Your kids and food

Breakfast ideas
What do you suggest as a healthy breakfast for our children? Which cereals would you definitely avoid? Do you think vegemite/marmite is suitable for children?
cl-merith

Catherine Matthews: Be aware that many breakfast cereals contain as much sugar as a bar of chocolate, as much salt as a packet of crisps and as much fat as a bacon sandwich or two fried eggs.

One brand has the same amount of fat as a thick packet of pork sausages. Research recently carried out showed that as many as seven per cent of cereals contain saturated fat.

Some of the worst offenders are Coco Pops, Oatsos and Golden Puffs. Healthy breakfast cereals include porridge oats, Weetabix, and muesli. Don't be afraid to add some low-fat yoghurt or fruit to cereals to make them more appetising for your children.

I would avoid using Marmite or Vegemite, instead use a sugar-reduced jam or marmalade. Children are at risk of developing heart related conditions as early as in the womb so it really is important that you do watch the amount of salt and fat in their diet.

Installing your children with healthy eating habits now will help reduce their risks of developing unpleasant dietary related conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Help needed
I am in desperate need of help with my daughter. She is 20 months old and the only food she will eat is porridge, yoghurt, fruit pots, biscuits, crisps and chips. I have tried other foods but she will not entertain the idea.

On a typical day she will have a bottle of milk as she wakes up in a morning, an hour later she will have a bowl of porridge and at lunch time she will have a fruit pot (she will not eat whole fruit, she hates the feel of it). At dinner time we try her with whatever we are eating and she will refuse, so as a last resort I give her another bowl of porridge, because I don't want her going to bed without anything.

Also, we moved out to Shanghai in March for a year, so I have no family, no friends and I am finding this extremely hard going on my own, as my husband is at work all day.
lesleyxmorris

Catherine Matthews: I recommend you join some sort of a mother and baby group or social club - whether it is a sport or simply a cookery class in your area. This will be a great way to meet new people and develop friendships with other young mothers that can offer you help and support.

Of course your daughter should not be left hungry but just try to offer her small portions of the foods she does not like each day on top of those she does. Disguising items in her meals of choice is another helpful way to introduce more variety into her meals. Make sure you praise and reward her (non dietary related) when she does eat something she previously disliked.

Which meal when?
I have a daughter of just over two years old and am expecting a baby in February 2008. At the moment I try and feed my daughter her main meal at lunch time and a lighter meal in the evening (two hours before bed).

This means that she is eating opposite meals to us. I am happy to carry on doing this although not sure if this is best for her digestion. I have always assumed that she shouldn't eat her main meal just before bed.
jay07

Catherine Matthews: Children require small amounts of food throughout the day. This need is usually best met by three meals per day and in-between snacks. Whatever meal is chosen as the main meal of the day really should not make too much of a difference.

Experiment a little before the baby is born, offer your daughter her main meal later in the day and see how well she sleeps or behaves after this change in routine. It might be a good idea to gradually increase the portion sizes in the evening, it may take her a little time to settle into a new eating pattern but children and toddlers are very adaptable so she will soon get used to a new eating regime.

Best source of calcium?
My 17-month-old daughter is milk intolerant. She is on a special formula milk that she still has three times a day. She also has quinoa about once a week. What other sources of high calcium food do you recommend?
bettybaby

Catherine Matthews: As your daughter has a cows' milk intolerance, talk to your GP or health visitor before choosing formulae, or changing to a different type. Many baby foods that you can buy contain protein from milk, so if your baby reacts to cows' milk check the label carefully.

Non-dairy foods that are high in calcium include dark green vegetables such as broccoli, or fish with soft, edible bones, such as salmon and sardines. Fruit juices and breakfast cereals also tend to be fortified with calcium so aim to buy the fortified versions only.