BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz ·
10/09/2020 20:10
Dd has been "particular" about food since she was about 3. We did the whole Baby Led Weaning and she was great. Then she hit 3 and everything changed.
She is now 8 (almost 9). And I use the word particular rather than picky/fussy as actually, she eats really well.
She will eat:-
All vegetables (except avocado, mushrooms)
All fruit (except Mango)
Fresh fish
Meat
Staples such as pasta, rice, boiled potatoes etc.
She loves all breakfast items you could imagine.
Dairy- yoghurt, cream, melted cheese.
Where it becomes an issue is that she will not eat anything wet. Or with a sauce. Or mixed (eg she likes chicken, she likes rice, she doesnt like paella type dishes) Simple?
No pizza. No Bolognese. No pesto. No gravy. No pies. No (even mild) curry. Her rice and pasta is plain. No seasoning on anything.
She twists at the mere suggestion of anything new. When a plate is put in front of her, her automatic reaction is to twist her face and grimace if there is an item on there that she may not like. That she hasn't tried.
I always keep it light. "Eat what you like, leave what you don't, but you can't say you don't like it if you don't try it". We praise the good and ignore the bad. We chat about other things at mealtime. We get her cooking. She loves to cook. She won't try what she has made.
We do picky plates and us and the kids just tuck into whatever we like from the table. We make sure her meals are filling and healthy and amend what we can. We always offer some of the stuff she doesn't like / hasn't tried.
An example, when we do Bolognese, she would happily have spaghetti and parmesan alone, but I then do a dollop of Bolognese mixed with pasta on the side and expect her to taste it.
More recently she is becoming upset about this. We've talked and she says she feels left out. She feels sad that she doesn't like these things and we all do. She cried the other day because she feels left out. We've explained that we aren't always just going to eat (eg) plain ham sandwiches and cherry tomatoes for lunch every day but that we also want other foods. And we are firm on that with her. I honestly think we have struck a good balance between accommodating and keeping firm.
I want to help her. I don't want twisting when the plate goes in front of her. I want a thank you. I want her to enjoy meals. Food is fuel to her. Plain food. Fresh, yes. Healthy, yes. But plain. And she feels like it's separating her from the family.
What the actual fuck do I do next?