Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

I see so many parents saying that they make a separate meal for their children each night? I have always given DD whatever we are having for dinner (maybe took hers out early to leave out an ingredient if it was spicy etc) but she always eats what DH and I have for dinner.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

Yes. He eats wayyy before DH even comes home. I feed him, and basically once he is in bed DH and I will eat our dinner.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

No DS eats whatever we are eating unless its spicy or if we are eating late etc, then I will make him something quick or give him leftovers...

But 98% of the time he gets what we get!

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

nope, DS gets what we get. occasionally he won't like what we're having, in which case he'll eat things like yogurt and fruit. but i don't make a separate meal just for him - i think it's important that he eat like the rest of the family.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

No...she eats what we're eating, UNLESS it's something I know she won't eat, like a steak, or ground meat etc...then I'll make her a separate pasta dish or something.

Message edited 9/16/2009 9:13:52 AM.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

5 days out of 7. Yes

But we eat three different meals in this house b/c DH works nights. DS eats his, DH takes his to work and I eat whatever after DH leaves and DS goes to bed.

On the nights DH is home, he eats with us, but he usually eats something different b/c he doesn't eat meat at all, and DH and I love meat

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

sometimes....he doesnt really like a lot of what we eat...he doesnt eat steak, sausauge, a lot of meats...so he gets something different, on the nights we are eating pasta, chicken, something he normally likes, he gets thats and thats all thats offered to him.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

Sometimes she eats what we're having and we can all eat together...other nights, we can't all eat together so she'll usually get something else (God I love Dr. Praeger )

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

It all depends on what we are eating. He always eats at the table with us though. I feel that its important to teach him that dinner time is family time.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

DH gets home way too late for us to wait- so yeah regrettably she does get a separate meal around 5pm. by the time i finish what i am making for dinner with DH she is asleep. plus, when i do offer her anything i have made, she rejects it and it is so frustrating i could cry...
however, i know that by us not eating together as a family affects her eating habits... thus making her a poor eater
well at least thats my theory.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

No. Oh hecks no.
Im not a restaurant..LOL

Luckily DD eats pretty much all so whatever dinner is, she eats.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

DH gets home much too late for us all to eat together, so I usually make something separate for DS (and I eat a bit of it too since I'm starving by then). Then DH and I eat together, sometimes DS has leftovers from our meal the next day.

I probably would feed him more of the same things we eat, but there are soooo many things he cannot or will not eat and he has feeding problems. Until we get a better grip on them, he's going to eat something separate a lot. He just won't eat a lot of foods we do (meat, pasta, noodles, rice, eggs, veggies, etc.).

This is a sore topic for me, because there are people in my life who don't understand or know about his feeding problems who keep telling me to feed him what we eat and stop babying him. And I want to tell these people to come over and help me stop him from choking on something he can't handle or watch him eat nothing, nada. I would love for my child to be able to eat at an appropriate levle for his age and enjoy his food. So I just have to put in my two cents and let people know, think before you lecture parents about this.

So I would LOVE to only make one meal a night, but it just isn't feasible.

Message edited 9/16/2009 2:26:23 PM.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

I don't make a habit of making him something different every night, but when we're going to have something I know he doesn't like, then I will make him something easy that is different- Mac N Cheese, peanutbutter and jelly, yogurt, Kids Cuisine, etc...

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

Most of the time, my DS has eaten what we've eaten. However, there are nights I want to make something that DS really hates (like salmon), or something too spicy for him that DH and I enjoy (like I make this spicy Moroccan lentil soup, or very hot chili, etc) then I am perfectly happy to make him some chic nuggets or even PB&J.

Overall I just go with the flow. But I am blessed with a good eater. I do admit if I had a difficult eater I would probably cave in and make a separate meal!!!!

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

DD eats organic foods, so unless what I'm making is organic (like pasta), I make her a separate meal.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

DH is very rarely home for dinner during the week, so I tend to make meals I know DS will eat. he is pretty picky -- doesn't eat any red meat or fish, so i tend to make chicken or pastas a lot for the 2 of us.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

Since we get home so late in the evenings, the kids usually leftovers from the night before. If I waited to feed them after I cooked they would be going to bed after 9pm.

If we get home around 6:30pm and I can throw a quick meal together then we'll all eat together.

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

Re: Do you make a special meal for your toddler at night?

DD eats what we eat most of the time. Every once in a while, I'll make a special dinner for DH and I to eat after she goes to bed. Then, it's usually hot wings or Indian food, something she doesn't like.