AIBU to feed my fussy 6 year old the same meals every week

[Agadooo]

My 6 year old is v fussy n doesn't like most things so have now got in a rut making him the same things I know he'll eat every week-margarita pizza, breaded chicken with sweet corn n a few oven chips, breaded fish with sweetcorn and a few oven chips, pieces of chicken stir fried with baby corn cobs in a wrap, beans on toast, macaroni cheese and spaghetti bolognaise. Won't eat shepherds pie, fish pie, noodles, rice, chilli-I'm a bad mother aren't I ??? I serve it up n he tries a tiny spoon n says he doesn't like it and if I say he has to eat it, he'll want to please me n force down couple mouthfuls ??

[Agadooo]

What kind of meals do your fussy kids eat?

[fulldutypaid]

I had what was called a fussy eater and gave him the same day in day out for his young years no matter what anyone said, he now eats almost everything at 17. They change.

[Releaseasongbird]

Is it the serving of the same meals you're worried about, or the quality of the meals he's having?

I don't think what you've described is terrible but on the other hand there is quite a lot of processed stuff - for example (and I realise it may not be possible) changing the fish sticks for a fillet of salmon or fresh trout would reduce the processed foods down.

I realise he may not like this and if so, carry on - bad mothers don't feed their children st all or give them sweets interspersed with a slice of toast. Hot food he enjoys with some veg isn't a bad mother!

[Florriesma]

You'd be a bad mother to stick to the diet just mentioned! Too.much sweetcorn which is fine in small doses but it's indigestible.
If it's any comfort Ive just had a chat to ds who is also 6 about leaving food and how he has 1 tea and that is it.
I've got another ds9 who would like to be fussy (and tries) but with different dislikes to ds3. If I tried to please them both i would be demented. I bloody hate teatimes unless I'm doing a full roast and cba with that. Ds 1 however is a dustbin who appreciates anything edible. I'm hoping the other 2 grow out of it or realise the whinging is getting them nowhere.

[fulldutypaid]

My son ate dry everything, except fruit.

His menu was this...

Chicken nuggets (never chicken as such)
Pasta (cooked with nothing on it)
Bread sticks and or just bread
Fruit

That was it!

If you think about it, there is nothing wrong there. Really rather balanced.

[fulldutypaid]

Take no notice OP. Peers will change this, I never could.

[Strawberry22]

Hi there
My son is the same he's also a very slow eater. Takes at least 5 minutes to swallow a spoonful
He loves eating pizza, chips, burgers or takeaways but I only give him food like that once in a while now .. I give him chicken with rice, he loves chappatis now so give him that with spinach or other vegetables, or potatoes with cheese

[MumOfTheMoment]

I have a fussy 8yr old and would cry with happiness if he ate the things you have listed op. Maybe serve things he is less likely to eat once or twice a week but tbh I can't see much of a prob with this menu.

[fulldutypaid]

They do change. Making a big deal of what they eat isn't a good idea. Accept it, give them what they eat and dont worry. They won't die.

[Fratelli]

You're not a bad mother.
Just give him healthy meals with no alternative. If a child is hungry they will eat. They're only fussy if you let them be fussy ime. Of course everyone has dislikes but that's something you'll find out when he's older. Good luck!

[fulldutypaid]

Totally disagree with you Fratelli one 100%. Have you ever read anything by Dr Winston? There are "supertasters". To make a big deal about what they eat and what they don't is just ridiculous. I know because I had one who is now a strapping 6ft young man that eats most things.

[AngieWhats]

My DS was like this. I rotated the same meals, but added in a new thing with the familiar now and then. He mostly rejected the new thing first, second, third time, but eventually started to try new foods this way.

Things like:

Peas with the sweetcorn (then eventually carrots, green beans, mange tout)
Grated cheese on the beans (then tried cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan etc)
Salmon fish fingers instead of cod...then went on to un-breaded fish
Wholewheat pasta instead of plain...

etc etc

He is 10 now, still a bit picky, but eats a wide range of foods compared to back then, including plenty of veg and home cooked, fresh food with spices and herbs.

I honestly wouldn't worry too much, as long as he getting decent nutrition. Lots of small children are fussy.

[carbolicsoaprocked]

Maybe teaching Grandma to suck eggs here but have you tried getting him involved with cooking? Invite one of his friends round and get them to help you make pizza - pop some other pizza toppings in bowls and hopefully he'll see his friends using them (making smiley faces on them with slices of pepper/chicken and mushrooms or something). Or get him to help make a special family meal for Grandma's birthday or something and make sure everyone knows he helped. Kids usually like to try the fruits of their labour.

[fulldutypaid]

Mine didnt I practically involved his whole school. I bought books of what to cook with your child etc etc. He loved making the recipes but just said, that's great but Im not eating it

[IceCreamBandit]

Give him what he'll eat, but offer a tiny portion of something else on the side. (So if you're having chilli, then give him a spoonful on another plate to try.) Don't make a big deal of it, just have it there.

[Gatehouse77]

Mine have had various stages of fussiness. I tended to go with the flow and introduce new foods on weekend or holiday lunchtimes knowing they'd still have an evening meal.

