I need help with my fussy/non eater

[Solongtoshort]

I am probably going to be judged for this but l need advice.

Both myself and dh are full time key workers we don’t get any free school dinners or anything so we got stuck in a rut for lunches (during school) and l need to change it.

Both children won’t eat sandwich’s not lovers of bread, hummus, eggs, cheese or ham. We have got stuck in the rug of sweetcorn, crackers and mini sausages for one and sausage rolls and chicken sticks for the other. My dd will try anything but she follows her brothers lead and he is a non eater l am amazed if he eats a full lunch. I need to introduce new foods for lunch what l am stuck for ideas, everything is met with crying and how the don’t like the smell or taste but it’s just babyish and l am getting so frustrated with it. It’s now spilling over into tea time and if l get asked for chicken nuggets one more they might turn into nuggets themselves. I want us all to eat the same meals but how do l get there.

So l need help please, can you tell me how you changed your fussy/non eaters into good eaters. They were perfectly good eaters until about two years ago. They are 8 and 5.

Do you sit down and eat lunch with them?
Soup
Jacket potato with beans
Savoury muffin
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/savoury-muffin-recipes

Would they eat breakfast type food if that makes your life easier?

Will they eat bread in another form - different rolls, Wraps, bagels, pittas, ciabatta, panini etc?
Try different types of cheese - don't call it 'cheese' but the actual name.
Cream cheese
Tuna
Slices of roast chicken/beef
Quiche
Spanish Omelets/frittata
Toasted sandwiches
Quick pasta - pesto, tomato sauce etc

I was a fussy child who lived on spaghetti hoops for a long time. I am now an eater of nearly everything.

No advice sorry as DS is a fussy bugger who hasn’t grown out of it yet.

Why is the fact you’re a key worker relevant ?

misses point of thread

If you are both keyworkers with DC in school- let them have school dinners?

DS 7 is the same. He hates chewing, so we don't do anything that require a lot of effort. He now does spaghetti Bol as he has always loved spaghetti, noodles etc. Try pasta with tomato sauces, then work up to the veg and the meat. Still mostly lives on cheese, noodles, white bread.

I’m confused are you looking for lunch ideas for home or to take to school?

I know a lot of kids who aren't a fan of sandwiches on "regular" bread but will happily eat wraps or sandwich thins.
Oat cakes? Although I'd usually hummus with them! Will they eat soft cheese?
I'd try and get some fruit and veg into them - carrot, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, celery, peppers, grapes, berries, peeled satsumas, all work ok in lunch boxes.
A decent quality yogurt (full fat, low sugar) would give them some protein and calcium.

To clarify

@LadyWhistledownthe1st l think it’s relevant because l feel l need to explain why l’m not home making fabulous lunches instead of getting stuck in this rut. They aren’t in school either as my we take turns in working from home as the school can’t accept all children of key workers and regularly send emails saying “if your child can stay at home please keep them at home” this is what we prefer to do. I also feel if l had paid for school dinners they would be used to variety and it would of been one less task for me to get lazy over ( l have a lot of mum guilt).

@Buntysbosom yes we sit down together for meals.

@AtleastitsnotMonday l am asking for just lunch ideas for both in and out the home really, things we can make in the morning that dh can just take out of the fridge.

I think l would of just taken the to the shops and looked at food and let them pick things to try.

Since l posted this they have had a chicken wrap and tomato’s but l did bribe them, l let them have a two fingered Kit Kat as a pudding instead of fruit. We have just chatted and l have said if we try something new three times a week with no drama l will buy them a toy at the end of the month ( l have activity tins for them anyway).

So I suppose l am asking for ideas to give them something different. I think not calling them by there names would help and l also think l am going to give them two choices in the morning that way l imagine l have a slim chance of them eating it.

This wasn’t a problem in my head till a mum from the school was saying what her children eat and it made me really look at what mine eat, l know you shouldn’t compare children and l don’t usually.

@emmathedilemma thank you the do eat a lot of fruit as it is, carrot sticks and yellow peppers are a favourite. Not hummus though or soft cheese, l think it’s the texture of them. They have eaten wraps today. Soup unfortunately is off limits to as l make my own but again it the texture l think. I am going to try tuna with mayonnaise tomorrow.

Firstly I think the fact they had something different (even with bribery) shows that it really is worth persevering, suggests they are just pushing for favourites or control rather than ingrained food phobias or sensory issues which are a lot more complex to deal with.
If they are the chicken wrap maybe try threading piece of cooked chicken breast onto kebab sticks alternating with cherry tomatoes and one other veg. Or try a different type of bread, pita or a roll with chicken and tomato. Basically, keep with mostly things they like but introduce one new element. As a kid my mum had to make my sandwiches with toasted bread. This was the case whether I ate them immediately or took them to school, I just preferred the drier texture. Will they eat cold pasta. You could do cold pasta with sweet corn and chopped sausage or chicken, and sweetcorn or tomatoes so again you are only changing one element at a time.

Can you make them their own cupboard /fridge shelf and they make their own lunch?
My fussy eater is only just turned 4 so perhaps this won't work for older kids but it helps her.
The lowest shelf in fridge is hers, as is lowest shelf in pantry. We stock it with things she helps choose (online shopping or supermarket).
She knows she has to have some kind of fruit/ veg at every meal and I'm trying to teach ré protein/carbs but that's a bit harder for her to grasp. So as long as there's fruit or veg she can eat what she wants.
It really does seem to increase variety of what she eats. Sometimes the actual meal is pretty unbalanced (3 sticks of cheese and some dried apricots etc) but in general I keep an eye and it's not too bad.

@AtleastitsnotMonday thank you l will try the pasta and kebab, l think the kebab idea is amazing, not sure about the pasta but l am willing to try anything.

@Mylittlepony374 l think this would help l might only put a days worth of food on the bottom shelf as l know they would just eat all the treats at once.

Do they eat pizza. Could make pita pizzas for dinner one night and double up so one for lunch the next day too, f they made their own they may be more open to pita breads with different fillings.

@AtleastitsnotMonday yes l think the would, l will try this on Sunday l think. This is what l needed some fab ideas l felt like l was just stumped.