It’s that time of year when our little ones start to get coughs and colds. When children get sick knowing what to feed them can be tough. I know when I have a cold, it’s a fine line between knowing what I should eat to nourish my body and wanting to eat comfort food that nourishes my soul.
Children aren’t that different. When it comes to feeding sick little ones, strike a balance of their favourite comfort foods and foods that will replenish nutrients. At the very start of a cold, they might be completely off food. That’s normal and you shouldn’t worry. If they are still having milk feeds, they may want more than usual. Combine these with other fluids. If they are passed milk feeds, ensure they are getting lots of fluids. Things like water, heavily diluted juice, milk and soups made with veggie/meat based broths.
High water content foods
There are plenty of foods that have high water content that count towards fluid intake too, some of them are
- Berries
- Melon
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Oranges
- Apples
Simple meals
Try to avoid complex meals when your little one is sick. Simple doesn’t have to mean plain and flavourless. You want to pump them full of sickness busting ingredients, like veggies and proteins.
If your little one will eat them, soups are king during times of illness. You can pack so much into one bowl or cup. Check out my chicken soup recipe here.
Some really simple meals you can try are:
- Dippy Eggs (Eggs and Soldiers)
- Mashed avocado on toast
- Mashed banana and nut butter on toast
- Spinach & cheese quesadilla – One of our pureé pots would work a treat for this too.
- Baked chicken (use dark meat as it has more iron) and with veggie pasta/rice
- Egg fried rice
- Steamed/baked fish and potato
- Smoothie bowls
- Porridge with nut butter and fruit (add some seeds to even more of a boost)
It’s hard dealing with a sick little one. Just remember lot’s of cuddles and take a break for yourself.
Tijani x