kids/families & food
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=42908
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Topic: kids/families & food
Posted By: jazzy
Subject: kids/families & food
Date Posted: 01 January 2013 at 9:53am
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DH & I are planning meals with the goal of getting everyone to eat a healthy well balanced diet & we want to do this by cutting the processed foods getting more into fruit/veg...cutting out the "treats" etc. I have a month to implement the changes with food/meals before school goes back. DS2 is our fussy eater, he is skinny always on the go & won't eat what everyone else will. DS1 &3 will try anything & eat well. I need ideas for quick easy breakfasts as I am busy in the morning. DS1&3 will eat cornflakes/weetbix/anything but DS2 will only eat toast with chocolate spread & lots of it, if he does this then DS1 wants it also & I am stuck in the kitchen for ages making toast...I just don't have he time & also don't want him living off toast. He will eat cereal but not with milk....so need ideas for b'fast School lunch boxes, DS1 will eat everything, DS3 will try everything & DS2 hardly touches his. I had tried to cut the crap but chips & biscuits had made there way back in. They are not on the menu this yr  I am prepared for the hard work & know it will take several weeks for the changes to become normal everyday life. Dinner is not a problem as it is mainly BBQ with chicken or prawns & veg which he eats minus the veg but we are going to work on that... |
Replies:
Posted By: Keleho
Date Posted: 01 January 2013 at 10:46am
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Could DS2 perhaps have cereal and fruit (i.e. canned peaches, pears or apricot)? Or cereal and yoghurt? Lunches - how are you placed timewise to make bulk lots of home baking? You could perhaps make sunday avo 'baking day' and make things like savoury muffins (or mini muffins) with lots of hidden veges disguised with ham/bacon and cheese, pinwheel scones, or anything that freezes well and you can grab and throw in a lunchbox. Convenience is probably key - easy to make, easy to throw together. Perhaps vege sticks with some sort of dip (homemade hummus perhaps?) Another option are things like ham and cheese toasties - obviously they would be cold for lunch but you could make them the night before or while eating breakfast. Homemade muesli bars? There are some healthier options out there. Pinterest has a lot of healthy lunch ideas too 
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 02 January 2013 at 8:40pm
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My oldest DD is the same, drives me nuts that she won't eat cereal with milk! but she will eat it with canned fruit, although I need to keep an eye on what she takes, but on a whole she just eats her cereal without milk. I can make pancakes super quick in the morning or we have a waffle machine so I make them while putting lunch boxes together. Flour, egg, milk, never fail Or my hubby gets up early and makes himself a cooked breakfast which DS has with Daddy. I think in the recipe section on here there will be homemade muesli bars. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 02 January 2013 at 10:02pm
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yoghurt and fruit sometimes with cornflakes sometimes not are a hit in my house. My daughter prefers toast and will normally only eat one piece but we dont have choc spread in the house and she normally prefers honey or jam. I say if he wants cereal without milk let him. My daughter prefers it like that sometimes too, maybe a bit of canned fruit salad. lunches i have no idea. my kids always have a sandwich and a yoghurt and then maybe a muffin or something else i have baked. Sometimes though it is brought biscuits. Never chips though. They get fruit at school so i dont usually worry about that but near the end of the year they were getting strawberries in the lunches cause they like them so much and they were cheap enough. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 03 January 2013 at 1:33pm
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thanks for your posts I told DH we are not the only ones with a child that does not like milk with cereal so he feels better lol. I want to make b'fast as quick & easy for me as possible & that's my reason for cutting out toast, this is week days mainly. I am going to get a few different cereals so we can change them up...but 1 serving each only daily (or they would scoff the pack). Might do fruit juice also, not sure.. DS2 wont eat yogurt or tinned fruit, only fruit he eats is a few grapes, strawberries, watermelon & apples. I have just bought melons, apricots, nectarines, blackberries to try on him. He also seems to get put off by heaps on his plate. He likes dry plain bread his fav being grain, loves chicken on the bone & likes mince & pasta meals which are great to hide the veg in.. I don't want to do much baking, not a fan of it & when trying to lose weight it is too easy to mindlessly "try" it  For lunch I made them buns/salad/ham/cucumber/cheese & he scoffed it, when asked if he will eat it for lunch at school (I had sent them before) he said he does not have time at morning tea & at lunch they are "messy" so maybe too lunch in his l/box for him....he eats all the dried processed stuff I am trying to cut out. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 03 January 2013 at 2:32pm
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SOmetimes less in their lunch box is best. Maybe ask what his friends have and see if he wants that too - and provided it is easy like a jam sandwich then do that. Boxes of raisins maybe or just buy a big pack and put them into little containers for them. Maybe if you tell us what sort of processed food you are tying to avoid we can come up with alternatives. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 03 January 2013 at 2:36pm