My insistence was that they tried new foods (including sweet ones) before judging them. This would be given alongside foods they would eat.

This is after weaning them on a huge variety of foods - so bollox to that theory !

I didn't want mealtimes to become the battle ground they were for myself and my siblings when we were children and have taken a, relatively, relaxed approach. Now, apart from specific dislikes for individuals, they eat pretty much what's put in front of them. They're 16, 14 and 13.

[fulldutypaid]

DS just popped in read this and laughed his head off saying no way would I eat what I cooked, I just liked to cook it

[Agadooo]

Thanks all-well most of you ??- you've made me feel a bit better -hopefully will grow out of it-shall try a little bit of something new alongside something I know he'll eat and maybe ask some friends over for dinner (and not make the usual pizza lol!) He eats some apple n grapes everyday after school but not enough veg-I can't see him go hungry so def couldn't do the 'eat this or go hungry' path.

[DownstairsMixUp]

My 6 year old isn't AS bad but pretty bad, he'd live on pasta and pizza if he could! I do tend to do safe meals most days as i don't like him not eating but once or twice a week I do make him try new things or we'd all be bored! He had duck spring rolls for the first time the other week and after at leasy 30 minutes of him insisting he didn't like it though he'd never tried it, he eventually caved (with a bribe or two tried and liked it.

[ghostyslovesheep]

sounds fine to me - sweetcorn is digestible btw - it's just the husk that isn't

[ouryve]

DS1 has a hot cross bun, plus a sausage or bacon sandwich for breakfast every morning (plus whatever crap he can lay his hands on, sometimes)

At school, he has a ham sandwich every day except Friday, which is fish and chips day.

When we go out for the day, he'll only eat a home made ham and cucumber sandwich or a M&S salmon and cucumber sandwich. Some places sell burgers that he will eat but if mayo is mentioned on the menu with no explicit promise that you can ask for it to be left out, he won't go there. He won't ask for anything off menu, anywhere, which is really bloody limiting when there isn't a M&S with salmon and cucumber sarnies in stock!

Meals for the past few nights:

Tonight: M&S chicken provencal, chopped small and served with pasta
Last night: Pasta with half a jar of M&S bolognese sauce, with broccoli. Salad also served but he pulled a face and left most of it.
Saturday night: The same, minus the salad.
Friday:runny fried egg and chips, with sweetcorn
Thursday 2 chipolatas with garlic bread, cucumber and tomatoes. We had all sorts as a birthday buffet, but wouldn't touch any of it and left the piece of breaded chicken I served him.
Wednesday: M&S spag bol

He's nearly 12 and growing like a weed and eats non-stop, but it's all bread, pasta and biscuits. Every now and again he goes through a phase when his tastes contract right down to very little and he seems to be in one of those - a lot of angrily refused meals (he didn't eat lunch on Sunday because the soup was "too hot" and the sandwich had the "wrong" kind of bread). This time last year, I cooked him pasta for dinner every night for 3 months because he refused to eat anything else, but then he got bored of pasta.

You're not a bad mum. All you can do is serve reasonably balanced meals (which you are doing) and gently try to push the boundaries outwards.

My 9yo won't touch veg and will only eat cooked fruit and baked beans have to be cooked in a pan, not the microwave, or else he'll not touch them. He's far less frustrating to feed, though, as he'll go for a slab of meat or fish, any time, so long as it's served with chips. He had rib-eye steak, last night!

[arethereanyleftatall]

But if you don't do the 'eat this or go hungry' thing, then of course he will choose chicken nuggets and chips over fish pie.
I would only give a meal like that once a week, it's a treat meal; if he eats spag Bol, that's great, you can hide loads of veg, beans, lentils etc in that - mix it up.

[ouryve]

DS1 ate everything going 9except avocado) when he was weaned, btw, but was never keen on the texture of potato. His rules and aversions have appeared over the years. No spice. No meaty meat. Nothing vinegary. No rice. Hardly anything potatoey.

DS2 was difficult form the start. I couldn't even get him interested in eating until he was almost 9 months old and he's always stroggled badly wih certain textures. Unlike his brother, he quite likes a little spice, so if DH and I are having a fairly mild curry, we'll give him a little bit, or put some sauce on his chips.

And life is complicated by the fact that neither boy can eat cheese without hurling it up later in the day. So pizza, which they both liked, is way out of the window (and thankfully no longer all over the bedroom carpet)

[gamerchick]

Who said sweet corn isn't digestible? I thought it was just the outside that isn't and then fills up with poo on the way out. Sure I read that somewhere

My youngest from around 10 months staple meal was ready brek until he was around 6 (when he stopped using the buggy) he won't touch fruit at all and still has many meals mashed up into weaning food and fed to him.

However we've recently discovered the man vs food challenge works on him in getting him to try new things. Means he eats fast but will try most things doing this challenge. It costs me a fiver for him to eat a full pizza slice.

I don't actually see much of a problem but fish oils and vit drops are handy if you're worried.

Heh I know people like Fratelli who come out with that sort of stuff. Even they were defeated after a good shot of my son