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Original poster

Letting my 2-yr-old have "naked pasta" - the thin end of the wedge?

26 replies

AliceTheCamelHasGotTheHump · 15/02/2009 14:45

Our children have always eaten whatever we eat. We mostly have pasta dishes, curries, stews, risotto - normal stuff. If they didn't like / want it that's fine. Still get pudding if you haven't eaten your main course. If they have tried the meal and don't like it but are hungry I would probably offer bread and cheese or something as an alternative. Am fairly laid back, and don't want food to be a battle or a reward.

2-yr-old is becoming more and more fussy. In fact every evening it goes:
Me: Supper time everyone!
Her: I don't LIKE supper! I don't WANT supper etc etc .

Often if we get her to actually try something she finds she likes it and will eat a decent plateful.

Equally as often, she turns her nose up and goes without (not complaining she's hungry).

The last couple of times we've had pasta I've let her have a separate bowl of plain pasta, no sauce (or "naked pasta" as she calls it) while the rest of us have the main bowl of tomato or mushroom or whatever saucey pasta.

Is this a really really bad idea? It does fit in generally with my attitude towards children and food, but it feels like a bad idea.

OP posts:
nickytwotimes · 15/02/2009 14:47

Seems fine to me. It's not like it's a totally seperate meal.

lucysmam · 15/02/2009 14:49

I'd let her have the 'naked' pasta rather than the saucey pasta, maybe offer a small amount of what you're having with the sauce to try. Or offer the sauce in a separate bowl for her to try dunking the pasta in

quint · 15/02/2009 14:50

I'm a bit of a strict mum when it comes to food and refuse to mae separate meals, however naked pasta seems fine to me, you're not making a separate meal, just not adding one bit of it.

Really depends on how you feel about it though doesn't it?

mileniwmffalcon · 15/02/2009 14:50

i've always let mine eat whichever bit of the meal they wanted - if she sees you all tucking into the sauce and you don't make it any kind of big deal she'll pretty soon want to have a try of it again, i reckon.

MaureenMLove · 15/02/2009 14:50

Why don't you work on the naked pasta. Slowly suggesting a little bit of cheese on top, then a few mushrooms, or ham or tomatoes etc. That way the choice is stil hers, but you are encouraging her to choose to have a little bit of flavour with it, until she actually, just wants what you're all having.

ilovepinotnoir · 15/02/2009 14:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

giantkatestacks · 15/02/2009 14:58

I had a boy round for a playdate a couple of weeks ago who would only eat his pasta plain - he was 5. I was a bit shocked tbh.

I wouldnt start if you dont want it to continue - just offer what you're all having and take it away without fuss if its not eaten.

This isnt a food thing but a 2 year old power/attention thing surely. Let her have the tantrum and ignore it, once it has died down then tell her calmly that this is what is for dinner then make sitting at the table sound like loads of fun so she feels shes missing out by not being up there. If that doesnt work then just get on with your own meal.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 15/02/2009 14:59

You aren't making her another meal, but just aren't adding the sauce.

If it was DD, think I'd let her have 'naked pasta' but not make a big deal about it and have lots of stuff on the table like cheese, herbs etc so she would see people putting things on their pasta.

Maybe also if you toss the pasta sauce at the table?

choccynutter · 15/02/2009 15:00

nothing wrong with that quiet a few nights a week i have to make aseprate meal for my ds2 but he's not fussy he has asd and very senstive senses so textures strong smells unusel tastes all tend to be a no he is getting better thoe we put thinks in a diffrent bowel for him to try if he wants so thats a idea for you

jemart · 15/02/2009 15:01

Agree with ilovepinotnoir, we have similar rules regarding puddings. I'm still fighting my 2 yearold though, she's a strong willed little thing and impossible when she decides not to eat.
Having said that, if your dd likes pasta without sauce perhaps you could try cooking noodles and stir fry veggies, this way she can eat the same as everyone without any special provisions for her fussiness.

StealthPolarBear · 15/02/2009 15:01

I love naked pasta - it's my comfort food

DanJARMouse · 15/02/2009 15:08

I know an 8yr old that will only eat plain bread and plain pasta. full stop. that is their diet.

awful. Please just keep offering whatever you have as a family. She is 2... most 2yr olds decided they will be fussy with food for a little while.

I never pander, if you eat it great, if you dont, tough.

