do you give 'proper' meals at both lunch and dinner to your 14mo or one proper meal and one snacky meal?

[emeraldgirl1]

Just asking as a few friends have seemed surprised that I give DD (13.5m) a cooked meal at both lunch and dinner - eg pasta with veg and chicken for lunch, then fish, potatoes, veg for dinner, or shepherds pie for lunch and chicken pasta for dinner etc...

She's a very greedy baby and every time I've tried to give her a snacky-type lunch or supper - cheese on toast with salad, that kind of thing - she just looks appalled and waits for the proper food to be served up. Then picks miserably at the toast and gorges on yogurt and fruit for pudding.

But I am worried now that I'm over-feeding her, or getting her used to too much food. I do keep an eye on portion sizes and she's not plump baby, though she is tall and solidly built (as are both me and DH though neither of us at all overweight)

She's not a very big snacker so breakfast, lunch and dinner are really all she eats, and her breakfast isn't as big as it should be - just a little cereal and fruit as she won't eat more than that at that time of day.

Is this similar to other babies or should I be encouraging a lighter lunch/supper?

The snackiest she'll do for a meal is an omelette with salad which she does enjoy, but anything 'less' than that is looked on with loathing :)

Once over a yr I gave my dd what we had for lunch. Be it sandwiches or scrambled egg on toast or soup. I never did 2 big meals a day.

According to her Red Book, are her height and weight in approximate proportion to each other? Ie both at or near the same centile. If so, then the way you feed her works well for her, and what other people choose to do is not your problem.

FWIW my MIL was appalled that we fed our toddlers leftovers: our supper one day was the dc's lunch the following day. Can't say they suffered. If she wanted to cook toddler-sized meals from scratch each day when we visited, that's her choice, not mine.

When my dd was one I gave her a snack type lunch and a proper dinner. This has remained the same she is now 18mo. For lunch she will have a sandwich, toast and a scrambled egg and toast, or beans on toast. Usually a yoghurt and a few berries too if still hungry. I don't think there's a right or wrong, for me it's just convenience as I don't have the time or will for proper cooking twice a day!

My twins have a cooked meal twice a day most days. Sometimes it is a chunky soup with bread dippers and occasiionally cheese on toast but they much prefer a real meal. Doesn't bother me. Am sure they will change.

Big lunch, snacky tea, cheese on toast, spaghetti hoops and bread etc. then banana about 5pmish.

Thanks everyone!
Am taking DD to be weighted/measured this week so hopefully that will make it clear if we've been over-feeding or not!
I think maybe I need some more inspiration for snacky lunches/suppers, would be good to be able to do something quicker than a 'real' meal sometimes and see how she takes ot it. All I can think of are omelettes and scrambled eggs though! We're not big soup people unfortunately... Cheese on toast I guess. Any other ideas??! Thanks everyone again.

hummus on toast with cherry tomatoes, cubes of cheese.

maybe a pasta salad rather than hot pasta

but I agree, my DTs look around me to see where their actual dinner is coming from when presented with that type of thing!

No I give homemade soup or sandwiches, bits of cheese, tomato, crisps, yoghurt for lunches.
Same cooked meals as us at tea time.

I give bits in between too, fruit, crumpets, toast that kinda thing.
My boy isn't a big eater tbh.

My pre-school DC have always had a 'snacky' lunch and a proper cooked dinner. The snacky lunch is usually some combination of sandwiches, carrot & cucumber sticks / cherry tomatoes / fruit / nuts & raisins etc. Sometimes a bit of a treat like a homemade biscuit/muffin etc. If there are appetising leftovers from last night's dinner, then they get those (if the leftovers are unappetising, I eat them...)

When my DM looks after my pre-schoolers, she is always saying 'there's nothing for their lunch!' - I think she expects a whole cooked lunch for them as well, but I think the snacky lunch is perfectly healthy and sufficient.

Dd is 13 months and tends to have a sandwich for lunch or pasta, or spaghetti hoops on toast or scrambled egg and bacon, then whatever we're having for tea.

Both of mine have cooked lunch and supper. Occasionally they get a snacky type lunch but the like a full meal although again like you they didnt have many snacks in between. Dont fret they will eat what they need do ehats best for you.

One proper, meat, potatoes, veg.

The other, a sandwich type meal,

With fruit inbetween