About
Neither a chef nor nutritionist, I am simply a stay-at-home “multi-tasker” dedicated to look after two very important persons in my life: The “Emperor”(hubby) and The “Prince”(son).
I started to learn cooking when we moved to Singapore in middle of 2007. (In December 2012, we have moved back to Kuala Lumpur). It was out of necessity as my mother-in-law chose to stay put in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As I started out with zero knowledge in cooking, it was really a great challenge.
Throughout this learning process, as expected, I had encountered numerous failures. Luckily, it was not to the extent of “burning” dinner. I had blessed to have the full support from both my hubby and son. They gave me lots of encouragement in improving my cooking skill.
The recipe in this food blog covers mainly on simple, healthy and practical recipes that are suitable for toddlers. (In this case, the recommended age is two and half years old and above). You will also find lots of creative ideas and useful tips on how to introduce nutritious food into your child’s diet.
[WARNING: Some of the ingredients and seasonings used in my recipe may not be suitable for kids below two and half years old (due to allergy and health issues). So please use them with extra care and make the necessary adjustments if needed. The most prudent option is to consult your doctor.]
Personally, I strongly believe that all kids are not born to be picky eaters. With proper planning, you can introduce more nutritious food into your child’s diet. By just being creative and knowing what attracts children’s attention, there is actually a low probability of them turning into picky eaters as they grow.
I will not deny the fact that you may face a lot of failures at the beginning, but if you can be persistent and consistent enough in your approach, things are definitely moving onto the right track. As we know, parents can play a vital role in educating their kids the right eating manner and the importance of appreciation to food. To achieve this goal, the parents must first get their own diet on the proper track because a kid’s dietary habit is also a reflection of that of his/her parents. Your influence is much greater that you think.
79 Comments
Leave a comment
oh! So happy to find you – I married into being Chinese, and so have no clue what to feed my half-chinese, half-UK girl so she knows the other side of her roots. Now I have somewhere to start!
Thanks
Elle Kwan: Tks for dropping by and hope you will come to my site more often. If you have anything to ask or share, you are always welcome to write directly to me. 😉
Hi there, I am really happy that I found your blog. I am a second year PR student and as part of my course I need to write an online audit for a blog so I would like to ask u if it is ok to write an audit about your blog because I like its structure and contents. Also, I would be really grateful if u could write me your name because I need to include this information as well? Thank u in advance for your assistance.
Kind regards
Vera
Vera: My name is Lai Kuan. Nice to know you! 🙂
Hi.. I chance upon your blog thru foodbuzz and i realli love it… there are so many amazing photographs and delicious food… and i love your saying.
“kids are not born to be picky eaters. With proper planning, you can introduce a variety of nutrition food in a child’s diet.” It gives me more confident to prepare dishes for my picky son… thanks…
Ellena: Tks for visiting my blog and your compliment! Your blog is great too with so many wonderful recipes! 😉
Wow, so glad i found this site. Can’t wait to start cooking!
Lopey: Thanks! Welcome to my humble kitchen! Happy cooking! 😉
hey,thanks for ur feedback on my blog earlier on.
I moved to S’pore too on work assignment for two years previously until last year. I always thought one doesn’t have to cook a lot in S’pore as food is readily made available virtually at any corner…
But, you dedicated to whipping up healthy food for your family instead of resorting to instant meals..I applaud you for your dedication looking after your family.
Keep it up!
Will be checking out this blog more often 🙂
Adel: Tks for dropping by and your wonderful compliments! You made my day! 😉 You are right that food can be found everywhere in S’pore but most of them are suitable for toddlers. This is why we resort to homecooked food which is healthier and more nutritious. 😉
Hi Elle,
First time here. Found you got very nice blog and beautiful which I really enjoyed. Will here often 🙂
BTW thanks for coming to my blog, please drop by often.
Anncoo: Tks for your compliment! You have a fabulous blog too. Hope to see you again! 😉 Btw, I am LK.
Hi,
I chanced upon your site while surfing for receipes. Incidentally, I am from Sgp and have moved to Basel recently. Likewise, I have never cooked before and now, I am scrambling for ideas. Glad to have found your site. Hope you will post more receipes for simple to cook meals…coz i have a infant to care for besides husb and a 3 1/2 tod…
Thank you!! Your site has truly been helpful.
