my 17month daughter old won't eat mash or potatoes

[spudpudding]

does anyone else have this problem - any ideas? My son was really fussy and used to gag on mash, talking to friends they have had similiar problems. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to get non mash eaters to start eating spuds? Have managed to get her to eat a little jacket spud covered in cheese, but that is it, also tried fish cakes - help!!

[Ciske]

What if you mash it up with veggies, so it has a nicer colour and sweeter taste? Carrots and potatoes make good mash. Butternut squash with potatoes is also a favourite here.

[spudpudding]

thanks - will give it a go!

[PattySimcox]

Maybe she just doesn't like potatoes?

DD hates them in most forms apart from McDonalds chips as do several children of my acquaintance.

Plenty of other forms of carbs around

[PattySimcox]

Sorry he - maybe he doesn't like potatoes

[Fimblethimble]

or sweet potatoes?

lovely colour, higher vitamin count and they cook faster!

[rushofbloodtothefeet]

Neither of mine liked potato for ages, even chipped! DS still isn't that keen, he can take a mouthful of something and spit all the potato bits out - quite a skill!

DD had her spud epiphany with baby new potatoes smothered in butter - she sat with one in eat hand happily munching, and has been a potato fan ever since!

They both now LOVE baked potato wedges with seasoning and sour cream to dip (and who wouldn't)

[FrillyMilly]

My dd is 3 doesn't like potatoes in any form - mash, roast, jacket, smilies or chips. She just has carbs in other forms instead and I don't push the issue as she eats pretty much everything else. A typical dinner for her would be curry and rice, chilli and rice, pasta, pizza, casserole and veg or if we are have having a lazy dinner she will have something like fish fingers and beans or beans on toast. It makes roast dinner a bit difficult as she has to have something different bit there are worse things she could not like. It actually makes us all eat healthier as don't want to make two completely different meals.

[horribledinners]

i realise with your name it might be a tad disappointing that your dd won't eat mashed spuds.
speaking from experience, it might be that a well mashed spud is too clarty (northern term!) - and it sort of sticks in her palate.
leave it lumpy, rather than it being really smooth, she'll be able to move it around her mouth, get it wet and she won't gag, good luck - life without mash is too too unbearable to contemplate.

[bibbitybobbityhat]

My ds was the same as a baby and has never liked potatoes, apart from chips and roast potatoes. He is now 8. Last night for dinner we had jacket potatoes, very nice ham and cauliflower and broccoli cheese but for ds I replaced the jacket potato with a cob of sweetcorn for carbs. Its just the way it is. Even if we have shepherd's pie he will leave the potato from the top.

[Haberdashery]

DD is five and loathes potatoes (although she will occasionally eat a jacket potato). I just give her rice, bread or pasta. TBH, I'm not over keen on potatoes myself, apart from chips!

[BrigitBigKnickers]

DD2 (now 13) gagged on mash (and rice) when she was little (she had a bit of a reflux problem).

She still won't eat it and the only potatoes she will eat are roasts and chips. If we are having mash she is usually quite happy with bread as a carb alternative- I don't do anything special for her.

[moogalicious]

Don't give her any then

Plenty of other carbs as other posters have said:

squash (is that a carb?)
bread
rice
couscous
pasta

[DeWe]

Nor will I.
My dp were convinced mash should be a steadfast part of almost every hot meal. I did get reasonably good at hiding it, but I still gag if I have to even serve it to dc. Dc otoh think it's a treat and love it in any form. Can't understand them.

[An0therName]

my 19 mo doesn't really like them either - apart from chips...and roast pots
He LOVES pasta, and is ok with bread and breakfast cereal and bananas so figure he gets plently of carbs -

[olivo]

my DD is now 5, and has never liked potato in any way, shape or form. But, she has recently started trying chips - just a few, off one of our plates. Still wont touch any thing else, btu she just has other carbs.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

My 7 year old DS won't eat potato in any form either, I guess these replies weren't what you wanted to hear though. We live on rice, pasta, bread as our main carbs, if we are having potatoes DS has a piece of bread and butter instead. Just keep trying every now and then, but don't try and force the issue.

[maz78]

My three year old still gags on mash. She will eat chips and crisps though! I make my own potato wedges which she will eat and she has been known to eat new potatoes. I think it's a texture thing, I don't force the issue but I do continue to serve it occasionally just in case she changes her mind... It's a bit weird but I don't worry too much, I'm not crazy about potatoes either and we eat lots of pasta, rice and bread instead.

[ilovezumba]

Coming from Northern Ireland I was gutted when both my girls rejected mash we ate mash nearly 3 times a week and well tatties every day They are 3 and 5 now and still don't eat it. So I make small cubed pots par boiled and then roast or fry them so they are crunchy. Or potato balls ( very messy ) mash with ham and cheese pushed in the middle, dip in flour egg then bread crumbs and fry. This is a good one for the kids to help with!

[sarahtigh]

my DD will not eat potatoes in any form boiled, mashed with cheese, roasted, oven chips chip shop chips hash brownss etc, she is also not keen on bread; she will eat pasta till it comes out of her ears if in cheese sauce will not eat with tomato based sauce even though she loves raw tomatoes. and rice if in mushroom risotto will not eat either rice or mushrooms cooked another way
she will however eat crisps, she is not keen on porridge either or fairy cake

I have concluded she does not like the taste of bland food that bulks things out, she likes odd things like balsamic vinegar pickled red cabbage, smoked salmon venison sausages bacon strong cheddar ( not babybels) she also does not like runny things you can not eat with fingers ( bar yoghurt)

at dinner she either has pasta or just meat and veg and gets carbs from other things in the day, there are carbs in lots of stuff not just the obvious she will be ok, if you have spuds and she is hungry bread should be fine

[AngelDog]

My 21 m.o. has only recently started eating roast potatoes / wedges / jacket potatoes after nearly a year of not wanting any spuds. He doesn't really like sweet potato or butternut squash either.

Since 12 months he's never liked mash, or anything similar e.g. fishcakes.

He had a spell of liking chips but went off them again. We just try to work around it. We eat pasta / rice more often than we might otherwise have done, and offer him whatever we're having, and if he doesn't eat it, he doesn't eat it.

[spudpudding]

thanks all - guess am asking too much as she is a really good eater otherwise and loves pasta. my son who is now 5 is the worst eater i have met and has a very limited diet, so was just disappointed when super eater baby / toddler rejected the spuds! will try the veg mash thing though.

nothing really to worry about as she eats everything else!

thanks for advice.

[Davsmum]

It can take a child many tries before they accept a food but I think they become determined NOT to eat it the more you stress over it.
I don't see the point of trying to 'get' a child to eat anything - Just put a small amount of the particular food on their plate, along with the other items, at mealtimes and if they eat it, good - if not let them leave it ( but don't offer an alternative)
My son had veg on his plate for years before he started to eat it without any prompting from anyone.

[FrillyMilly]

I wonder with my DD if potato is just too bland for her. She loves really rich food and eats spicy things that make my eyes water without batting an eyelid. I imagine mash and chips don't really taste of much in comparison.