Sharing tips on good food

[Rara]

Anyone want to help put together tips on finding good, wholesome foods from the various shops/supermarkets? I've been reading "The food our children eat" and found it v interesting but also horrifying how much crap is passed off as "healthy" kids' food.
Very much agree with author's beliefs that our children should eat modified versions of what we eat and get them into good habits from babies.

Read on another thread about organic versions of cheerios and stuff like this. Am interested in what other parents have found in the way of food with no added sugar/salt, etc and also what has gone down well with their babies/toddlers (my dd is nearly 8m and starting more adventurous stuff and finger food etc.) Would be really interested in other Mumsnetters have to say...

Aloha - sorry missed the question re. the curry. I started them off with a mild one - like a Malaysia (pineapple) or Butter Chicken, they now enjoy a Tikka Massala and various othrs too - love the popadoms, naan, etc. I can honestly say that I have never had a problem finding them somewhere to eat if we are out. We travelled around New England when ds was eight months and he ate with us in restaurants every day, I took about five jars with us and used one.

Perhaps you can offer some advice to me.We are taking dd to the Algarve in 6 weeks and she will be just over 9 months then. I don't want to lug loads of food with us but feel I need to take some in case. I have been giving her bits of chicken to chew, cucumber, bits of pizza when I've been out and she quite likes all of that. She also loves rice and pasta. However I am struggling with what she will be able to eat and whether or not I will need to take loads of jars which I really don't want to. We are staying ina hotel and not a villa so can't cook myself for her

Tillysmummy - it depends on the child but I suppose knowing we were travelling probably pushed me into ensuring he would eat a wide variety of things and I suppose the US was quite an easy option - we also were not self-catering. It may be worth introducing her to noodles - and taking some with you - at least then if there is not much on the menu you can ask for a cup of boiling water and cook them at the table to supplement what you have!! Chunky soups are a good option from the menu too. I would imagine that most places would have pasta too. I think as long as she will eat some meat and veg and probably fruit then she should be ok. I would probably also take her favourite breakfast cereal - I assumed that we would be able to get weetabix but was wrong - fortunately he ate grits and muffins quite happily. I stopped sterilising bottles about a month before we went and took a small travel kettle so we could make up bottles in the hotel room.

jaybee, great idea - I have actually already bought a travel kettle for exactly that purpose but was worried about the stopping of sterilising bottles because of the water out there - I suppose I can use the boiled water for washing as well as making up the bottles. What age was he when you stopped sterilising then ?

Tillsmummy - Seven months - I felt that as soon as he was sitting on the floor and putting toys in his mouth that he was starting to get introduced to germs anyway, I stopped sterilising spoons at six months. I took took some washing up liquid with me and a bottle brush and used boiled water to wash the bottles in the hotel washbasin. Also, rather than taking disposable bibs, I got him used to a plastic pelican type one before we went and just carried it with us - can be used over again and just needs to be wiped down after each use.

Tillsmummy - Seven months - I felt that as soon as he was sitting on the floor and putting toys in his mouth that he was starting to get introduced to germs anyway, I stopped sterilising spoons at six months. I took took some washing up liquid with me and a bottle brush and used boiled water to wash the bottles in the hotel washbasin. Also, rather than taking disposable bibs, I got him used to a plastic pelican type one before we went and just carried it with us - can be used over again and just needs to be wiped down after each use.

oops - how did that happen!!

Tillysmum, you could also try instant mash (the dried flakes as opposed to the powdered stuff with lots of gubbins in) it is a great filler and diluter in the sense that it fills the baby up and helps to dilute strong flavours so you can add a couple of tablespoons of soup to it for the right flavour for young babies...