Ching: Tks for your kind comments and glad to know that you find my site helpful. I will surely post more simple and practical recipes in future. Stay-tuned! 😉
hi I’m a SAHM from the Philippines. I have a 15 month old daughter, who’s a picky eater. i love your blog. will try some of your recipes. thanks very much for sharing.
Kai: Tks for visiting my blog. If you’re going to try my recipe, please adjust the seasoning according to the age of your daugther. Happy trying! 😉
What a treasure I have found for my parents ! I have blogged about you and will tell all my parents pulling their hair out all about your super and simple recipes.
http://www.positive-parents.com/blog-item.aspx?id=755
Sue Atkins
Author of “Raising Happy Children for Dummies”
Sue Atkins: Thanks a lot for blogging my site. Hope their little tots will love my recipes! 😉
I ran into your blog through randomly searching for toddler soup recipes. My baby girl is a picky eater but loves the mushroom soup I made her this evening using one of your recipes. Thanks for sharing such great recipes with beautiful pics. I love your blog and have bookmarked it already.
Eileen: Thanks for dropping by and your kind feedback. I’m glad to know that your baby girl loves the mushroom soup. 😉
Hi Lijun
Attractive beautiful food pictures – love them!
Simple food recipes to learn from thus very encouraging.
Lorna: Thanks a lot for your compliment! 😉
Nice little Mommy and son photo! Both look so happy! 🙂
Alice: Thanks! 😉
Hey, I chanced upon your blog and instantly I love it! Great food pics, simple recipes to follow that I can learn to prepare for my family!
My son is turning 2 soon & though he isn’t a picky eater, I really ran out of ideas of what to prepare for him…..So really thank you for coming up with this wonderful food blog full of amazing ideas!
I’m sure my hubby & my boy will love your recipes, me gonna try them soon!
Cheers 🙂
Charlotte: Thanks so much for your sweet compliments and words of encouragement!!! Really appreciate it! Happy trying! 😉
I am so happy to find your website! I’ve already bookmarked a couple of recipes from your site.
FYI, I have 0 knowledge in cooking for adults (other than instant noodles, frying eggs, french toast and pancakes) but I do prepare food for my 16 month old son by following the recipes from those baby food recipe sites and am currently running out of ideas on what to make for him (he’s getting bored with oats lately)
I hope to be able to make the dishes you posted in your site. They are a delight to look at, and make me very enthusiastic to learn to do it!
Thank you!
IAFTM: Thanks for your compliment and words of encouragement. Don’t worry, you are not alone. Like you, I started everything with zero too. Because of my son, I can cook some simple meals now. Glad to know that you find my recipes useful. As most of the recipes are recommended for kids above 2 years, so please use them with care and make the necessary adjustments to the seasonings. 😉
Hi! I’m soooooo happy to have chanced upon your site! And I’m wondering why I didn’t see it before because it would have saved me so much headaches. My son’s 18 months old now and he didn’t want to eat starting from 16 months. So for 2 months I was stuggling to get him to eat.
I think I’m going to definitely try some of your recipes! Thanks again!
FTWM: Thanks for dropping by and your wonderful compliments!! Glad that you find my recipes useful. As your son is only 18 months, some of the ingredients and seasonings in my recipes may not be suitable for his age now. So please use them with extra care and make the necessary adjustments if needed. 😉
nice blog. i m not a creative mum and i m just glad that i found this site when i m really headache about getting new menus (especially chinese menus) for my son’s changing appetite. Thanks for sharing!
Catherine: Thanks! It’s my pleasure to share with you. 😉
Hi,
Stumpled upon your blog for the very first time. You are amazing! I am so impressed with all the effort you put in for your loved one. I couldn’t believe you started with zero knowledge on cooking!
We are Malaysians living in Singapore too. We moved here in end of 2006, slightly earlier than you. We also prefer homecooked food, especially for the kids.
I am so glad to find your blog, giving me so many great ideas on what to cook for my kids. And oh, esp the baking recipe, I love that! I wanted to start baking with my kids but I never baked before. I will surely drop by often!
So happy to see your blog which is so inspiring.
