Fish fingers, chicken nuggets etc ok for 13 month old?

[Floweryfields]

mmmm I am from the fish fingers, chicken nuggets are not real food camp...

I have made my own fish fingers lots though and chicken strips. I make my own breadcrumbs in the processor and buy free range chicken or fish fillets and cut into strips and crumb. Kids like to help with this - messy but fun!

I am a food puritan though - I resolve to teach my kids about preparation, where food comes from, what it contains. So I realise that to some I may be a food nazi (even to me sometimes!)

Me too - there's not a whole lot of chicken in a nugget!

[MamaPan]

personally i prefer to make my own, they arent a lot of work and are more wholesome... that said he has had a few chips here and there if we are out having dinner and they come with our meal (moderation and all that). i just dont like really processed foods (like nuggets etc)
But if you want to do it so many people do and i am sure there are some brands better than others.. and adding heaps of veg on the plate liek Jaz and MBear suggested will offer more balance and i bet you find she eats lots of the veg too - the flavours and colours are so attractive to little ones.with chips if you want to give them (althoguh i usually bake wedges instead) give a veg puree as a dip or hummous raher than tomatoe sauce, that is also a way to get some good ness into them!

[Curly]

It's very easy to make your own chips in the oven. I just cut potatoes up into nice thick chip shapes, brush them with olive oil and bake them in the oven just as you would do with roast potatoes. I have a fan forced oven and they are ready in about 20 minutes.

[sunshine_sieben]

I guess I'm kinda in between camps here. I do cook most our meals from scratch. Only very occasionally do I resort to something like fish fingers. And I mean maybe 4-6 times a year. I don't believe an occasional fish finger is going to do her much harm, but there are much better and tastier choices. And guess what, DD loves home cooked food much better than these convenience foods anyway (well, with the exception of chips, she loves those).

I don't feel bad if she has some of those vege chips (the ones you buy in the "health food" section in the supermarket) or even normal chips. Because I know it's not a daily occurence. She's just as happy munching on a carrot (I know, not reccommended at her age, but she's fine with it), celery or some cashew nuts. I guess I'm lucky that DD is happy with healthy choices. But I don't outlaw the occasional "naughty" snack.

DD started eating table foods pretty early. i think she was about 6 1/2 months old when she sucked the meat of a pork rib. Of course she couldn't have everything from our plates straight away, but she got whatever was suitable. For example when I made bolognese, I cooked some Risoni Pasta for her while we ate it with Spaghetti.

If we are running late with dinner, I often just cook some veges up for her so she can eat before we do. Like red capsicum, peas (frozen), broccoli, green beans. She loves snacking on these and it is just as easy as cooking some fish fingers.
I also made a habit of freezing meat in small portions, so if I needed a quick meal, I could just get a small piece of lamb fillet and grill that for her while the veges cooked.
And if I made something that she particularly liked (like Ratatouille and mashed potato), I often froze leftovers in ice-cube containers to use up another day. Actually, I still do that.

Sasa