Fussy 5 year old: increasing safe foods

[Sleepinglemon]

DS5 is really fussy. We've tried all the usual advice to make him less so; not getting stressed at eating time, putting new foods on his plate, asking him to try a little, not asking him to try anything etc... We've been having some success recently with trying to expand his 'safe foods' by introducing things that are similar to foods he will already eat. I'm getting stuck for new similar foods though. Below is a list of what he eats now and some new ones we've had success adding this month. Can anyone think of any other foods we can try that are similar to foods he will already eat to try to expand his range further? I'm particularly interested in a fussy child friendly, non 'bitty' tomato pasta sauce (recipe or shop bought)

Foods he'll eat now:

Peanut butter
Greek yoghurt
Boiled eggs
Cucumber
Olives
Bananas
Apples
Grapes
Chips
Cream cheese
Cheddar
Whole milk
Pork Sausage
Hot dog sausages
Baked beans
Tinned spaghetti
Tomato soup
Strawberries and raspberries
Pizza (if it’s cheese and tomato and not over cooked)
Bread of various types, always soft and white
Crackers
Garlic bread
Pasta
Chips
Potato waffles
Rice
Weetabix
Honey
Treats of various kinds, crisps, choc, biscuits etc...
Macaroni cheese
Sausage rolls
Hummus

Additional foods he ate Sept 2019:

Sweet potato fries
Feta
Egg noodles
Chicken sausages

[milliefiori]

That's not a bad list for a fussy eater, though you might want to get some more veg onto it.

With the white bread, try moving onto that almost white one with a bit of soft grain (Kingsmill 50/50 or Hovis best of both. That's how I started DS's transition to wholemeal.

You could open up pork sausages and roll the sausage meat into balls to serve meat balls. Tell him they are made from the sausages he likes. Then if he starts to eat those you can very gradually add tiny amounts of extra veg to the mix: pureed onions or carrots etc, and build up his veggie intake that way. Then try beef meat balls and move onto home made burgers which can hide a multitude of pureed veg.

One thing DS did start to do was eat food just because it gave him special powers (so the old fib that carrots help you see in the dark or broccoli makes your bones big and strong might make him have a bite or two.

[Lara53]

Courgette is invisible when grated into meatballs etc

[Sleepinglemon]

Thank you! Some really good ideas. Particularly like the meatball idea.

[Timandra]

Just provide meals that contain something he likes. Sit and eat as a family, put no pressure on him and focus on having happy, stress-free meal times.

Try to move away from the idea that it's your job to increase the range of food he likes. It will happen naturally as he gets older anyway.

If you invest lots of time and energy into trying to modify his diet, you just get frustrated and resentful, he'll pick up on it and get more stressed about food, resulting in a more restricted diet.

If you're worried about him missing out on a particular nutrient, you can always get his diet assessed by a dietician. What he eats looks like a decent range TBH.

[Sleepinglemon]

@Timandra we have been doing that for the last 3 years. We have zero stress at meal times. Adding new foods is not introducing any stress either. If he wants to eat then he does, if he doesn't he doesn't. No pressure. I'd just like to maximise the chance he might like and want to eat them.

We do eat together. If he eats what we eat exclusively he generally just eats the carb part. I would like him to eat a wider range of foods to ensure he's getting the macronutrients and vitamins he needs and so we can enjoy a wider range of foods together.

[Lemonlimesoda]

Read your list with envy as my 3yo diet consists of meat, dairy and carbs 0 fruit or vegetables. And struggling to get anyone to take it seriously

[Timandra]

Read your list with envy as my 3yo diet consists of meat, dairy and carbs 0 fruit or vegetables. And struggling to get anyone to take it seriously

You could keep a food diary, show it to the GP and ask for a referral to a dietician. They can analyse her food intake and prescribe any supplements they think she needs.

Barring any neurodevelopmental issues, she should naturally expand the range of food she likes as she gets older so hopefully this is time limited.

[Lemonlimesoda]

Thanks for your reply @Timandra I know it’s not exactly an ongoing thread and appreciate the advice

[theboywonteat]

That’s actually a pretty good range of foods OP.

Lemonlimesoda am also reading with envy as my DS(9) eats pasta, pizza, chicken nuggets, white bread, cereal, apples & that’s pretty much it!