Feeding kid's friends real food

freda

I was thinking about this thread whilst I was doing my ironing, and it's actually embarrassing in reverse as well - when the littlies visit other people they're seen as really fussy because of all the stuff they won't eat.
We went to see a "friend of a friend" from mums n tots a week or so back - stay for lunch she says - will yours have chicken nuggets with potato smilies or oven chips with burgers and beans?

"Errrr no, they don't like any of those things"

"What about a choc spread sandwich?"

"Errrr no"

"A tin of soup?"

"Errrrr....."

"A ham sandwich, all children like ham sandwiches"

"Errr, that'll be lovely" (thinks oh please don't let it be white bread, the littlies won't eat it).

I felt quite bad, as she was really going out of her way to oblige, and we either don't like or don't eat everything she was suggesting. In the end I said if the littlies didn't eat the sandwich they could do with out - which they bravely did and we feasted on the emergency car food (I always have dried fruit, crackers, HM cake or similar in the car incase we get peckish) once we left.

I must say though, my theory of kids who visit either eating my food or going hungry goes for my family's children as well - if I took my neice/nephew to someones house where they didn't eat HM food, I'd expect them to be polite and eat whatever they were given. They are not allergic to anything, and manners are important. If they won't eat it, I wouldn't give them anything afterwards as they were given perfectly good food (OK, maybe not the healthiest, but it won't hurt now and then) and chose not to eat it.

Am I a monster aunty?

jellycat40

My dentist told me that squash is the worst thing to give to kids regarding their teeth. It rots them, even the sugar free ones. My daughter now 22 not the 8 year old, has had to have a root canal done entirely due to the amount of squash she drinks. I brought them up not to drink tea or coffee as we were told it was bad for you!!! Now squash is a banned substance at bedtimes but we still have it in for drinks as the dentist said fruit juice is almost as bad!!!!

Moderation guys.

Louise

Smashing

Have to agree with Louise (great name bw about fruit juice - fine with meals, I'd say, but not inbetween. Or just get them to drink from a straw to minimise contact with teeth.

But hey, you have to pick your battles with kids - juice is far preferrable to fizzy cack.

My mum never cooked homemade meals - going to friends houses was always a bit of a shock. I enjoyed sitting around the table for a meal, but there was so much stuff I'd never had that I was convinced I wouldn't like. I'd usually give it a bash, but I think it's true that it often takes a good few tastes to become accustomed to new foods, so don't be too outraged if they pull a face like they've just been given a chinese burn.

thriftlady_2

Ok a bit of boasting here When my dd's allergies were diagnosed (at the age of about 2) we were referred to a dietitian for advice. She asked me to keep a food diary for dd for a week and to bring it to the consultation. I duly did this without making any special effort to impress, when the dietitian read it she said that dd's diet was 'perfect'

Apparently dietitian sees many parents who think a pot noodle is a balanced meal :rolleyes: Btw her advice re the allergies was not to give dd foods with nuts or eggs in - I'd already worked that one out.

Imelda

I have really enjoyed this thread, but I do have to admit I am the turkey twizzler kid. When I was young I was a so called fussy eater but to be honest I think I was just as one poster described, I ate lots some days, hardly at all on others. The trouble was my parents then gave up trying to give me different food and if I did, it became a family event with everyone sitting around watching! I also think my mum was lazy, yes she did work full time but every night we had sausages, nuggets, pizza etc. It was only when I got to about 13/14 that I took over the cooking and made food from scratch. Since I moved out she has gone back on to ready meals! I work longer hours than her but still manage to cook myself good food in the evenings, typically some sort of fish with 2 veg and potatoes, or a quorn chilli with rice. I do have the odd pizza as a weekend treat but I no longer eat meat (think I have an aversion to it since being stuffed full of processed cr*p for years).
Regarding the topic, I used to love going to friend's houses for dinner, I would always get such nice food, still go round to a friend from primary school's house for a proper traditional vegetarian curry........

buses7675

tim_n wrote:

Not quite on topic but...

