I need help getting DD to eat more than toast and chicken nuggets

[froxen]

DD is 3.5 now. Used to be an amazing eater. Hit about 18 months and started getting fussy.
She is now awfully fussy. She just wants to eat toast, chicken nuggets, garlic bread... it's absolutely dire.
And YES, I definitely play a part in it. I always seem to be so burnt out so a lot of the time she does just get what she wants. We try implementing other meals with her when the rest of the family all eats together but we just hit a wall with it.

I feel almost embarrassed that I've raised a child like this (as it's no question that I've definitely played a part in facilitating it). DS is older and has always been amazing with food, will try anything and likes so much.

so... any advice to start progressing out of this? She's going into preschool now but will be on school dinners in 1 year when she goes to school so we definitely can't keep allowing this until then.

I'd get her involved in preparing and cooking food, and only one meal provided with no alternatives - try some self prepare meals like fajitas, jacket potatoes with toppings etcs, so she chose what she likes

Op. Stop
🤚

Your child isn't raised yet.

It's a phase so many dc go through.

Do. Not draw attention to it or make it a battle.

Best advise I got from here years ago when dd sis same was serve little tapas dishes and all pick frome them.

Ie little cut up carrots, cucumber and dips... Sliced pitta bread.. Chicken... Half jacket potato cheese served seperatly... Small ramakin of tuna...

Talk to each other about the food but not her eg.. Jim... My goodness that's a tasty humours today.. The move on..

Mini buffet and as many family all just eating it without drawing her to it.. Ie make it a mindless act...

Many of us don't fancy huge meals or one choice.

Don't beat yourself up, do not make an issue of it... Do not panic.

Oh u took the words right out of my mouth my dd is the same and it's getting to the point where I've been told just let her eat what she wants she will try something new when she's ready I do find my self trying to get her to eat more different things but she will just not eat anything then x

I did something a little similar to the tapas thing. My Dd was on only child with a very small appetite.

I would wait until she felt hungry then give her a bowl of baby tomatoes, or carrot sticks, apple or cucumber or red pepper, to be going on with while I ‘cooked’ her toast, chicken nuggets, tinned spaghetti.

With my Dd it was more than a phase, but it turned out she was coeliac and thought having a tummy ache every time she ate was normal.

Write down everything she will actually eat, I’m sure it’s not literally toast and chicken nuggets, and sometimes in these situations we catastrophise and when we actually write down everything we see it’s not as bad as we thought

Then work with what she likes and expand on it, she like chicken nuggets so try her with goujons, will she have a different dip, will she put them in a wrap etc, different toppings on toast, different types of bread, toasties, then she’ll eat a toastie and she’ll eat a chicken goujon wrap so will she eat a quesadilla etc etc

Also when trying to expand what she’ll eat don’t worry so much about making it super duper healthy things, I remember being overjoyed the day one of mine would dip tortilla crisps in salsa! It’s just about expanding until she’s less fussy

And most of all don’t beat yourself up, most kids do this at some point or another