Eats all = pudding/snack before bed
Eats some = yoghurt/fruit only
Eats none = nothing

mileniwmffalcon · 15/02/2009 15:12

see i don't have a problem with the naked pasta thing, but i do take issue with "ranking" foods as a reward like that jarm. that sweet things are necessarily more desireable than mains, or than fruit. we rarely have puddings and have been known to have pudding first on occasion

TheProvincialLady · 15/02/2009 15:12

I would give a plate of pasta and sauce but make the that the sauce was only in the middle, so that there is no pandering but there is the option to eat only plain pasta if she must wishes.

pavlovthecat · 15/02/2009 15:16

DD has 'naked pasta' (like the name for it btw!) sometimes, she is 2.5 and goes through phases with her food. If we give her pasta with no sauce, we have a bowl of grated cheese for her to put on top (for us all, so she 'shares' it), and also a side plate with some veggies on, and some saved sauce - she invariably changes her mind when she tries ours, (she prefers ours for some reason).

its just a phase, and as long as she is eating, and alternatives are offered, it does not matter and shs will eat other food again at some point.

Claire236 · 15/02/2009 15:20

ds currently only likes plain pasta which I've discovered from other parents is very common. I give him some plain pasta & some with sauce. The only rule we have is that ds has to try whatever we're eating & as long as he does he still gets whatever pudding I'd planned. I don't think seeing sweet things as a treat is a particularly healthy mindset & am determined to avoid the idea of only getting pudding if you're good which I grew up with.

mileniwmffalcon · 15/02/2009 15:32

to add, the "pudding if you finish your mains" not only rates sweet food as a reward, it also says you have been "good" by eating a full plate of food, irrespective of the size of your appetite, again not a good signal to send imo.

CuriousSquid · 15/02/2009 15:39

could you put the sauce in a little dish as a "dip"?

none of mine eat pasta

CuriousSquid · 15/02/2009 15:40

or is that too "faddy"

Othersideofthechannel · 15/02/2009 15:44

DD who is 4 has 'naked pasta' everytime we have pasta with tomato sauce.

It has been like this since she was 2. Last time we ate this meal she had a teaspoon of sauce which covered 3 bits of pasta. She ate them. It's been slow coming but I am hoping that soon she will be having a big dollop of sauce.

Bucharest · 15/02/2009 15:51

I'm in Italy and mine often has "naked pasta" lol.....(especially if I'm doing a creamy sauce) What you can do to (secretly) jazz it up a bit is toss it in a bit of butter and s-l-o-w-l-y (in my case as dd is convinced she hates cheese) add a bit of grated cheese.

Could be a lot worse...she could be eating naked chips or naked McDonalds.

Blimeyheck curioussquid- what on earth do you feed them on?

AitchTwoOh · 15/02/2009 15:51

i agree about not making a huge deal either way but given that dh and i rarely have pudding, dd getting a yoghurt or fruit etc is contingent on her having had a good go at her meal. tbh i really don't think she notices, as on the odd occasion when she acts up it's generally about something else anyway, iykwim?

how about just making pasta bakes for a wee while, OP, and avoiding the issue? or would that not work either?

twinsetandpearls · 15/02/2009 15:56

I thought this was going to be a thread about rude pasta shapes from Ann Summers, am very annoyed that I have broken my flounce for this .

Countingthegreyhairs · 15/02/2009 16:26

lol Twinset

I'm interested to see what everyone says in this thread because I happen to have a rule about this very thing ... no nude pasta allowed ... I tend to insist on a teaspoon or two of sauce if nothing else

Tbh though I don't think I probably should make a blanket rule - it's all about the individual child and the individual context and how much and what variety of food the child has eaten over that week - and food battles are usually more about asserting control than the food itself ...

but I insist nonetheless because I like to make 'every meal count' somehow but this is probably more about me feeling good rather than dd's requirements if I'm honest ...

Original poster
AliceTheCamelHasGotTheHump · 15/02/2009 16:37

Thank you for the replies.

I think that I agree with those of you who are saying that she's just choosing not to have one element of the meal. It's not a separate meal. I hadn't thought of it like that.

I will definitely let her have some separate sauce in a bowl to dip. She likes dipping.

Like a couple of people on the thread, I have known older children who have severely limited diets, and they always seem to include naked pasta. Perhaps that's why it made me wonder if I was heading down a wrong road.

Also, bigger picture, I'm not worried about her diet overall I think. I knew there would be some replies from people who do a hard line approach to faddiness, but am reassured by the number of you who wouldn't be too worried.

OP posts: