideas as she pretty much only eats alpro yoghurt or a banana or sometimes a fruit squishee pouch as a dessert.
TIA!

OP posts:
nannynick · 20/10/2019 14:29

Commercially made snack bars made from oats and fruit can go down well (Organix, Ella's Kitchen) as can the dried fruit children's snacks (Bear nibbles - fruit yoyos, paws, claws). Organix also does Banana & Date bars, Apple & Date bars.

You can then try making your own versions at home. Flapjacks made with dairy free spread instead of butter, with dried fruit added such as raisins, cranberries, apricots.

Main meals:
Spag bol.
Roast chicken with veg. Some children can be very fussy about the chicken... try with skin on, skin off, roasted vs fried vs fried in a pan with a lid on which helps keep it more white colour.
Sausage rolls - shortcrust pastry made with dairy free spread.
Risotto - all sorts of things can be added to that. Keep it simple at first.
Fish - sea bass / salmon, with veg. Can be a bit costly so experiment with different types of fish to find which ones they like and fit your budget.

Biscuits can be made with dairy free spread - I use the Mumsnet 321 biscuit recipe and have used it for a child who was diary free (used Vitalite), wheat free, gluten free (used Dove wheat/gluten free flour).

Can they have Coconut milk based products? The Coconut Cooperative does coconut milk based yogurts.

Children do tend to eat the same things a lot of the time so I would not overly worry about the lack of variety. I would though encourage trying different vegetables (cucumber, broccoli, carrot, sweetcorn, sweet potato, peas, peppers, mushrooms, potato tend to be toddler acceptable... some things they may have raw - 2yr old I care for loves raw mushrooms not cooked). Also a variety of fruit - as we get more into Winter you could try stewed fruit, such a apples (Bramley apples cut up and put in a saucepan with as little water as possible). Baked apple. Mumsnet Food/Recipes forum has lots of Apple ideas posted over the last decade or so - Google: mumsnet stewed apples

00100001 · 20/10/2019 14:56

What does she way right now?

YukoandHiro · 20/10/2019 19:00

I'm not sure if her exact weight but she's been tracking between 25th and 50th centile consistently since she was about six months old. We'll have her weighed again at her two year review soon (haven't been called for it yet).
I'm not really worried overall about her development, more that her diet isn't varied enough to get the best nutrition and also I don't want us to get stuck in food ruts that she finds it hard to get out of as she gets older.

OP posts:
YukoandHiro · 20/10/2019 19:01

We mostly do division of responsibility' and I realise that I only have a certain amount of control over this.

OP posts:
Leeds2 · 20/10/2019 19:04

Cottage/shepherd's pie.
Baked potato with chilli/tuna/baked beans, with a side salad.
Pasta with pesto, or a tomato based sauce.
Gammon, maybe with pineapple, peas and chips.

nannynick · 20/10/2019 20:54

Pizza - Violife cheese is dairy free (contains coconut oil), however it does not really melt, but a 3yr old I cared for felt it was fine on his pizza when the thin slices were cut up into squares and scattered over the tomato covered base.

The subject of melting non-dairy cheese comes up on Mumsnet from time to time, such as this thread from 2016, so that can give some suggestions for cheeses to try out. One product you may want to try for pizza in particular is MozzaRisella www.mozzarisella.co.uk/ (their site has a stockist locator).

Pizza dough can be easy to make at home, especially with a breadmaker. If your breadmaker has a recipe which contains milk/butter, then modify it - olive oil is good in place of butter. No need for milk powder.

nannynick · 20/10/2019 21:08

Stews and hotpots can be good for winter. She may even like Dumplings. Shredded Suet is dairy free, though as is always the case with anything you have not tried before, always read the ingredients to double check.

Sausages and mash, peas/sweetcorn/baked beans, with or without onion gravy.

All sorts of pies are possible: Shepard's, Cottage, even Chicken & Leak... mummybakesdairyfree.com/dinner/chicken-leek-and-mushroom-pie/ (recipe uses Oatly milk alternative).

YukoandHiro · 21/10/2019 13:16

Thank you, some good ideas. I'll let you know how we get on.
She ate porridge for the first time in about a year this morning, so that's progress (normally it's only weetabix or toast for brekkie)

OP posts:
Daylar · 21/10/2019 14:17

Try BBC good food. Recently went on it and found some great stuff for the family. You can save recipes and then send them to an online shopping list so you know what you need to get.

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