Anonymous wrote:Just regular lunch (sandwiches) and snacks. DH and I make dinners and breakfasts.

+1. It’s not her job.

Just regular lunch (sandwiches) and snacks. DH and I make dinners and breakfasts.

When I was small my Nanny typically made soup (from about September through May) and we had it with a little bread or a quarter egg/cream cheese sandwich if the soup didn’t have meat or lentils/beans. As an adult I was told my mom/nanny added puréed veggies to the soups to make sure we got all the vegetables kids don’t seek out (zucchini, turnips, radishes). We ate fruit after lunch (and after dinner).

In summer it was typically a more substantial sandwich with cut vegetables and yogurt dip.

I do not remember either my mother or my nanny making a big production of this, I think they each made a batch or two of soup every week and I imagine we rotated through them.

My daughter gets soup for lunch but I make it myself. She’s in a stage where she likes repetition so while I still add puréed veggies, I only make one or two soups a week. Technology helps me here and I put in the pasta made with lentils chickpeas so she always has protein even in a vegetarian soup.

Anonymous wrote:We hired the kind of foreign-born nanny DCUM looks down upon (paid well and on the books, btw) and she loved to feed my kids the food she cooked for herself from her home country.

Complex flavors, but they loved it.

This is a great point. What does nanny eat for lunch? It seems like it would be easiest if kid gets whatever she is preparing for herself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Chicken nuggets were DH's idea, my nanny suggested mac and cheese, and some other mom suggested deli meat. I've tried saving some leftovers for lunch, but it seems like my toddler doesn't like reheated leftovers--especially meat, which she already dislikes. I also don't like cooking much myself and eat out a lot. Maybe I'll try to improve my cooking during my upcoming maternity leave. DH is also trying to pick up cooking, after getting fed up with our dining out bills (pun intended).

My mom was/is a wonderful cook, so I grew up eating a ton of good food made from scratch. It's a shame that my daughter isn't getting that. But at least she's still eating better than DH for lunch, which without fail is either frozen pizza, hotdogs, or PBJs.

Yeah it is a shame. You and your DH need to do better.

Bwahaha, as a mom of an older child, I'll tell you this is one era of your life with the most mommy-shaming. You guys can afford a nanny. I'm sure your kid will turn out great. Make the changes you can.

We hired the kind of foreign-born nanny DCUM looks down upon (paid well and on the books, btw) and she loved to feed my kids the food she cooked for herself from her home country.

Complex flavors, but they loved it.

Air-fried polenta with cornichons/olives, cucumbers, dried unsweetened fruit;
Yogurt, baked apple, whole-wheat crackers, sunflower seeds
Roast butternut squash with baked beans, hard-boiled egg, cucumbers;
Smoked salmon slices with hard-boiled egg, whole-wheat crackers, capers, avocado slices (with squeeze of lemon)
Baked cheese-spinach mini tart, cornichons/olives, cucumbers;

I’d provide leftovers and she can cut up fruit and veggies to add to it.

Have her do charcuterie/snack trays for lunch to get a variety of foods in her eyesight.

Roasted chickpeas, raw veggies, different dips, fruit, yogurt dip, different cheeses, flavored pretzels, different types of cubed bread, etc.

Sounds like exposure might be an issue so I would just do the whole 3 things- one thing she loves, one thing she likes. one thing to try. Follow some dieticians on IG for ideas.

Muffins or quick breads with veggies in them. Smoothies with veggies and riced cauliflower plus fruit. Chia pudding. https://www.purewow.com/food/toddler-lunch-ideas