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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to have used food colouring to fool my child?

18 replies

MsTeak · 17/06/2011 18:06

Uber-picky middle child, major issues with trying new foods, would like to survive solely on pasta (with a choice of 2 sauces), pizza, (with only cheese and tomato) and peanut butter sandwiches.

Have been trying to hide vegetables for a while, Mr-Mini-Marple always finds the tiniest clue and refuses to eat anything. So today, while trying to make a hidden-veg-pretending-to-be-plain-tomato-sauce, I used red food colouring to hide the green hints he always sniffs out.

So, genius or evil mother?

OP posts:

chicletteeth · 17/06/2011 18:09

I need to know how old he is before i can comment

purpleflower123 · 17/06/2011 18:09

Did it work? If so I would say genius

tallulahxhunny · 17/06/2011 18:10

bet hes 17 or something lol

MissVerinder · 17/06/2011 18:11

sweet... Was it that beetroot stuff you used?

Original poster

MsTeak · 17/06/2011 18:25

He's almost 4. I think it was the rabidly chemical one I used.

And he's eating it!

OP posts:

LineRunner · 17/06/2011 18:26

Did you tell him it's made out of beetles?

Evil genius.

chicletteeth · 17/06/2011 18:33

Well, he's still a little young to take too hard-line an approach.
But my view is no child will starve in the presence of food and so as long as you don't serve him stuff he really hates (for example my DS1 hates cheese and mushrooms and just won't eat them so I don't serve them to him) then I think YABU.

I would give him a plate of food, if he refused to eat it I would not make a fuss, remove it but not provide any snacks until next mealtime when the process would be repeated.

I bet within a few days he would stop being so picky unless he's in the tiny majority of people who have real issues with grub other than being a fussy child.

Did you know that it takes on average 15 times before a child will be receptive to a new food?

Also, the chemicals in the colouring are probably worse than not eating the veg to be honest so in my view it kinds of defeats the purpose.

Onemorning · 17/06/2011 18:43

I think it's genius. I'm writing it down for if I have kids.

Original poster

MsTeak · 17/06/2011 18:53

Trust me, I've done absolutely everything recommended and more, he's under a paediatrician and a dietician (seperate but related issue), and they're all out of ideas too.
The child needs to eat some vegetables, by hook or by crook!

OP posts:

pigletmania · 17/06/2011 18:59

YANBU if it works than fine, go for it. Its a means to an end.

chicletteeth · 17/06/2011 19:16

Well then Teak, it that's the case YANBU

rooks14 · 17/06/2011 19:51

Don't think of it as deception, it's just a subtle was of proving to him that he likes something, without him having to confront his fear of eating it. He'll have overcome that fear and enjoyed it without any of the trauma of forcing him or starving him.

chicletteeth I understand the psychology of that approach and it does work. But it must be very traumatic. I'm extremley fussy eater, I'm pretty sure I belong on that freaky eaters that used to be on bbc3! I can't imagine being starved until I ate something. (I don' like meat or dairy, things with lumps, slimy things, thick things like milkshakes or smoothies. I don't like 90% of veg - except cucumber and the top fluffy bit of brocolli.)

Since being pregnant i've had to do stuff like boil the guts out of a carrot until it's really soft and blend into tomato pasta sauce, just so i'm getting something! If I have to fool myself at 20 to eat veg, then as long as he's eating it then I think it's a good idea!!! My foods are limited in what I eat, but as long as i'm getting the nutrition then I don't see what's wrong? (drinking orange juice with added calcium etc!)

dustyhousewithdustypeople · 17/06/2011 19:53

YANBU, I'm definitely doing this tomorrow.

debka · 17/06/2011 19:57

Brilliant!!

chicletteeth · 17/06/2011 20:35

I don't make an issue of it though rooks14

As I said above if it's just a fussy child rather than something else (this would then include you from your description above), a decent variety of food on a plate will always include something that they will eat. I fail to see that this approach can be considered starving your child; one that entails three decent plates of food offered three times a days?

Pregnancy means all food rules go out the window so your example here isn't really relative to a picky child.

Clearly OP's boy has issues since she's taken him to a dietician so under these circumstances, I don't see the problem.

However, a fussy child who holds out to get what he wants, will always hold out to get what he wants if he's always given it.

chicletteeth · 17/06/2011 20:36

p.s. my kids eat most things other than certain dislikes, which everybody has and have never gone hungry

MrsKarbonara · 17/06/2011 20:45

How much did it take? A whole bottle?

Original poster

MsTeak · 17/06/2011 21:51

not much really, about a capful. I'd already tried with tomato puree and it doesn't work enough. He looked suspiciously at it, but he ate it!

Honestly, I had lots of theories about getting children to eat, and thought I must have done everything right with my first child, who did and does eat absolutely everything and anything. But I did nothing substantially different with the next one, and I have a child who eats bugger all. But the third is like the first, so I've come to the conclusion its fuck all to do with any skills or otherwise of mine!

I'll definitely do it again, there was broccoli, peas, corn and carrots in there, none of which he will touch if he can see them.

OP posts:

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