How do you get around fussy eaters? Tell us to win £100-worth of picture books! Ends midday 8 February

I find by constantly trying to introduce new foods works great

Just don't let them get away with it - leave them hungry! If you relent, they'll play you like a violin and you will always be dancing to their tune they should be dancing to yours!

We have a reward chart, if they try something different then they can earn a sticker. Once they reach 7 stickers then I get them something small like a blind bag.

Three out of my four children have been massively fussy eaters, and with the first one, I worried, stressed, would cook five different dinners, trying to tempt him into eating, scared that if he ate one more slice of chocolate spread toast he would turn into one...these days with my six yr old who won't try anything, or, if she does, will taste it with the tiniest eensiest bit of her tongue, then proceed to act as though I have wiped my shoes in her mouth, even running to the toilet to rinse her mouth out with a look of utter disgust at me for letting something so heinous near her.
That was her trying a chip.
My girl will talk a good game...promise to try something because she is a big girl now and she wants to get bigger and be healthy, then the second its in front of her, you would be forgiven for thinking I had carved up her favourite Teddy, Mr Teddington, and served his head on a bed of snakes.
So...to sum up, how do I deal with the fussiness? I don't. I have given up, past caring! My other two grew out of it when they realised "Hey, we're hungry, but mum has no Chocolate spread or crisps in, darn it, we're going to have to eat dinner!"
Being fussy in a household where the cupboards are as empty as mums purse 98% of the time means you either starve to death, or you're going to have to get on board with eating Mums rubbish cooking like the rest of 'em!

My kids are getting fussier the older they get! I just keep dishing up the food, eventually they start eating it! If they genuinely don't like something I won't make it for them, but most of the time they just think they don't. Also it's best not to make too much of a fuss about them not eating something. If you don't keep pestering them to eat it then they will start to eat it. But...easier said than done sometimes.

Making sure they were hungry. That meant not always having lunch or tea at a set time but waiting until he was hungry.

I promise them there favourite pudding for afters if they eat all there tea.

We just don't take no for an answer

I started really early just persevering with healthy eating and not giving a lot of treats. I think that's the best, old-fashioned way.

I try to give my little boy something I know he will eat but combine it with something new that I know he is fussier about. Doesn't work everytime but sometimes he will eat it.

I find that if i make pictures out of their food they tend to eat more of it

Make a game of it

My 4yr old was a nightmare to wean, it took us months and months to get him to hold and eat anything that wasnt mush! now, we still have a bit of a fight on our hands when it comes to vegetables. However we tell him the broccoli is actually just green chocolate, and he eats it none the wiser..followed by a yum!

Patience, and trying really hard not to let it get to you, as frustrating as it may be. Offer plenty of opportunities to try new food and introduce things, but don't make a fuss if they don't like it the first (dozen!) times.
Reinforce with positive praise when they DO try something new.

It's really important for you not to get stressed by meal times. Don't force it. If you can disguise a food (this is what mashed potato was invented for) great, or present in a different way. Star charts are also great.

i try to disguise the vegetables in things or mixed in so they dont know they are there so much

Agree about getting children involved in terms of choosing food whilst shopping and also cooking.

I let my daughter cook the food with me to try and get her to try it

We try and give 'boring' foods interesting names like peas are alien footballs.

My daughter is extremely fussy. She had severe reflux as a baby which i feel has given her a fear of being sick when she eats. Now she is older and still so fussy, she often gags over food that she doesn't like. My tips are to be persistent and not to give the child anything else. If they don't eat their food then they don't get a pudding or anything else to eat in replacement of that meal. I also have a sand timer so she gets 30 minutes to eat her food (she often plays with her food and takes mouse sized bites if she doesn't like it). If she hasn't eaten her food within the 30 minutes then dinner goes in the bin and again - no pudding or anything in replacement of that meal. When trying her with new foods i ensure only a third of her plate consists of a food thats new - the rest i know she will eat so she is getting something.

I get around my fussy eaters a couple of ways, I put veggies into homemade sauces then blend it so they don't know they're getting their 5 a day. Another thing I do is rename well known dishes so the kids don't realise they're eating something different - one is fajitas, I call them chicken wraps as my son would not eat anything with such an exotic name!

Sitting at the table having the same meal altogether helps, & simply keep re introducing the foods. Hiding veg in mash, and allowing children to help produce meals helps. I am vegetarian but my parents always made me have meat on my plate as a child but left the choice to me if I ate it or not, so I realise there are some foods children simply do not like - fussy or not!

i think getting my children involved in growing their own food and choosing some to grow and try out in recipes they help prepare encourages them eat more of the good stuff!

Everyone has the same meal but I put it all in the middle of the table and allow everyone to help themselves. It seems to work when they feel they are in control :)

Eating together around the table away from distractions and as a family helps a lot