Crap toddler diet?

[GoBigOrange]

I've recently had a couple of people remark quite negatively on what my two year old son eats - people whose opinions I do generally value. I'm aware his diet is not amazing, but I didn't think it was so bad that I needed to worry!

I've been stewing on the comments, so recorded everything he has consumed in the last few days (besides water) and put it to MN - is it that bad? Or is he just being a fairly normal toddler?

Monday:

8oz of milk
Slice of buttered toast
A scrambled egg
A pear
Two crackers with peanut butter
Fish pie and peas
8oz of milk
Oatmeal raisin cookie

Tuesday:

8oz of milk
A pear
Refried bean and cheese burrito
Pork loin, butter beans and swede
8oz of cranberry juice
Mini carrot and walnut muffin

Wednesday:

8oz of milk
A pear
Slice of buttered toast
Some mango chunks
Two crackers with peanut butter
Chicken breast in creamy garlic sauce, sweet potato wedges
7 or 8 Cheetos puffs
8oz of milk
A banana

Thursday:

8oz of milk
Slice of buttered toast
Two pears
A banana
Bowl of chili (beef, black beans, tomato, onion, red pepper, garlic, spices)
8oz of milk
Oatmeal raisin cookie

Verdicts?

It's not too bad. Cut down yhe juice and save the cookies for one night a week as a treat?

Otherwise, no battles over food. Just keep feeding them what they will eat, at the healthy end of what they will eat and offer new stuff as well (and expect a lot of it to be turned down.)

It is MUCH better for toddlers to experience eating as a stress free thing and gradually branch out, as opposed to being forced to eat things/making food a battleground.

Ds isn't a great eater. We have a 'zero drama' approach to food. If he eats it, great. If he doesn't, no worries. We offer new stuff regularly and sometimes he pokes it and tries it and goes yuck (last night's kale) and sometimes he surprises us and eats it. We will keep offering new things, keep plying him with veg and keep mealtimes relaxed. He will eventually eat most things and we will never force him to eat anything.

The attitude to food is important. Make mealtimes relaxed and no fuss.

It's great your sisters kids eat so well. Not all kids are so easy.

EXACTLY Anatidae

Ds was very underweight at one point and the paediatrician actually told us to feed him chocolate -her opinion was that he didn't enjoy eating and that he needed to learn it could be pleasurable.
We did give him chocolate (not crazy amounts, just a square before meals as she suggested) and it worked. I'm not sure whether he was too hungry to eat or if he just didn't want to but we still sometimes give him a blueberry or a square of choc before food if he's unwilling to eat. It's like it switches on the 'oh yeah I am actually hungry' thing and then he eats dinner.

He likes pasta, bread, carrots, broccoli, peas, cauli, mince type sauces, chocolate. Won't touch milk, cheese, yoghurt, cream, sweets, and several other things kids are supposed to like.

We feel he gets an ok diet, and we don't force him or make a fuss. He is gradually broadening what he eats and we will just keep going with it.

Obviously if you have any concerns over sensory issues etc then the above may not apply and you should seek help from people who know what they're doing. But if he's just an average toddler with normal toddler likes and dislikes, don't stress about it.

That is bit tricky though! But we forget that breast milk, and formula is sweet too! Interesting way to do it.

I used to get my dcs to either make a pretty fruit plate BEFORE eating meals, esp. when they're hungry after school etc. or a fruit face! They would then eat well ( it wouldn't worry me if they only ate fruit tbh) I think that for good digestion fruit should be eaten on an empty stomach anyway.