If your children are good, non-fussy eaters

[ProgressPenguin]

How did they get that way?

My DC are really fussy, eat a limited range of foods and hate vegetables. Now they’re both well into primary school age I want to
Improve things, and I’m just wondering what the most effective way is

It’s all luck. From day 1 of weaning DS has loved food and used to get super excited at mealtimes. The only thing he wouldn’t eat was eggs but when my mum got some chickens and he started helping her to collect the eggs, he then loved eggs.

We’ve expected there would come a point when he would become fussy, such as when he was two or three but he never has. He loves food and will try anything. He may not be as keen on the odd thing but is happy to give it a go.

It’s definitely just been down to luck and then just giving him whatever food we are eating rather than ‘childrens food’

I should have said, he is now almost 5 and has finished reception. Even when other children at school have been saying they don’t like this or that or rhey’ve said to him that something is yuck, it hasn’t put him off his food or made him fussy

What SpaceDinosaur said. Mostly the not commenting / persuading / coaxing - I put food down, they eat it or don’t, no stress or anxiety.

I’ve regularly seen kids pick up on adults anxiety around food and it only ever makes things worse, so I work hard to not let any worries about what / how much they’re eating show.

I just fed 'em and refused to make a battle over food. They both seem to have turned out OK - the 6 year old is a right foodie who's come back from grandparents with a taste for bloody lobster. 5 year old's a bit pickier - had decided she didn't like a rather spicy aubergine and lentil pasta sauce the other day, then discovered the joys of being a spaghetti hoover to suck up strands of it and scoffed the bowl and declared it delicious. Both will devour things like olives, feta, octopus... pretty much anything. They'll also jump for joy at the chance of a Happy Meal.

Weaned on a mix of jars, puree, and just portioned out bits of adult meals of chilli and curry and the like.

Relative really gets pissed off about the fact mine will eat so well - starts ranting about how her kids can't come to play cos mine "eat olives" - despite me telling her that chicken nuggets and chips would be my kids' idea of heaven too.

I think it’s mostly luck! The only food one of my girls rejected was olives when she was younger. At 4 it’s strangely one of her favorite snacks. Even the garlic and jalapeño stuffed ones. I can’t think of a single food my husband or I dislike. Maybe their adventurous palates are part inherited? We also didn’t do typical baby food/jarred purées. Just started them on whatever we were having at mealtimes.

Mine were just never given any other option.

Take it or leave it.

No arguments, no coaxing or anything like that, they didn't ever HAVE to eat anything they didn't want to, but I wasn't getting anything else.

They have likes, they have dislikes, but sometimes, needs must, same for DH and I.

It's there, we eat it.

I was forced to eat many things as a child as it was the only meal provided.

I haven’t eaten many of those things since childhood as I don’t like them.
Being forced to eat liver once a week didn’t make me like it.