What to feed your child in hot weather?

When the sun is blazing down and your little one turns their head away in protest at the sight of a traditional dinner, frustration comes easily. Relax – a lack of appetite during hot weather is a completely natural reaction of the body, which, instead of heavy meals, needs lightness, cooling and smart hydration. In this article, we share how to adjust your child's summer menu without stress and which meals to serve to keep them energised for their holiday adventures.

Why do children have no appetite in summer?

When the sun beats down, the natural reaction of the body – both in adults and children – is a clear reduction in appetite. High temperatures mean the body doesn't need as much energy to keep warm as it does in winter, and digesting heavy meals puts an extra burden on it, raising its temperature from the inside.

Little ones intuitively sense these changes and may firmly refuse to eat standard, warm meals, which is a completely normal biological phenomenon. As a parent, you don't need to worry about this, as long as your child is hydrating properly and keeping up their usual energy for play.

How many meals should a child eat on hot days?

During summer heat, a simple "less but more often" rule works far better than a traditional daily plan. Instead of three large, traditional meals, it's worth serving your child 5-6 smaller, light meals and snacks throughout the day. This approach doesn't overload the delicate digestive system, and your little one will be much more willing to eat smaller portions served at cooler times of the day.

Remember, too, that liquids such as fruit smoothies, soups or homemade compotes also partly satisfy hunger and fill a child's tummy, which is worth taking into account in the overall calorie balance.

How to feed your child in hot weather?

Feeding your child in summer requires us, as parents, to be quite flexible and to fully trust the child's natural instinct. To make mealtimes a pleasure rather than a source of needless stress for both sides, it's worth building a few simple rules into your household habits:

• Don't force it. A child knows perfectly well when they need fuel to keep going – let them decide how much food they eat, and don't fight over every proverbial spoonful of soup.

• Change mealtimes. Serve more substantial, nourishing meals early in the morning (before it gets hot) and later in the evening, when the outside temperature has clearly eased off.

• Introduce a mandatory rest before dinner. After intense play outdoors, give your overheated little one about 30 minutes to calm down and cool off indoors before inviting them to the table.

• Change where you eat. If a hot flat and a stuffy kitchen put your child off eating, arrange dinner in a shady garden, on the balcony, or organise a mid-morning snack as a picnic.

• Take care of smart hydration. Give your child water at room temperature (avoid ice-cold), and if your little one turns their nose up at the lack of flavour, add pieces of fruit or mint leaves to it. For babies who are exclusively breastfed, remember that mum's milk adjusts to the weather on its own and becomes more watery – so it's enough to put the little one to the breast more often (and to drink much more water yourself).

⮕ Find out how to ensure proper hydration for your child during hot weather.

What should you feed your child on hot days? - 5 ideas

In summer, the best options for a child's menu are easily digestible dishes based on fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruit, which naturally support the body's hydration.

Here are 5 tried-and-tested, tasty and quick ideas for summer meals:

1. Cold soups (e.g. Lithuanian cold beetroot soup or gazpacho). An excellent substitute for hot broth. You can make Spanish gazpacho by blending skinned tomatoes with cucumber and pepper, or go for the classic Lithuanian cold beetroot soup based on plain yoghurt and young beet leaves, served with a boiled egg.

2. Pasta or nourishing porridge with seasonal fruit. Combine cooked pasta or light wheat porridge with plain yoghurt (or formula milk) and fresh strawberries, raspberries or blueberries blended into a smooth sauce. It's a delicious and very quick dish.

3. Sweet fruit soups (e.g. cherry soup). Boil pitted cherries in water, thicken with a little potato starch and gently sweeten with honey to taste. This soup tastes wonderful served cold with fine pasta.

4. New potatoes with a fried egg and kefir. A classic Polish dish that most children love. It's light, well balanced, and the addition of chilled kefir, buttermilk or soured milk perfectly cools the body from the inside.

5. Homemade ice cream and fruit sorbets. Blend plain yoghurt with your child's favourite fruit (e.g. strawberries, bananas, raspberries) and a little honey or vanilla, then pour the mixture into special moulds and put it in the freezer for about 5 hours. It's a brilliant way to make a healthy dessert and sneak in a portion of vitamins.

What not to give your child in hot weather?

During high temperatures, some products can put excessive strain on the delicate digestive system, cause stomach ache and even intensify the feeling of heat. The table below shows the groups of products best avoided in your child's summer diet, along with the reasons and healthy alternatives: