If you have one fussy eater, how do you stop it impacting the rest of the family?

[PikachuEars]

My eldest DC is a fussy eater - only like a restricted number of mostly fairly bland, mostly highly processed foods. I don't know if its severe enough to qualify as ARFID but I certainly recognise elements of it in his relationship with food.

My youngest is pretty average - he'll try a much wider range of foods, though given the choice he'd generally prefer the beige meals that are the only things my eldest will eat.

I find it really hard not to end up serving meals that meet my eldest's needs but mean my youngest is eating a much poorer diet than he otherwise would.

I find it really demoralising and I feel like we're stuck in a endless loop of pizza, nuggets and plain pasta and I don't know how to create better mealtimes. Help!

Anyone?!

Hello.

I feel your pain.

3 kids. Middle child only eats pizza pasta and other highly processed foods.

My daughter isn't brilliant either, but better than she was.

Youngest will mostly try again, as long as it's not spicy.

Have you tried rice dishes. We have tried this less popular than pasta, but they will eat it. Healthy to. Sweet and sour or risotto and chilli. Don't mix them up and have them all separate so they can't moan that there is peas in it or something and don't eat any of it. Eggs are pretty universal for us. Blend the veg in with sauces so it's not obvious. Anything in breadcrumbs is generally well received, so try for less processed like vegetable fingers or not battered fish fingers. Try home made versions of the pizza pasta nuggets plain plate menu. So they have less salt fat sugar. This may introduce other flavours.

Try having his (good eater) friends over for dinner. Always a winner.

Do you get fed up with eating the same food every week? Miss curries and posh pasta dishes with herb and spinach pesto. Oh well one day.

Good luck

My kids were only allowed pudding if they ate some veg; more veg = more pudding. The fussy one barely touched veg, the others ate lots veg & got pudding. Everyone knew the rules to get pudding.