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Heres some ideas here: http://www.kidspot.co.nz/article+3954+143+10-healthy-lunch-box-recipes-(they'll-actually-eat).htm Some of them are a bit messy for lunch boxes but there are a few good ideas! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 03 January 2013 at 4:46pm
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Not all home baked food needs to be bad for you either Jazzy. Try these. My kids all loved them and they are reasonably low in fat. http://www.kidspot.com.au/omofunzone/Cook-Apple-muffins+1594+569+sponsor-recipe.htm?fb_action_ids=4317451575606&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=timeline_og&action_object_map=%7B4317451575606%3A10150277981478476%7D&action_type_map=%7B4317451575606%3Aog.likes%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D#.UCWKJ___vKg.pinterest" rel="nofollow - apple muffins ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 03 January 2013 at 10:01pm
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Can you give him only 3-4 things? Rather than a heap? So one thing for morning tea & then 2-3 for lunch? Point out to him or label them if that helps him decide? My DD only eats 3 things during the day, which is heaps considering some days she doens't stop to eat at all :/ I usually then have a decent arvo tea for them when they get home. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com">
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: fadeless
Date Posted: 04 January 2013 at 12:04am
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My children are big breakfast eaters. And yes i have 1 who will not have milk on cereal unless its weetbix! I make homemade muesli which they have with yoghurt, weetbix, cornflakes, porriage, scrambled eggs in the microwave is really quick! As for school lunches, mine has fruit, tinned fruit sometimes, i make low calorie jelly with grapes, popcorn, dried fruit and nuts, cheese and cuskets/crackers, carrot sticks or baby carrots, salad wraps. ------------- DD 9 ~ DD 8 ~ DS 7 ~ DS 5 ~ DS 2 ~ DS 14mths ~ DD 3mths |
Posted By: sem
Date Posted: 04 January 2013 at 8:07pm
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I love this ladies blog for healthy breakfast ideas, she's got two kids as well and does a lot of different things and stuff that can be prepared the night before. http://www.greenplaterule.com/ ------------- Here we go again, another baby on it's way! 
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Posted By: xLUCKYx
Date Posted: 21 January 2013 at 12:51pm
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My son will have milk on his cereal but not on weet bix! He likes it made up with hot water. Breakfast during the week for the kids is either weet bix, rice bubbles or corn flakes. I usually have bananas or canned fruit or yoghurt they can have with it if they want. Lunches - I don't have to worry about DS yet as he is at daycare but for school DD is a bit fussy. I try to make her lunches to her taste as much as poss but at the end of the day she gets a wholemeal bread sandwich (sometimes 2) usually with luncheon or meat. She doesn't like honey/jam/spreads. She also gets a yoghurt and a piece of fruit or canned fruit in a container, and some crackers or dried fruit, homemade popcorn or occasionally biscuits. I never buy the individual packs - I always buy a bigger pack and use our own containers. I don't bake for lunches - I gave up - the kids don't really like baked goods apart from the more indulgent things that are not for every day consumption! |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 21 January 2013 at 1:13pm
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DS2 is now refusing to eat veg & insists on being a "carnivore" only, he is doing my head in. He said he will not eat any sandwich/roll/buns etc only wants biscuits/chips/crackers & an apple...not that hew will eat an apple..at school. 
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Posted By: xLUCKYx
Date Posted: 21 January 2013 at 1:15pm
| I might sound a bit harsh but when DD started making ridiculous demands with her lunch, I just gave her what she was given. She would come home and say 'I didn't want a sandwich' but she'd eaten it all!! |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 21 January 2013 at 2:10pm
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I do do that but his comes home uneaten & then I say no snacks till lunch boxes are empty & DS1 &3 will fight over DS2.. I weighed him yesterday & he is 31kg, DS3 is 34kg & 17mths younger |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 21 January 2013 at 8:17pm
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make some biscuits at home then and cut up an apple. I would still give him a sandwich and no chips and if he gets hungry enough he will eat it. How old is he? ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 22 January 2013 at 1:57pm
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he was 8 in dec.. I am going to do bread with spread & roll it up, so it looks different. Also will do homemade sushi & pizza as he loves them. I am still going to put in rolls/buns/wraps/sandwiches but will offer different things daily so its not the same old. Will try watermelon & strawberries as those are his faves at moment & an apple. They get popped corn sometimes & I make it in the morning, this is instead of chips although they did creep back in at the end of last yr. & biscuits/cake depending on if I bake or buy...& crackers if no popcorn. It will be interesting to see what comes home this yr. |
Posted By: Nikki
Date Posted: 22 January 2013 at 8:08pm
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Jazzy does that mean you have a 6.5 year old who is 34kgs? Wow, my DS is 5.5 and would be one of the heaviest in his class at 24kgs (has not gained weight since starting school but was on the 95th percentile when he started). Your DS3 sounds like a BIG boy. Just looked at a growth chart .... you're DS2 is still really heavy 31kgs so I wouldn't worry about his weight .... http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set1clinical/cj41l021.pdf Personally I would persist with the "thats what you're getting and if you don't eat it theres nothing else til dinner time" approach. If you are making 3 lunch boxes you can't have the time to be doing all separate things for him. hopefully if you stick to your guns and keep putting the healthy things in he will eventually just eat it. Its not like hes wasting away at 31kgs anyway. I know 5 year olds who have only just got to 18kgs, so won't be anywhere near 31kgs in 2.5 years. ------------- DS (5yrs) and DD (3yrs) |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 23 January 2013 at 7:25am
