Is this in any way an acceptable lunch for a toddler?

[MrsHelsBels74]

Son is nearly 2 1/2 years & very picky. Today for lunch he had crackers with marmite, grated cheese, some apple & yoghurt. I tend to ask him what he wants as its just easier than giving him something he won't try. He's a very healthy, happy little boy with bags of energy (doesn't stop moving from the moment he wakes up until bed time). I just worry that I got weaning totally wrong & everything food related since.

We parents do like to find sticks to beat ourselves with don't we?

Sounds like a perfectly balanced lunch to me, why do you think it's not good enough?

Whilst perhaps not a meal in the conventional sense it contains something from each food group. I wouldn't worry. I know what it's like having a little one with food issues - you're just grateful that something is being eaten! Mine lived on plain spaghetti and fish fingers for nearly 2 months at one point!

Marmite is OK, but is packed with salt so not something that should be given every day. Your son won't try different foods if you don't give them to him. It is hard, keep persevering though.

Sounds perfectly fine to me, I thought you were going to say you'd fed him a Rustlers microwave burger.

Mine would probably live on baked beans & fish fingers if he could. Luckily he does love fruit so getting that into him isn't a problem.

I just worry that I'm being a lazy mummy by doing this for lunch rather than cooking something. I do beat myself up about anything I can so this is just another thing.

I do try offering him different foods but he's just not that interested & I'd rather he ate something rather than nothing. I just feel so clueless a lot of the time, I know my diet isn't great either which doesn't help but I'm 7 months pregnant & being sick a lot so I have to eat whatever I can keep down.

Please don't fret about stuff like this. I wouldn't worry. Really.

Sounds fine to me.

Only those with no lives cook at lunchtime

My 2 have had half a wrap with cream cheese, some ham, tomatoes and grapes for lunch. We may break out the biscuits in a while....

I think it sounds like a very appropriate lunch for a toddler! If you were being really critical then I suppose marmite does have quite a lot of salt in it (I think!) but as long as he doesn't eat it too often then I'm sure it is fine.

I am led to believe, and I am certainly consoling myself, that all toddlers are fussy and sometimes are genuinely not that hungry. I like the advice I read on MN that it is our responsibility to provide out children with a healthy balanced diet but that it is their choice what parts of that meal they eat (if any!). I find this takes the pressure of quite a bit and helps me keep it in perspective.

I'm not sure that was helpful at all....!

eh?

Most days, DD (3) eats a bite of a sandwich for lunch, followed by snacking on about 3 portions of fruit throughout the afternoon. She isn't fussy. Just not interested in lunch.

don't worry about it. It sounds fine.

What's wrong with that?
DS often has apple and cheese for lunch, sometimes with a few crackers, often without - he likes apple and cheese on their own. He's also very happy and healthy and not often hungry - he's more interested in playing than eating!

My dd lived on cheese for about a month when she was 2

And I do mean just cheese.

She is 14 now, and perfectly healthy.

Very sarky and stroppy but I don't think I can blame that on the cheese

It's much better than what DS had. One mini breadstick and a Rolo dessert.

That's sounds like a good lunch.

We do sandwiches for lunch in our house, and dinner at 5pm, some snacks inbetween.

My dd is fussy, and it's rubbish about offering other foods, as we've done this, and she won't even taste. We have calm meal times too, never hectic, and we don't do the 'eat your dinner or no pudding', as it never works anyway.

My dd can live off sausages, chicken, ham, cheese, fruit, baked beans, radishes , and bread/toast.

We had her weighed, as to me she looks slim, but she is tall, and the doc said she was in range. Think it's cos she's so active.

She's never hungry either. If she is, she asks for a sandwich!

Sounds fine.we almost never have a cooked lunch, only if its a special occasion andthen we don't have cooked dinner. Plus ds has similar lunches but with a sandwich for school.

I'd be thrilled if mine ate a sensible lunch like that. Today she has had half a slice of turkey and almost an entire punnet of blueberries.

Thanks everyone. I suppose I'm worrying slightly in that he'll probably just ask for toast & jam for tea so his lunch will most likely end up being his main meal of the day which isn't ideal, but he just won't eat what he doesn't want.

DD wanted sausages and fish fingers for lunch. I gave her mini bread sticks, cheese, cherry tomatoes and cucumber. DD would live on sauages, fish fingers and fruit if I let her. She's healthy and happy, so I'm happy with that.

DD2 (admittedly only 6m) had plain pasta, grated mozzarella, cucumber and yogurt plonked on her tray. The floor loved it :o

At that age, as longas you are not constantly stuffing fast food and into them or giving them salt on toast I think anything else is fine. Sounds like a very healthy lunch to me!

After many attempts to break fussy eating ds and a stint in hospital I've given up.

My ds is 6 and since 2 has refused to eaything except chicken dippers, fish fingers, bread w. Butter/jam/honey/lemon curd, toast of same, cereal.

Occassionally he will eat a few grapes or a banana but that's a total fluke!

Despite this he is a healthy size, weight and has plenty of energy

It's amazing how they do it really isn't it?

My fussy boy is underweight (not because of eating, he was born tiny and premature) and has recently seen a dietitian. She was completely relaxed about his (hopeless except for breakfast) diet and said I should just continue to feed him whatever he wants and not worry about it. I give him a supplement for vitamins. I feel much better since seeing her, thought it might reassure you a bit too OP.

this is a stealth boast, isn't it? ;)

DD had half a cheese and tomato flatbread, some apple, a stolen crisp (off my plate) and then raided the strawberry plants for anything vaguely ripe. I cant see anything wrong with your lunch at all :)

Who me? Not a stealth boast, I am genuinely concerned that I don't feed my son well enough & basically would like someone to hold my hand through every meal I give him.

I can't even really remember the main food groups so producing balanced meals is an effort & obviously the hot weather & being 7 months pregnant makes it even harder. I guess I'm more worried about whether that was an ok main meal for the day, as I was right & he did only want a sandwich later on in the day.