I can also assure you that you are not doing anything wrong! Maybe I wouldn't have given dumplings at such a young age as their really is nothing nutritious about them. As to frozen veggies, they contain much more vitamins as fresh produce because they are immediately shock frozen when harvested, which preserves all the good stuff. Even if you buy fresh veg, they are NEVER fresh, because: When were they picked? Have they been stored at proper temperature? Where are those veggies coming from? etc... And here in HK you never know where veggies are coming from, I don't trust their ORGANIC here. Organic is such a new thing to HK and their is not control over it like in Europe or America.
As for congee...giving your child only rice, all the time, that doesn't sound healthy to me. A child needs other things than just carbs, and not just those from rice. How about a piece of bread with butter and some ham or jam. Try to give your child as much variety as possible. And butter is VERY healthy. It has a lot of calcium and as mentioned by a mom earlier, kids need a calorie rich diet. They need to grow and they need energy and in order to get this they need rich food. I always give my child "unsalted butter". Their is so much sodium in food these days. When I cook for my son I hardly ever put salt in his food, just a pinch.
Don't get discouraged! Perhaps you should put your husband in front of the computer and let him do some research. It seems to me he has never read anything on child nutrition!
I remember when my son went to playgroup in HK for the first time, all the helpers would tell me that my son looks so healthy and strong. Well, I suppose it's because of his versatile diet. Not like most Chinese children who get congee. I noticed at the playgroup that the kids there are extremely fuzzy about food, they don't like this or that, and some can't chew on crunchy or harder things like cookies. Traditions are good but not always the healthiest!
All the best to you!
