Meals

[NaggyNat]

Good morning everyone!!!

Well, I met one of the children who starts tomorrow....she is a fussy eater and will only eat nuggets, fish fingers and pizza!!! I have her every day and other children too but I don't like giving children this kind of food but guess its gonna be hard to give J fish fingers and M something like shepherds pie cos M will no doubt want the fish fingers.

May seem really trivial but wondered if you have any tips??

I am a newbie who starts tomorrow...

Thanks, Natalie xx

[Tinglesnark]

well, my own children (one very fussy and the other that eats all in sight) it was trial and error to find the things that they do both enjoy. i think you will have to just have to try to encourage the children to try new tastes. how old are they? old enough to help make the meals? if so i know that helps us greatly. ds1 usually enjoys trying something if he has at the very least helped me to dish it up. he likes to tell me how much to put on his plate too - i do find that they can be overfaced with portion sizes.
good luck and try not to stress over it - you will find your way

:thumbsup:

[amirose]

Kids very often eat things with you they won't eat at home, is mum happy for you to try feeding other things?

I have attached my current 2 week menu to give you some ideas of what I feed the children. I try and put a couple of meals I know the kids will eat and mix them with things I would like them to try.

I also like to get the kids involved in the menu - we talk about the meals they like/don't like but I also use it as an opportunity to talk about healthy and unhealthy foods. Of course I don't know how old J is so may not be possible for you do that.

[green puppy]

I make my own chicken dippers and fish fingers, just mix some herbs in with the breadcrumbs for flavour. Also pizzas, you can make on pitta bread or french bread or normal bases. I mix minced turkey/beef/lamb/pork/tune/sardines and a couple of vegetables with tinned tomatoes and herbs for the sauce. These meals can be healthy too, but as said you often find children adapt to what others have and with some encouragement the child may suprise everyone by eating what you provide. Good luck.

[NaggyNat]

Thanks everyone! Great ideas...I think I am just in total panic mode lol...will be fine tomorrow though hehe! Was anyone else this scared when they started? I am so excited and have always wanted to work with children and know it will all be fine - have been told I dont give myself enough credit...lacking in confidence big time!

This time tomorrow.....

xx

[moogster1a]

my mindees are only ever fussy eaters for a few days. It's amazing how quickly they'll start trying anything once they know there's no alternative.
It's one of my bugbears when children won't try things and personally, i think it's wrong to pander to it.

[Avon]

With my own children I always tell them thay have to try it once. If they still don't like it then fine, they will have the same as everyone else but without that bit or if the one thing is the whole meal (like a bolognaise for example) then they have to eat it all (albeit iit a reduced size portion to encourage as its gone quicker) or be awfully hungry! They don't usually fuss too much after that. Use lots of positive reinforcement!

How about a chart with pictures along the lines of "Today we tried to eat a tomato" changing it everyday and they can put a smiley face or sad face next to it whether they liked it or not?

Years ago when I was minding a boy of 4 who only ate jam sandwiches, his mum used to bring his packed lunch (jam sandwiches and crisps and jaffa cakes as it was all he would eat), anyway she turned up after his 4th birthday saying, "Now he was 4, he has promised me that he will start eating fruit, so here is a banana, good luck!" :angry: Flipping cheek! So she wasn't willing to be the bad guy, it was all down to me!

You can 'hide' veggies in sauces, blended them up with a tomato sauce. How about doing pizza but instead, making 'pizza toast'. They can assemble it themselves and just have you do the oven bit! Wholemeal bread, cheese, tomatoes, sprinkle a pinch of herbs etc Or making faces on a plate with 2 cherry toms as eyes, carrot mouth etc. Its how I got one of mine to eat and J the mindee, by making it fun! Cut sandwiches, homemade nuggets or healthy 100% beef burgers (also easy to make) into star shapes or dinosaurs using cutters? Make homemade chips (Healthy Slimming World style!) with little pots of mayo or reduced salt and sugar ketchup like at McDonalds! Pop carrot (sticks or grated) on the side or cucumber sticks. Buy funny pasta shapes, make rice colourful, have them mix the flavourings into plain couscous (chopped onions,peppers etc). They are more likely to eat what they have helped make! Sometimes they will even help you clean up afterwards :laughing:

Good luck!

[Avon]

Amirose, do you have any 'stomach' issues with wind, pain or constipation or anything using so much quorn on a daily basis? I am a vegetarian and have found that if I eat it everyday it causes problems! Its like an overdose of mushrooms for me (as Quorn is made from them) esp if you add mushrooms to the dish, like bolognaise or curry or a pasta dish. I still have it 3 or so times a week as its so convenient and yummy but I cannot eat it everyday!
I also found a discussion about it on another site.

Your menu looks yummy tho :D :D I have saved it to my file for future ideas, hope you don't mind!

[Tatjana]

I only cook one meal, I'm not a cafe/restaurant to offer options is how I see it.

One of my mindees wouldn't touch vegetables or in fact most of my meals when she started, that was last July. She's just left my setting, but she left happily eating most meals including vegetables...though at home it was the same story, wouldn't touch veg, I really do think this is because parents couldn't be bothered and gave in to her demands.

xx

[mushpea]

I cook one meal for the mindees and if they dont like it they go hungry, if it were me this is what i woudl have told mum then given her the chance to either try eating with me or to eat at home, there is no way i am cooking different meals for different kids each night