I've said this before, but I'll say it again... thank you, dear readers for all your helpful comments! Last week I asked for
suggestions and tips on feeding a fussy toddler, and so many of you responded, and took the time to give me useful suggestions. It was actually really reassuring knowing I wasn't alone in having a mealtime monster, and comforting to know that they might eventually grow out of it. Also, thank you for reminders that we should try our best to provide meals, but not get too stressed about how much the child actually eats, and great suggestions like giving them interesting cutlery and serving favourite foods during every meal. I guess getting kids to eat healthily and well is part of the parenting process. We are still learning, and its great to be part of a community of parents that are so willing to share their experiences!
Anyway, since I'm down with a cold, my head still feels stuffed with cotton wool and I can't really think straight, I thought I'd ask some more food-related questions this week. (Perhaps Wed's posts might become mummy SOS posts eventually, heh!)
So here goes: How do you feed your toddler/child during overseas trips? Any tips/suggestions?
Why I'm asking this is because I've been cracking my head over planning Junior J's meals when we head for Taiwan in March. Yes, we're going there again...
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Taken in Taiwan during the last trip (Jan 2010), when Junior J hadn't turned 1. |
During the last trip, food preparation for the little boy was still ok, as he was still on mainly oatmeal porridge with veg/protein added in. I would cook everything in the
Petit Terraillon all in one that we have (it beats having to drag a slow-cooker etc along, which my friend said she did last time!), and we would factor in grocery shopping stops along the way to get vegetables etc. Breakfast was usually cereal, or whatever we could get at the hotel breakfast (if it was provided). We've survived
a medical trip to Yunnan using the same method, and for
trips to Malaysia I'd usually cook the boy's meals in the homes of friends/relatives, or
sometimes, in the hotel.
Since Junior J is now mainly on solid food for meals, we're probably going to try to give him rice/noodles when in Taiwan, and try to find protein sources like steamed fish (he hates the texture of pork or beef, so no hong shao nu rou mian, unfortunately!), or boil an egg for some meals. But knowing how difficult it is to feed toddlers at night markets (where chances are, we'd end up eating oyster omelette and junk food, which he can't eat anyway), I'll probably plan to cook some of his meals, just in case. Another problem I'm hoping to avoid is the MSG you get in food, especially in Chinese cooking, since the boy seems to get really hyper after he has food with MSG in it. Whatever the case, we'll probably still bring along the
Sack N Seat, for those places without high chairs.
And this is probably the set-up I'm going to use to cook the food:
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I just realized I can invert the steamer base so that I can fit the stainless steel cup (from Pigeon) at the bottom.
So pasta/rice goes into the cup, which is surrounded by boiling water,
and I can steam veg/meat in the top compartment at the same time! :) |
So...
how do you prepare/settle your child's meals when you are overseas? Do share! :)
Edited to add:
I've gotten a few queries about the Petit Terraillon, so I thought I'd add some details about it here (and no, this is not a sponsored review, am just sharing as this has been the most useful thing we've had for feeding the boy on the go). We bought it at the Taka Baby Fair, so I assume it should be available at Takashimaya. The All-in-one allows you to sterilize bottles, heat up jars of food/bottles of milk, steam and blend food, and is pretty compact (all the compartments nest within each other which saves luggage space). Right now I'm just using the steamer function to cook food. The blender attachment (that contains the motor) is a tad hard to attach and remove, so I usually just bring my
hand-held blender (we bought the simple one with no other functions) to use if I need to puree anything. Other useful things I've managed to stuff into the bag containing the All-in-one would be a small chopping board, utensils and a knife, plus the stainless steel cup used to cook rice/pasta/oatmeal. Hope this helps!