Expatrecipe: Thanks for your compliment. 😉
I stumbled onto your site while searching for simple meals for kids and I’m certainly keeping this.
Same as you, I have 2 very important ‘kids’ in my life too…a ‘working hard’ hubby and a 7-year old active boy.
Just 5 months, ago, I quit my job in KL to moved down to Singapore and I have been a ‘nanny’ to my son but because I had not been cooking for the last 10 years, this site is very useful.
Thank you Food-4Tots….
Diana: Thanks for dropping by and your wonderful compliments!! 😉
I’m so glad to find ur site..cos i had zero knowledge abt cooking too…now i can finally learn from u here. Thanks for sharing the recipes!!
Phoebe: It’s always my pleasure to share. Glad you find my recipes useful. 😉
Enjoyed ur blog and gives me loads of ideas to cook for my kids. I am a SAHM looking after 2 kids and I cook most of the time for them. Someone recommended this blog to me a few mths back and I didn’t really hv the time to sit down until today and saw so many interesting food that I could cook for my kids.. I will be visiting this site very often.. Thank U so much
Wenn: Thanks for your kind words and supports. Hope my recipes will suit your kids’ palate. 😉
Such a great site!!! Singapore needs more people like you!! Food brings great hospitality and brings people together!
Keep it up, you’re a great inspiration!
Saggyarmpit: Thanks for dropping by and your wonderful compliments!! 😉
Awesome recipes!!! A great fusion of western and chinese ingredients in toddler (and adult) food! I have a 3 year old and an 8 month old, so I’ll definitely give your recipes a try. I love the pictures…just make the instructions that much easier to follow. Just hope the food I/we (with my elder) make will turn out right! Keep it up!
Teresa: Thanks for your wonderful compliment!! Hope your family will like my recipes. Happy trying! 😉
really inspired by your wonderful recipes and photos and off to bake banana and walnut cake :))
Selda: Thanks for your wonderful comment! Happy baking! 😉
Loving your website. My gal just started childcare and it was a long distance from home since it is next to my office. So I have to get her fed before the long journey home every night. I realised I should make full use of this opportunity to learn cooking soup…with a thermal cooker, I can just throw everything in and then just prep rice…thing is, I am just a beginner in trying out cooking. I googled around and found your site. Really wonderful site and really appreciate all your sharing! 😀 Am so motivated to boil healthy and nutritional soup for my gal.
Ranna: Thanks for your wonderful compliment! Glad that you like my recipes. I’m sure you will be a great cook one day. Jia Yu! (加油！）；）
Thank you so much for sharing your cooking experiences. It really helps me a lot esp i have to work full time and cook for my two little ones after work and weekends. My two little kids do not like to eat outside food. This website solve my problem. Thank you once again.
Evie: You’re welcome!! Glad that you find my recipe useful. So happy that your kids enjoy home-cooked food. Kudos to you for your efforts to cook for the family!! Keep it up! 😉
Hi there. I was directed to your website after trying out your sui kow recipe I found on Rasa Malaysia’s website. I was born and bred in Penang but have been living in Melbourne for almost ten years. When it comes to cooking, I love to try both traditional dishes and experiment with new ones. Lately, I’ve been trying to re-create some of the few Penang hawker favourites with some succession, although it will never be the same as home. Still, it’s the satisfaction that comes from the whole experience. Like Rasa Malaysia, I’m glad I stumbled upon your website – many great and inspiring recipes! Looking forward to trying out more of these recipes in the future 🙂
Cheers!
Mark
Mark Wong: Thanks for dropping by and your kind words!! I was born and bred in Penang too. What a small world!! 😉
You are most welcome! What a small world it is indeed! I have always been fascinated by all the Malaysian recipies on the web that it has stirred a thought as to whether I should start one myself. I am in no way a professional chef nor that good a cook but I do enjoy cooking a lot. In fact, I think I enjoy cooking as much as I love eating. The joy and satisfaction of eating your own cooking (after all the hard work) is rather gratifying, especially when others praise my cooking 😀 I love to experiment too, but that has led to many failed attempts and wasted ingredients. Hopefully one day the chef in me will decide to break out from his shell and start up something fun and interesting in this ever-growing cyber world 🙂
Mark Wong: Hahaha! I’m sure your supporters will raise their hands and legs if you were to start up a food blog. 🙂
you are not only good in cooking and baking, you are also good in photo taking skill too.
