Bigger meal at lunch and snack in evening?

[Chooster]

I've got a DS who has just turned 3 and he is a really fussy eater - well, he is at home anyway. At nursery the peer pressure obviously gets to him and the nursery certainly tell us he eats his lunches. These lunches are all cooked on site and he has things like chicken stir fry, fish pie, meatballs etc... They then have a snack at about 3.30 which is normally sandwiches or crackers and cheese and fruit.

When DS has been at nursery (4 days a week) I've just been giving him more 'snacks' for dinner as he never seems that hungry. By snacks I mean some quiche, toasted cheese sandwich, bread and dips that kind of thing. I don't do a big dinner with veg etc (not that he'd eat the veg at home anyway!).

So, my question is, am I just re-inforcing the 'fussy eating at home' attitude he has by not giving him a proper hot meal in the evenings for more than half the week? Or, is it OK as he's getting a balanced meal at lunch?

Its been bugging me for a while so any advise would be gratefully received!

My children have lots to eat down at the nursery as well and don't eat much in the evening. I have therefore continued that over the weekend. They have more to eat during the day and then not so much at dinner time. They are happiest with that.

I cook dinner for just me and my hubby and if they want some then they can have it. Trust me they will eat if they are hungry.

The way I get my children to eat vegetables are mostly in the shape of soups or by juicing. Especially good if they get to do the juicing themselves.

In my opinion you are doing nothing wrong

This is pretty much exactly what I do with DD, whos 3.2. She's at nursery three days a week, they have a hot lunch and snack tea, at home she'll have a hot cross bun, a banana or suchlike, sat on the sofa, not at the table. The other four days a week we (two of us in the week, all three at the weekend) have a lighter lunch and cooked dinner. Nursery days, to be honest, I just find it a relief to eat an adult dinner later in the evening, without having to adjust it to her tastes.

I keep pushing the boundaries of what she'll eat at home, but I do it on the four days she's not at nursery, I just figure nursery days are busy and fraught enough as it is. The good thing is she's getting better - my parents had her over lunchtime yesterday cos I had an interview, and she ate a courgette fritter and some bacon, I was astonished!

I give DD a cooked lunch most days as this is when she is most hungry. Also she is more relaxed at this time as she is tired at tea time. She will eat much more variety for the childminder than she will for us ! Plus she prefers things like sandwiches and fruit so she eats more for tea than she would otherwise so she is going to bed full, which means she hopefully sleeps better.

Oh, its good to hear I'm not the only one that does this. I worried I was just being a bit lazy about it. As you say missytrouble, my DS is normally shattered by the time its dinner after nursery so trying to make him sit at the table for a bit dinner can just turn into a fight - one which I'd rather not have having not seen him most of the day.

So, can I ask what you give you DC's as evening snacks? You mention sandwiches / fruit / hot cross buns that sort of thing. Any other ideas?

My DD loves a 'picnic' tea, pieces of cheese, crackers, raisins and apple. Or she will eat bread sticks and hummus. Also she loves scones. I know its difficult knowing what to give them for a change and that they will actually eat isn't it. I tried a boiled egg with toast and I really thought she would eat it. She took one mouthful and that was it, total refusal!

I do exactly the same as this is when she seems to be most hungry, topping up after running around in morning and fuel for afternoon, she generally doesn't eat alot in evenings, maybe some pasta and a yogurt so we have given up wasting food.

Post-nursery snack when I'm in charge - crumpet with cheese, a yogurt, plain biscuit, toast, fruit (and am gleaning inspiration from below, never tried her with crackers and I think she likes cheese these days). When DH is in charge or when I'm off-guard - Flump, ice lolly ... It's okay though, I've been reading the 'what would our mothers have posted on MN' thread about crispy pancakes, Ice Magic, potato croquettes and Vienetta, am having flashbacks and suddenly feeling an AWFUL lot better about DD's diet!

It's a sign of being working class apparently.. .. having dinner at lunch time and "tea" (snack) at dinner time!

(I don't subscribe to this by the way.. I think this "class rules" are mad and laughable!)

Lunch and tea round here, which equates to 'middle class mummy who doesn't believe it's possible to have "dinner" at five in the afternoon'.