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DS3 is 4 mths of being 7yr. I just looked up a chart that put him in a normal weight range for a 7yr old. If I look him up as 6yr it puts him above for both height & weight. He is 2 inches shorter than the 8yr old & he is a solid build, chubby but not fat looking. He takes after DS1 & me where as DS2 takes after his dad as he was a tall supper skinny kid. I don't have a problem with the weight so much as what he will/wont eat. He does not eat dairy but its the veg & the refusal to try things that I want to change. DS2 is the one that gets skin problems & I bet its from not having a balanced diet. I do hide veg in what I can. They all take Centrum for kids & I want to add fish oil as well this yr. He will still have what everyone else has on his plate/ lunch box (up to a point) but most of his is left untouched. |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 23 January 2013 at 7:42am
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Its funny when you compare your kids to those in their class or school..as DS3 was one of the tallest but was not the biggest, where as DS2 was one of the slimmest in his class but up there with height. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 23 January 2013 at 7:55am
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I have a nearly 5 yr old that isnt even 15kg yet! And my oldest is a vegetarian! Hes only 9. That can be hard to deal with sometimes. But he was never a big meat eater anyway. All you can do is put it in their lunchboxes and hold firm about not giving them the stuff you dont want them to have. They wont starve themselves. Oh and i know kids who at 12 and 14 dont eat any fruit at all! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: xLUCKYx
Date Posted: 23 January 2013 at 8:04am
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I agree with the others - hold strong and give them what you choose is right for them. Your middle child sounds like my son - very reluctant for most foods (unless they are white!!)but we make slow progress with him and he feels quite proud of himself when he does eventually try something new. It helps that my daughter eats very well (most of the time) and she is a bit of a role model for my son. Stick to your guns on what goes in the lunch box and have your family dinner at the table so that you can encourage him to eat properly. I am not a fan of forcing a child to eat something they don't want but some strong encouragement can work. It will be easier for your son to go through this now than later. |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 23 January 2013 at 12:58pm
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I remember as a child being made to sit there & eat my soggy cereal or cold toasts...I still hate b'fast now, so not into forcing my kids to eat anything but wish they all liked he same...now that would make life easier.. Also what makes it harder in regards to lunch boxes is we are wanting to get away from processed & pre-packaged foods, but these are the easiest to add sometimes...not that I am buying hem anymore. |
Posted By: Jaynie
Date Posted: 26 January 2013 at 5:03pm
| i have a fussy eater, she only wants meat most of the time! she loves carrot sticks tho, and eats these for breakfast nearly every day. Does it matter if it's not a breakfast food? |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 27 January 2013 at 9:16am
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I wish DS2 would eat carrot sticks for b'fast lol...I do put them in their lunchbox some days. |
Posted By: Hibiscus
Date Posted: 01 February 2013 at 5:51pm
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If your DS won't touch a whole apple, try slicing it up into really thin slices. It makes a huge difference. You can put a fruit bowl in front of rugby watching blokes and it will stay untouched. Put a plate full of thin apple slices on the table and it disappears! What about cucumber sticks? Also I second the others opinions to not put too many different things into your DS's lunch box, as you say, too much seems to turn him off. As for variety, is there a possibility that new options every day turn him off too? Some kids just want the same every day and as long as it is healthy, why not (for his lunch box that is)? My younger brothers had the same old lunch for years (their choice) which was a wholegrain sandwhich with either just butter or cream cheese or luncheon or pate and an apple. I don't think I have ever seen them have anything else during their entire school carrier. Dinner at home will be a variety anyway, so should be ok. If you cut out snacking between meals (perhaps you do, not sure), would your DS be hungry enough to have at least some dinner even if not to his taste? Or does he refuse entirely if it's not anything he likes? ------------- Mum to 3 girls: identical twins and with a 3 year gap another girl. |
Posted By: Hibiscus
Date Posted: 01 February 2013 at 5:58pm
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Yor Sushi idea sounds like a good one as it is such great food, but sounds like a lot of work. Another thought - would getting the kids involved in making the lunch make any difference? I know from personal experience that sandwhiches that others make often put me off even if I like all the ingredients. It's either too much butter or just not knowing what's in it. I always eat what I make for myself though. ------------- Mum to 3 girls: identical twins and with a 3 year gap another girl. |