Paediatric dietitian Sheridan Collins has a passion for making nutritious food a positive, joyful experience. With more than 20 years’ experience at Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, Sheridan is now bringing her expertise and love of cooking to drive transformational change in the way hospital meals are experienced.    

As a Network nutrition support dietitian, Sheridan’s role—thanks to funding from generous donor support—Is to make sure every child receives nutritionally balanced meals that are not only healthy, but food they actually want to eat.   

Designing Menus Kids Actually Enjoy  

To design a menu that truly meets the needs of kids in hospital, she consulted with hundreds of families and staff, listening closely to what they want from hospital foods. Based on their feedback, including taste tests, Sheridan worked collaboratively with HealthShare and Network dietitians to create a menu that balances comforting, familiar favourites with nourishment like fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s food that feels good and does good, especially when kids aren’t feeling their best.    

While many kids enjoy a choice of pizzas, burgers, cheese toasties and burrito bowls in hospital, others appreciate options such as congee, flatbreads and hummus.   

“I want children in hospital to really look forward to mealtimes as a highlight of their day,” says Sheridan.

The First Paediatric Kitchen at Sydney Children’s Hospital 

With the planned opening of the first dedicated paediatric kitchen at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, parents and carers will be able to order meals—on their phone or via the hospital entertainment system—and closer to the time meals are prepared.   

Each item can be ordered individually, hot plated for improved quality control, and crafted not only to match medical requirements but also to what, and how much, children actually feel like eating on the day.

Meeting Complex Needs Through Nutrition   

“Children have different needs to adults, and we need to be providing food that helps children grow and develop their feeding skills, building healthy eating habits that can positively impact on their life in the future,” says Sheridan.  

More than 80 therapeutic diets are built into the system for children with complex needs such as epilepsy, allergies, metabolic conditions or cystic fibrosis. Age-appropriate textures support toddlers to develop feeding skills, while nutrient-dense options support the needs of growing adolescents.  

The changes give children a sense of choice, allowing them to pick foods they enjoy, and making the hospital feel more comforting during long stays.   

Small touches like serving meals on real crockery with child-sized cutlery also help make mealtimes feel more like home.  

Why Food Choice Matters in Hospital   

Sheridan has seen firsthand the difference this makes: “The joy on a child’s face when their meal is exactly what they wanted—it might seem small, but it’s powerful. Food is something every child can look forward to.” 

This article is from the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation Impact Report for the 2025 financial year.