sis - is the "good" mash still Ok for small babies? Wasn't there that awful case last year or yr before about baby that died becos parents fed it too much instant mash and the salt intake was way too much for the baby to take? Obviously, this is an extreme but it just shows how much stuff is in what you might otherwise treat as innocuous.
Jaybee - I totally agree about what some parents call "fussiness" in their kids' eating habits when in actual fact it's just the kids' refusal to eat proper food when junk is an alternative. A member of my own family feeds her son (11yo) mountains of crap becasue he maintains he won't eat vegetables, fruit, pasta, etc. (ad infinitum) and he is so overweight it's frightening. Tea consists of a pepperami stick, crackers, crisps and a can of pop, all in front of the TV. Funny , tho, when he had to stay overnight with another family member with very set ideas about junk food, she gave him what everyone else was having (meat & 2 veg followed by fresh fruit) with no alternative offered and guess what? He got so hungry he ate it!
One other thing...(don't stop me now, I'm on a roll!) about eating with the babe or not, as circumstances allow... I sit at the kitchen table when dd has her tea (4.30) and have a cup of tea and maybe a yoghurt so she can see me doing the same as/similar to her. When dd comes home we've made an effort to eat earlier than we used to - about 6.30/7ish and sit her up at the table as well. This time it's her time for a snack - breadstick/bit of fingerfood, etc. It's worked well so far and even if we can't manage it every day, I like the idea we're doing it at least 3 or 4 times a week.
(I'll shut up now.)

Can I ask you all, if you cook a meal for yourselves, such as spag bol, and with the intention of then giving leftovers to your children, do you add wine? I love lots of meals that include a glass of wine (sometimes more) and all simmer away for quite a while (which I think reduces the alcohol content?) and have always made at least twice the amount and then put them in little tubs in the freezer for my daughter. I suppose I have been giving it to her since she was about 15 months. I only recently wondered if this was OK.
I feel a little incensed here with this thread to assume that anyone who has a child who doesn't eat much variety, etc, has brought it upon themselves. I have given my daughter LOADS of different types of food, she has never taken to jars so I cook everything myself but, despite dietician help, and a draining, non-stop, trying of every vegetable/meat meal under the sun, every Karmel recipe (and about 5 other books recipes), mine is still a bad eater and I do worry about going out as she genuinely won't eat much. She does have a good diet of lots of fresh fruit, the odd corn on the cob, home-made pasta, shepherds pie, etc but she has a very limited amount and range. I don't give in and give her crap although the she does get the odd bun or biscuit (certainly not every day and never as a substitute for a meal). Please don't assume that every mother who has a child that refuses food, whether out or in the home, has brought it upon themselves.
I am, of course, hugely senstitive about this and so please forgive me if this sounds a bit aggressive.

Janus - I always add wine to sauces and give them to my daughter who, like yours, probably won't eat it anyway and not through lack of me giving her lots of options in the past. Have resigned myself to the limitataions of her diet but it is (usually) pretty healthy. If go out to eat, know she will only eat nan and rice - not the meal itself. If Italian, she'll eat pizza and some of my pasta etc. Usually give her a sandwich beforehand so taht I can enjoy my meal.

My mum always used to peel a piece of apple then tie it in a loose weave muslin. Great finger food for the babies, they only get apple pulp sieved through the cloth and it's very easy to pick up when its thrown from the highchair.

Rara, yes I remember the case it was so sad. The instant mash i am talking about is claims to be 99% potato so I don't think it would harm a baby but I qualify that by adding that I am no nutritional expert! I suppose if you are concerned you could just stick to baby rice but we wanted ds to try other flavours as early as possible and introduced instant mash early on.

I thought it was ready brek the baby ate who died?

I thought it was instant gravy that was the culprit, but because ready brek & smash were mentioned, they stuck in everyone's minds.

Janus - please don't take it personally, but I do know many parents (and also grandparents) who just seem to encourage their kids fussiness by never offering them the healthy option - every kids tastes change but I really feel that if a parent gives in to this then they are making a rod for their own back - IMO if kids will eat a variety of things (I don't mean everything) at least you can usually find something for them to eat from every restaurant you decide to go to. It also makes it alot easier for the kids when they start getting invited to friends for tea.

Found it, here is the story. How awful for the parents.

Tillysmummy, thanks for your response, I didn't see it earlier.
Jaybee, I can understand Janus' point of view - my ds was a dream to feed up until he was about 18 months, he was given healthy food and would eat anything put in front of him. Biscuits etc. were never given in place of a proper meal. Now, though, his tastes are more limited: weetabix, marmite on toast, cauliflower cheese, chicken and pasta in a sauce, chicken sunday dinner. It can be frustrating that he won't touch baked beans, spaghetti hoops, sausages, fish fingers, etc. which would make my life easier sometimes, particularly when going out, but he loves cauliflower, peas, swede, sweetcorn and the usual fruits, so despite his limited tastes I'm satisfied he is getting the nutrients he needs.

Jodee - doesn't sound as if you have a problem to me but I can understand your frustration and that you sometimes would like him to have a convenience meal. I have always put a little of whatever on their plates even if they say 'I don't like that' - I just tell them to leave it on their plates if they don't want to try it. This sometimes will encourage them to try a taste - but not always - my ds has become more limited in what he likes especially where veg in concerned but he always gets a little on his plate.

Janus - my DS, now 14 months, has the same meals as DH & I & the sauces often contain wine etc - he has been doing this since he was about 9 months - loves sausages braised in cider!!!!!

I agree with all the other points about trying to ensure your baby eats the same as you from as early on as possible - it's just so much easier apart from anything else. Our DS always have our 'leftovers' for his main meal the next day - poor thing!

I can report from out the other side of the ridiculously limited toddler diet. Having eaten widely, if not in large amounts, since weaning, our ds went off nearly everything except broccoli, eggs, porridge and toast at 18m.
Although it made me weep bitter tears of rage (anyone else stood gnawing their hands in the kitchen so as not to slam their little dear's head in the bowl some nights?) we kept putting the usual stuff in small quantities on his plate. Now, at nearly 3, he is actively asking to try things again - green beans, couscous, pears, rice cakes etc are all back on the menu. I was sceptical about keeping offering, but it worked.
It does get better, and I honestly never thought it would. So it will for you too Jodee.
IMO Sunny Delight, Cheese Strings, Peperami etc should carry health warnings. I know of quite a few small children who are offered these things by parents who are good cooks and great parents. WHY? They wouldn't eat them!

I have to echo Marinas sentiments. My 2 dd's both changed from eating most things to being v. fussy and on a limited diet when they hit 18months. For me, it was best to back off completely and not stress. I say that like it was easy, but it took a long time for me to learn that and leave them to it. All in all they do eat what they need. My 4 yr old is now back to eating mist things and has been since 2 1/2 ish and my 2yr old is getting there. I stressed alot about her initially as she was born with a cleft palate so for a long time "food things" were hard for us both. But after some battles, she now sits across the table from me so I cant push/interfere with her, she copies her sisters "manners" (not all good!!) and comes to me with her plate when she's ready for a little help. Often that just means being on my lap. So yes it does get better!

Message withdrawn

I agree that children can be very fickle when it comes to food and what they happily shovel down for months on end can suddenly become the root of all evil for them. My friend's ds who is nearly 4 decided a few weeks ago that he wouldn't eat broccoli again - "I don't like it today" and hasn't touched it since. I'm sure that with older kids it's a case of having some control over something and being able to show it. It must be quite exciting for them when they see their parents stress about it as they're showing they can get a reaction - little buggers! My criticism of the family member I spoke about earlier in this thread is that she made no attempt to offer her ds alternatives as he was growing up and consequently his diet is v narrow now, when at 11 yrs old it should be more or less the same as an adult's range.

Just remembered a funny story re.sunny delight...I was shopping in safeway when i saw a v. well-dressed lady on a sunny d promotions booth, with small cups of the vile stuff lined up in front of her. I tried not to meet her eyes and skirt round her but in the end she got me! "Would you like to try the new range of sunny delight, with more flavours and less sugar (or some such waffle)?" Before I could stop myself, i said "no thanks, it's dreadful stuff, full of all sorts of crap". She just looked at me and i felt awful then, really rude and self-righteous. As i sheepishly pushed the trolley last her she said in a low voice to me "Don't blame you, love..."