Daily Feeding routine for 15 mth old child

[mum18772]

How much do you feed your 15 month old child each day? What do you give for breakfast and teatime - I give main meal in middle of the day but am at a loss to know what is appropriate to give at 6pm.I don't want to overfeed because he just loves eating!

I have a 17m month old but haven't changed his eating much since 15m. A typical day might be...

Porridge with mashed banana

snack of raisins

2 slices cheese and marmite sandwiches
yoghurt or fromage frais

a couple of breadsticks with hoummous dip

pasta and chicken with tomato and vegetable sauce
fruit puree pot

hope this helps. He is a hungry boy and about average size.

Excellent! That sounds good - my son's daily routine is Weetabix for breakfast, mashed banana with a drop of milk added ( he loves that!) mid morning, a cooked lunch of potato, meat and vegetables and then at 6pm baked beans and toast, or vegetable and pasta in tomato sauce or soup for tea. I never seem to give a mid afternoon snack since I reckon 2 1/2 hrs in between meals is enough time to allow him to digest and work up an appetite for next meal - I do let him have a cup of milk during the afternoon though! Then he has a bottle at 7pm before bedtime! Good to compare what I do with other Mums - i don't know any other mums with babies the same age! Thanks

Meant to say I find the fruit pots you buy very useful at any meal time or as an emergency snack when out and about - I am still reluctant to feed lumps of fruit to my child in case he chokes even though he is ok chewing ( he only has 4 teeth too so that makes it difficult for him!)

Both my DSs love them and the older one is nearly 3! I have a stick of the frutapura ones because they were on special offer!

Do you make your own sauces for meals containing pasta? I would like to use more fresh pasta dishes when cooking but don't know how to make a suitable sauce, bearing in mind that I want to keep salt content to a minimum

yeah I just put a little olive oil in a pan and fry up some garlic and onions and then add any other veg you want and top up with passata then I blend it so the veg disappear! I also use a little black pepper and basil for flavour.

Pasta sauces:

tomato sauce: fry onion and a little garlic, add tinned chopped tomatoes and herbs, cook for 10 mins

cheese sauce: I make a white sauce (unsalted butter, flour, milk) then add a bit of grated cheese. You can also add finely chopped cooked spinach to this.

lentil sauce: fry onion and a little garlic, then add cooked lentils and some low-salt stock. You can cook put chopped dried apricots in with the lentils.

Excuse my ignorance - what is passata?! That sounds healthy, easy and quick! Never thought about blending to make a sauce! I suppose that's what all the jars are made up of! There's something very satisfying about making the effort when it is possible to cook a fresh healthy meal for your child - even though I hate cooking in general and don't spend any more time in the kitchen than I have to!

It is very quick honestly - passata is just seived tomatoes - smoother than tinned. It usually comes in a carton and is pretty cheap.

Thanks Melpomene - I love really simple recipes - don't like cooking really but want to cook fresh healthy meals for my son! Thanks - what about a mushroom sauce - how would you make that? Sorry but I really don't have a clue!

Ah - now I know what passata is - thanks! I will look out for that and try it out!

My DS is 16 months old and has the appetite of a titan - smashed tooth and all -
I generally give him a protein-based solid lunch and then a veg pasta or risotto-based tea.
for example - for tonight's tea he had -
some fried chopped onion with a crushed clove of garlic

• added a little finely chopeed cold chicken from last night's dinner.
• cooked some peas and a bit of pasta - stirred it all together with a basic white sauce - and a sprinkle of parmesan on top - and bingo, smash hit. (and 20mins) Also - lightly cook some veg (add tinned tuna or cooked chicken or some pasta)
• cover with cheese sauce and sprinkle with breadcrumb topping mixed with parsley and parmesan - bake until crust forms - yum Mushrooms can be added to any of this. Another huge hit - a little sauteed onion and a touch of garlic - add a small tin of tuna and some finely sliced black olives - add some passata or canned peeled and chopped tomatoes and bingo - pasta napoliteano
• or - steam some broccoli - in a pan, fry up some crushed garlic in oil and add stir in a few anchovies - once you have a bit of an oily runny, garlicy anchovy paste - then stir in the cooked broccoli and serve over pasta - DS love it, but depends on how adventurous your lo is!