Diet Ideas for nearly 3 year old

[Joe]

Help. My cousins daughter who is just coming up to 3 years seems to only want to eat sausages, chilli, fromage frais, crips and chocolate. Obviously there are concerns that this is not a good diet and she could be missing on important nutrients. The doctor has suggested starting from scratch and trying pureed food. She is full of energy and the size of a 4-5 year old so she is growing from something. Suggestions appreciated.

My little boy, 2 next week, goes through various food fads as well. All we do is keeping giving him little bits of various things to try, if he doesn't like it we take it away and try it again a month or so later. He particularly likes things that we are eating, so someytimes we let him eat something new from one of our plates, if he seems to like it we put some on his plate next time. I guess we are fortunate that there is always at least one fruit and one vegetable that are in favour with him st any given time...at least up until now.

I have a friend who swears that her youngest ate nothing but suasages and chips every day for about 3 years. She's now a fit and healthy 18 year old dance student. I'd say that if your niece is growing and appears healthy not to stress about it. Kids soon seem to pick up if a parent is worrying about what they eat and can play up to it. I remember food fads and they get boring eventually. (I remember eating scrambled egg with tomato ketchup every morning for 6 months when I was 5 and the chocolate spread sandwich phase when on for ages).

Luckily I don't have any problems with the eating habbits of my two. They'll eat everything and anything...in large quantities. Some of this I put down to our attitude to their meals (food is put in front of them at a table. No toys at meal times. If they don't want to eat it, fine. The food is taken away and they can get down from the table, but no snacks etc are given in place and no pudding and once they'd mastered the art of feeding themselves we won't feed them - no matter how messy it gets!). The rest I put down to pure good luck!

Some ideas though: How about involving her in the cooking/prep of the food? She should be able to stir a bowl of food or make a choice from a selection. Offer usual foods in unusual styles ie It's easy to make a good old smiley face out of peas and ketchup. Keep offering different foods. Mix food she will eat with things she normally wouldn't touch ie crisp and cheese sandwiches, fruit dunked in chocolate, vegetable chilli... Good idea from Chelle about offering what you are eating too. Oh and try and mix with kids who do eat well at meal times.

Hope some of this can help.

Try this: A Simple pasta sauce which can be frozen in batches: A splash of olive oil in saucepan, 1 clove of garlic pressed, tin of chopped tomatoes, dried basil, 1 spoon of green pesto. (all these ingredients can be stored in cupboard).

Take out of freezer, heat up, and heat some baby sized pasta - with or without the freezing, you have a tasty meal in 10 mins!

Thanks for the ideas so far, I will be dropping them round to my cousin this afternoon. Im glad my son hasnt developed a food fad yet (he is 8.5 months), he eats anything and everything and lots of it.
Batters - not sure if she has tried stopping the chocolate and crips but will be worth a try. I dont think she would like the pureed food, my son didnt even like that when he first started on solids.
Moneypenny - thanks for the pasta sauce idea, I will try this for my son as he loves pasta and sauce with grated cheese or meat in it (normally use baby organix bolognese sause or tomato and basil, both very nice).

Couple of recipe suggestions for you to try to tempt her that don't take so long that it doesn't matter if they're rejected (in my house the whole family goes for them with relish):

Potato with jewels. Boil then mash potato with some butter and milk. Meanwhile, cook some frozen mixed veg and poach fish in milk - salmon is good because of the colour, or you could use yellow smoked haddock for the same reason. Once cooked, flake the fish into bite-sized pieces and drain the frozen mixed veg. Stir fish and veg into mash, spoon into oven-proof dish and keep in fridge until you need it (up to 24 hours). When wanted, bake for about 15 minutes in hot oven. If you leave out the veg (cook fresh and stir in before baking), the non-veg fishy mash freezes well - defrost in fridge overnight.

Potatoes with hats on. Bake a potato, slice in half, scoop the cooked flesh out of the skin into a bowl. Put the skins on a baking sheet in a hot oven for about 10 minutes to crisp up (salt them first if you wish); meanwhile mush up the flesh with some mayonnaise and grated cheese. Serve potato in two heaps (man, woman) on the plate with the skins placed like hats; make features and "hair" with peas and carrots.

You could also try a risotto. The basic recipe on the back of the Gallo pack is pretty routine. No reason to leave out the wine since the alcohol burns off (and you can enjoy a glass whilst stirring!) I usually add frozen peas after about 10 minutes and cooked chopped ham from the deli at the end of cooking. It's also good with smoked haddock.

Have you tried getting her involved with the cooking? That worked a treat with my toddler.

Well, you can but try! Good luck.

I have noticed that both Tescos and Sainsburys sell childrens sausages with veg in them. Tescos do an organic pork and tomato chipolata sausage which both my 3 year old and I thought tasted good, and have just bought "sausages with vegetables" from Sainsburys from their Childrens range ( called, I think, "Blue Parrot Cafe").

If you're making pasta for a child, throw in a cheese triangle or two. They love them (and yes the italians do it all the time - I used to live there!)
Sue