Went on a skiing holiday (school trip many moons ago) to America (Stowe - vermont) with the rest of the class. We visited a nice hotel with what I would class as real good home cooked food. Every night I'd easily find something I could and would eat (as would the teachers). But every kid would complain bitterly (remembering they were all about 14-18) and eventually order pizza in the evening.

Fortunately this meant I got eat-all-you-want grub and pleased I was too!

Next year o'course because of the sheer number of complaints 'little jimmy just couldn't eat the junk served' we ended up down the road in an equally nice hotel with chips, burgers and waffles.

Worse still the 2nd hotel didn't have a jacuzzi filled with ski babes like the year before, but nevermind.

Not that I was overly privillaged really.

(the OS was still in me though - discount ben and jerries from the petrol station! $1 a litre!!!)

Did anyone later complain about the lack of a 'jacuzzi filled with ski babes' then! Surely your typical 14-18 year old would eat proper food for that! lol

Cheers

Steve

Anne_Marie_2

rainbowrisin wrote:

eeeeeeeuuuuuuuggggghhhhh - that's such a revolting concept. Do not think I will push my frontiers of culinary excellence towards the "chicken teddy" route. The Jamie Oliver turkey twizzler thingy passed me by (I think I was having a baby at the time), but it doesn't sound natural to me - turkeys do not have twizzlers, and if you can't identify the bit of the animal the meat came from then it sound dodgy to me.

There should be a law against these things IMHO. Also a law against blue pop (well all pop really) and various other things which pass for food in supermarkets. My rule of thumb (oft quoted to the point of monotony) is that if its got more than one ingredient on the packet then it's a rip off. It's also probably toxic - I have enormous difficulty in believing that a "chicken teddy" can be other than damaging to the constitution. Anyone on here eaten one and lived to tell the tale?

Regarding the twizzler bit - I have no idea what a twizzler looks like, but I do know that in large male birds, a part of their anatomy is sort of corkscrew like - so if this is relevant to the description of a twizzler, which is what I have got in my head, pass the sick bucket! :eek:

(I do not have an unhealthy interest in bird bits-used to have ducks!)

tim_n

buses7675 wrote:

Did anyone later complain about the lack of a 'jacuzzi filled with ski babes' then! Surely your typical 14-18 year old would eat proper food for that! lol

Cheers

Steve

unfortunately not = (

Btw I should mention that I was basically spoonfed sugar free pop and squash. Like most boys I knew I rarely cleaned my teeth until the age of 11 (conincided with me starting to use deodorant etc) and fortunately, my pearly whites are still in great condition (never had a filling and the only minor op I had was due to a genetic condition).

Kelinik

Hmmmn I've always been very interested in feeding my kids well, and I know for a fact that they have the healthiest and most varied diets out of both their groups of friends, but at the same time I'm very wary of making them feel that they are better than anyone else because of this. They do have the occasional macdonalds and they enjoy it all the more because they don't get it often. The same goes for eating out/eating at friends houses, if they get something I don't have at home they count it as a treat. I personally would be horrified if they went to other peoples houses and wouldn't eat the food, or at the very least some of it, as I don't think a kid telling someone who has invited them to tea that their food isn't good enough for them is right myself.

Loubee_2

Anne_Marie wrote:

Regarding the twizzler bit - I have no idea what a twizzler looks like, but I do know that in large male birds, a part of their anatomy is sort of corkscrew like - so if this is relevant to the description of a twizzler, which is what I have got in my head, pass the sick bucket! :eek:

(I do not have an unhealthy interest in bird bits-used to have ducks!)

apparently a certain part of the male pig's anatomy is also somewhat twisty, like a corkscrew :eek: :rotfl:

never knew that about male birds though-OS is proving very informative, on a wide range of subjects