Week away

[mamansnet]

Hi all,

I'm taking DS (16 months) with me on a volunteering week soon - can't say what as too outing, but he's been before and is very welcome to attend.

I need help coming up with picnic-type meals for him. Breakfast is ok but we'll be on the move all day and back late in the evening. Adults are given packed lunches but I think he's too little for those, and I'd like him to have fresh food as much as possible.

He eats cut up meat and most vegetables if they're cooked/soft, but we might not have access to a kitchen or microwave while on the road, so I can't heat up sachets. I will have a cool bag and plenty of fruit, but not sure what vegetables I can serve up cold.

Our hotel room has a small fridge and there is a supermarket opposite, so I could buy some ready cooked chicken and use that for 2 lunches. Perhaps a tin of tuna another day (not fresh, but practical!). Or I could cook something at home the day we leave and use it for the first day or two.

We have a couple of weeks before departure so I have time to try out suggestions on him. Just so useless with food/cooking in general that it's tricky thinking up new ideas. TIA!

I guess taking what he eats well.. things like pasta you could dò a pasta sauce with pureed veg before you go then he gets the veg in, wraps with dairylea and ham then cut into slices, little sandwiches, cucumber sticks, tomatoes, hummus.

I guess the week may be a bit repetitive food wise for him but I wouldn't stress too much.. think of the other experiences he'll have.

At 16 months old I really don't understand why he can't just have a normal packed lunch; it's only for a week after all!

Is there a reason he can’t eat a packed lunch OP?

Hi all, thanks for the replies!

The packed lunches usually consist of a petrol station-type packet sandwich, crisps, cake/biscuit and fruit juice. He loves bread but he's never actually had a proper sandwich before! No doubt he could manage it if I break it up into small pieces for him.the problem is more that I'm just not keen on giving him a packet sandwich as his main meal for 5 or 6 days in a row. I'm sure I'm probably being a bit precious but I usually give him a homemade meal every day m, with the occasional sachet if we're out and about. Last time we were away, he had sachets for 5 days straight and ended up constipated!

He loves cheese and fruit so I'll stick up on Babybel and bananas, but I'm still stuck for meat and veg. I've tried some cherry tomatoes and radish with him this week but he wasn't interested. Tomorrow I'm going to try raw carrot and cucumber. We were out for the day a couple of weeks ago and I gave him a picnic of cold pasta with chicken but he wouldn't touch it. He'd have wolfed it down normally so I don't know if he just didn't like it cold.

In the meantime I've found a little thermos-style flask that I can use to heat up sachets in the road, so that's reassuring. Just hope he doesn't end up constipated again

I’d try him with a sandwich at home OP. I can’t see a reason why he wouldn’t be able to eat it.

My now 11 mo has been having 'sandwiches' for about 6 weeks now- Just wholemeal bread and grated cheese, no spread. Cut up into VERY small pieces, but that's also about making sure he eats some after the novelty of chucking it wears off.