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

[danniellabella]

I'm thinking of things that DD can have for dinner and wondered if things like fish fingers, chicken nuggets, crumbed vegetable fingers and things like that are ok for a 13 month old? She always steels our hot chips so would a plate of chips and fish fingers be ok for her age sometimes?

[~Saram~]

I think so but that is just me. Are you making your own or freezer bought? Look for the ones without artifical colours, flavours or preservatives - there are quite a few good brands out there now. Oven bake or grill to reduce fat and sounds like a winner to me... we might have the same tonight

[Rouge]

It depends what camp you are from Some people believe those foods aren't fit for any human consumption especially children. I however am not from that camp. As DS was a late eater I can't recall when he started having the occasional nugget or chip, but I daresay it was closer to 2. But each to their own, really its just what you are comfortable with

[Curly]

When DS went through a meat refusal stage at about 13 months all I could get him to eat was fish fingers...that was when we introduced them. I like the Sealord brand, they look like actual fish fillets were used in making them as opposed to fish mush.

I try not to let him have them more than once a week.

I am fussy about chicken however and I make my own crumbed chicken strips and freeze them raw - then they are ready to go.

I keep meaning to do this with fish but we don't have a decent fish shop in my vicinity.

[danniellabella]

We get freezer foods and DH & I eat them a lot (bad I know). I'll try that tonight, that way she can have what we're having

[mbear]

yep, i think sometimes....maybe with some peas and corn, brighten the plate up a little....

[Inanna]

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!)

[BekZ]

I don't believe that these are real food and I personally would leave them out of the diet completely.

I make fish cakes crumbed and crumbed chicken tenders instead. Both my girls love them

[MantaRay]

I'm with Flowerchild on this one. I have a big issue with preservatives and sodium in their diets, and the bought fish fingers are often high in mercury and contaminants. The only time my boys have eaten fish fingers is at a friend's place. And only once! I have made chicken nuggets at home occassionally (and put pureed brocolli in the crumb mixture LOL!) and they have liked that, but it's easier just to crumb whole chicken fillets and they love that too (with or without the brocolli!).

But in terms of readiness for finger foods, at 13 months she is more than capable of eating finger foods. By that age both my boys were eating the same meals as us. One of the goals of introducing solids is to have them eating the same meals as you as early as possible, as this promotes great eating habits down the track - they get used to a large range of textures and tastes. And of course it also makes life much easier!

[Patooties]

If I'm giving Hannah Nuggets etc, I like to give them to her with a plate of vegies. (she'll often eat all of the vegies and leave the nuggets!) It makes me feel less guilty

[sirenz]

i'm with Flowerchild and MantaRay. I don't give my ds anything like that unless its homemade. You can't really be sure what is actually in those "fish" fingers and "chicken" nuggets.

What about some nice fresh fish fillets or chicken tenderloins with a parmesan crumb, just process some day old bread (we use wholemeal) with some herbs and fresh grated parmesan cheese (not fake parmesan), dip fish/chicken in flour, then egg (use water if you can't use egg), then dip into the crumbs, bake in the oven until cooked through! simple and you know exactly whats in it too. my ds loves his chicken done this way.

[Cherene]

Just check the packs for preservatives, artificial colors and favours etc. I cut these out of my DS1(2) diet 2 weeks ago and hes a completly different child. If you read all the packs of food that your consuming you'd be amazed at how much junk is in them.
HTH

[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

[Gigi]

I'm thinking of things that DD can have for dinner and wondered if things like fish fingers, chicken nuggets, crumbed vegetable fingers and things like that are ok for a 13 month old? She always steels our hot chips so would a plate of chips and fish fingers be ok for her age sometimes?

Dannielleabella
i ate nothing but weebix and iced coffee at one stage, PND was so bad i was incapable of putting together the most basic meal. So yeah, we all feel guilty about food in the box from supermarket, but if it keeps you alive, it's better than nothing. Sometimes you just do what you do, to get thru.

One thing at supermarket you can give your child guilt free, is the Rafferty's Garden vegies in the tube. NO additives or preservatives. They also make meal stuff. So much healthier than the baby tins and jars stuff.

making it all yourself, from scratch, of course that's the ideal, but in my case, it was just about survival.

we are all just doing the best we can

i like reading belly belly, cos it inspires me, to aim for more than i can currently manage, but we are not all at the same place.

i am buying "homestyle" individual veggie quiches for my two year old's dinner, at the Woollies Deli section (2.40 each) becuase i don't make them from scratch myself. But learning to make a quiche is a goal of mine.

i wanted to show you my support. *in my clumsy way)

[Nadine216]

:yeahthat:

I can't see the wrong in giving your child that. Sure, sure preservatives, artificial colors, sodium and favours etc I get that, I really do. But it's not like you are going to give only fish fingers morning, noon and night for 17 weeks!!!!!

making it all yourself, from scratch, of course that's the ideal, but in my case, it was just about survival.

Yes it's ideal to make it yourself, but even though we are all superwoman inside, does not make that you can do EVERYTHING yourself. You do what you can with the time you have. Full stop.

I have only recently started to make stuff myself.

I'm sure she'll enjoy her fish fingers. (better than no fish at all)

ETA - dd loves her hot chips .. blown cold off course, but goes nuts dipping them in tomatosauce (storebought) and then feeding herself.