Caca: Thanks for your wonderful compliment!! 😉
What a treasure I have found your blog and
Thank you so much for sharing your cooking experiences.
Agnes Quek: Thanks for your wonderful compliment! 😉
Love your blog!You’re an inspiration
i dont have kids as yet but have just moved to HK fr Australia.) and am attempting to make the green radish and carrot soup for my hubby tonight.
Love the fact its in english with chinese words for the ingredients
Cherie: Superlike your lovely comment!! Hope your hubby will love this soup as much as we do. 😉
I’m so glad I stumbled upon your site! I don’t have kids but I do bento lunches for myself every day so you have just the right foods and portion sizes for some more inspiration. Thanks and your site is beautiful.
Brenda: Thanks for dropping by and your kind compliment! 😉
So glad to have come across your page! I always struggle to come up with new recipe for my fussy little one!!! Love your recipes especially Asian based cooking that I have been on the lookout for!!!! Can’t wait to try out your recipes!!!Will definitely feature the ones I am going to try on my blog as I also write about my experience with motherhood
Winnie (Budfriendly): Welcome and happy trying!! 😉
Staying on my own, I am tired from eating too much of outside food. More than often when I try to cook up a nutritious meal, it’s usually tasteless and I’m out of ideas. Happy to stumble on your recipes. It’s enticing for an adult like me 🙂 thank you for sharing!
Jo: Homecooked food is always cheaper, healthier and tastier. Hope you can whip up more nutritious meals in future! 😉
I’m a working mom and I struggle every day to figure out what to make for dinner. Asian food seems to take long because of the vegetable cleaning and all the chopping. In addition to making dinner for me and my husband, my toddler son (turning 2) is extremely picky! He likes only rice and bread. He would not attempt to try anything new. Most of the time, we have to bribe him to eat protein by giving him an iTouch. What recipes or ideas do you suggest for me. Also, I struggle to find things to take to daycare for him for lunch. He’s also a little allergic to egg whites. HELP!!!
Karen: Don’t worry, you’re not alone. I have a post about “How to cope with picky eaters and mealtime problems” that you may be interested. Hope it will give you some useful tips on how to address your problems and ideas about preparing his lunch box. For Asian recipes, I personally prefer steaming method. It’s not only healthy but also easy to do. You can check out those steaming recipes at my blog for ideas. 😉
This is a great site! You are a great help to new moms like me. Now, I have ample of options for my son’s “moody” appetite. I love your steamed cupcake recipes. Those are brilliant! Can’t wait to try them…
Thanks for sharing this and more power to you and your family! 🙂
God bless!
Abbie-Pepe’s Mom: It’s my pleasure to share! Glad you love my steamed cupcake recipes. Happy trying! 😉
Hi, was just about to try out the super fast congee for my son… But I can’t seem to find it anymore 🙁 could u repost it maybe? Thanks
Ally: This is the link in case you still need it: https://food-4tots.com/2010/11/25/how-to-make-superfast-congee/
Here is another new trick to cook 10 minutes congee – http://bit.ly/10W21MZ. Do check it out too. 😉
Hi Lk,
You have a fabulous blog with beautiful photos, I was surfing of what to cook for my 19 month old when I chance upon your blog. My daughter loves your salmon potato pancake. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hello there, thanks for your wonderful pictures and good advice re recipes. Your photos are amazing. and you are such an inspiration to me. I have a 17 month old boy and am running out of ideas for what to feed him. I know your recipes are for above 2.5 yrs, but I’m already feeding him with some of the items since he’s 8 months. I cant wait to try more things and hope he will be more open – right now, he’s quite picky and sticks to his usual porridge and refuses to try new things. thanks again!
Shores: I’m so flattered with your wonderful compliments! Thank you!! Hope my recipes can give you more ideas in planning meals for your little ones! 🙂
[…] Food4Tots […]
i hope that you are still cooking
Leesa: Hi, thanks for hopping by. Yeah, I’m still busy cooking everyday. 🙂