Is this a bad diet?

[sowhatusernameisnttaken]

My ds has just turned three and I'm worried I haven't tried to persevere with more healthy choices. He's incredibly fussy so only eats the following -
Brown bread, cheese, ham houmous, apples, pears, pizza, spaghetti hoops pasta and pesto, breadsticks, natural yoghurt crackers, cereals, croissants, tomato soup water and milk- this is bad, right?
How can I turn this around to get him eating a more varied, healthier diet?

What do you feel is missing from the diet?
Protein
Crabs
Dairy
Vitamins?

Just keep offering different foods with no pressure

Hide veggies in sauces and cakes etc if you're worried

Give him vitamin supplements

Well there isn't much stuff there
Do you offer him different things? He can't eat it if he isn't given it

Crying at crabs

The diet looks pretty standard tbf. I wouldn't worry too much, just continue to offer more meat and a variety of veg. My daughter ate tinned peaches (which she called goldfish) and spaghetti Bolognese pretty much every day untul.she was 5. She's 18 now, healthy and eats everything.

Its fine.
Better than my 4 year old who only eats: bread, "red pasta" (this is pasta with tinned tomato's and olive oil. No other veg acceptable and must be penne), baked beans, pizza, chips, chicken nuggets and yoghurt.
All food groups represented. He won't waste away.

Do you eat with DC?

Often try a bit off your plate works. Even if you don't eat with 3 year old. Do a little plate for yourself of stuff she can try.

Get involved in the kitchen. may eat a banana if she cuts it up. Grow some peas may then eat them from the garden.

Definitely missing crabs from his diet. 😀

I think it would be easy to get into a routine of just giving him what he likes, especially if you are on a budget. So have it in mind to add in new things to try regularly. You don't have to change it over night.

When my dd was little she would often try things she might not try at home in different places like in a restaurant or at a farmer's market where they have little tasters of the produce.

Thanks everyone, I tried him with a tuna roll at lunch today, he has eaten tuna before when he was much younger but now he pushes it away saying yuk and asking for ham and cheese. I know I should persevere but he's already very trying without food wars too! I don't think I give him any real cr@p to eat (ignoring the pizza) but am aware he doesn't eat a great range of things.
The soup is homemade with fresh ingredients and all the bread and breadsticks are always brown so I try there.

I agree most of what he does eat is healthy esp if the soups are home made. Just keep it low pressure and look for ways to make trying new things a fun experience.

Just keep trying. I once read somewhere that it's a natural survival instinct for toddlers not to try things in case it could be poisonous and that you have to present things on average 14 times until they will try them!

Give him a variety of things at mealtimes - something you know he likes and a few healthy things he wouldn't normally eat. Serve things at the table so he sees other family members helping themselves to salad or veg etc, offer it to him too. I find that way my DD is more likely to try things as she wants to join in.

Get him to help in the kitchen washing and preparing things. Maybe try a green smoothie and let him prepare it and turn the machine on. Plant stuff in the garden - strawberries and tomatoes etc.

Finally I think the best tip I read is not to stress what they eat in the course of one day but rather try to make sure it's balanced over the week. So if one day ends up entirely beige don't stress too much!

My 2 year old is incredibly fussy! He'll only eat what he fancies that day and that's anyone's guess. If your child is eating bread and croissants they are carbs! He gets protein from ham and yougurt and apples and pears are fruit.. could be worse!

Agree with PP about keeping on trying; too many parents decide their 2 year old "doesn't like veg" and so continue only giving what they know child will eat. In my (unpopular) opinion, it's one of our main jobs as parent to not give up and keep trying, and being inventive on what we do if necessary.

If your son knows he'll get a ham & cheese roll, there's no incentive to have tuna. If he's had it before and you know he liked it, then offer it but don't give him an alternative if he won't eat it (if he's hungry later give him carrot sticks)

Give new food when he's really hungry-I found with my once fussy children that I never used to allow them to get hungry, so with the snacks and extra stuff they were comfortable to refuse anything they didn't fancy. They are allowed now to have things they don't like, but each of them over the years has gone through stages of saying they all of a sudden don't like pasta, don't like ham, don't like broccoli etc. if I know it's something they like I leave it a week or two and present it again (i don't just accept that they won't eat it).

If I'm offering a risky or new food I tend not to give them a snack after school but give dinner earlier, as they are more likely to eat it if hungry.

Introduce new foods alongside the foods he likes and praise when he tries it. Don't push it, just keep offering. My dd has always had a healthy but limited diet that is expanding now due to my perseverance. Imo, the limited diet makes eating out a pita. Dd would have thrived during rationing - she is a meat and 2 veg kinda kid. A roast dinner isn't usually an option on a kids menu! She's 5 and is becoming more adventurous. She asked for a burger the other day - something she's always refused to eat. I made burgers and she ate and enjoyed it. Apparently a friend likes burgers so now dd likes burgers! Just ride it out and keep offering.

A lot of kids are fussy eaters. My first eats everything always. My second is very fussy. He eats the following:
Baked beans, chicken nuggets, chicken roast, bolognese, burger, meatballs, hotdog, pasta with butter, french fries. All dairy is loved (cheese, yogurt and milk). Broccoli. Pancakes. On occasion innocent smoothie, fresh orange juice. But wish he would eat at least two whole fruits like apples and raspberries. One more veggie and carb to at least break up his diet! He only has wheat unless french fries and does not work to bake sliced potatoes either. I'm hoping as he gets older he will eat more. You are not alone. It does help when they are around other kids. My son always asks to eat new things when he is w friends and sees them eating

Children under 5 are not advised to regularly have wholemeal bread as it fills them up quickly so they don't consume enough calories.

Oh I've never heard that, who says that heirhelp? x

I always give my son wholemeal bread and he's 2!

NHS says this about wholemeal foods

I've heard that high-fibre foods aren't suitable for toddlers. Why?

Fibre is an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. But foods that contain a lot of fibre (such as wholemeal bread and pasta, brown rice and wholegrain breakfast cereals) can fill up small tummies, leaving little room for other foods. This means your toddler can feel full before they've taken in the calories they need.
It's good for your toddler to try different kinds of starchy foods, but don't give only wholegrain foods before your child is five years old.

He has white pasta and rice but nearly always wholegrain bread. He is fussy but not underweight so I'm not too concerned.

"don't give only wholegrain foods"

OP listed below things that are all unlikely to be wholegrain. I think she's on pretty safe ground with some wholemeal bread, too.

pizza, spaghetti hoops pasta and pesto, breadsticks...crackers, cereals, croissants

I would have CRIED with joy if DS4 had eaten as much variety as OP's DS at about 3yo. Although she didn't list sweets, chips, biscuits or crisps, which is odd (and I suspect belong on the list, too).

"Hide veggies in sauces and cakes"
OP didn't say her child ate sauces or cakes. Tomato soup might be an opportunity, though.

Haha brexit sorry yes I forgot about the crisps and biscuits - as a treat only though x

Squash, juice, ice-cream?
I got super excited when DS ate a Wotsit.

If I'm offering a risky or new food I tend not to give them a snack after school but give dinner earlier, as they are more likely to eat it if hungry.

I do this too - my DC are far far more likely to try something new if they're sufficiently hungry. I also have success with new food by offering it in passing whilst I'm cooking rather than putting it on their plate - I just hold out a bit and say something like "try this xxx, it's so tasty!" and they usually do.