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Original poster

Do your children eat a full traditional Christmas lunch?

216 replies

Babieseverywhere · 25/12/2014 19:47

I was looking at my Facebook (I know) and I was amazed at how many children were sitting down to a full traditional Christmas lunch with no fussiness.

So are our kids, the only fussy ones out there, who turn their noses up at lovely turkey and roasties ?

OP posts:
BlueEyedPersephone · 26/12/2014 11:14

My ds (almost 4) had sausages instead of the meat, he doesn't seem to like meat in pure form. He tried other bits but would prefer pasta or pie Hmm

LindaJill · 26/12/2014 11:14

IMHO Christmas is overwhelming for some children (even when they are quite old). So no they might not eat stuff that is normally their favourite or want to try anything new. I always do a small pizza for one of mine. He helps himself to whatever else he fancies from the veg etc. and he has ketchup. It's his Christmas too and I want him to have a nice day with stuff he likes.

Some years I've done lots of extra pizza and you d be amazed how many people put a slice on their plates along with the full turkey dinner.... As long as everyone's happy!

Chunderella · 26/12/2014 11:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Babieseverywhere · 26/12/2014 11:21

It is not just a Christmas thing. Our kids are fussy all the time...I do wonder what they find to eat at school (school meals) !

OP posts:
PiratePanda · 26/12/2014 11:22

Mine ate a bit of chicken (yay!), turned his nose up at the veg including roasted and mashed potatoes, ate a bit of ice cream, insisted on having an apple....and that was it.

Mind you he usually won't eat anything but pasta, so chicken was amazing.

I cannot believe I have bred a fussy (non)eater.

ProfYaffle · 26/12/2014 11:24

dd1 is fussy, dd2 isn't but, fortunately, a roast dinner is something they've both always enjoyed (apart from Parsnips and sprouts!)

ZanyMobster · 26/12/2014 11:25

I should say that although my 2 did eat the roast dinner we only gave them a smallish amount as I agree with others that it can all be a bit much for them and they just wanted to play with their presents.

They did also have chocolate for breakfast Shock

Chunderella · 26/12/2014 11:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LindaJill · 26/12/2014 11:32

chunderella I think that liking the look of something and being happy to have it on your plate is part of the learning to eat it. Some DC need the steps to be quite long and drawn out. My non eater took ages at each level before a food would actually be eaten. I'd take it as a good sign! And it's why I try and put a bit of each thing on each plate even if it's only tiny...eventually (after months) it might get eaten!

BsshBosh · 26/12/2014 11:32

My 6yo eats a traditional Christmas lunch with us. She has get likes and dislikes like all of us but will try anything once (I've taught her to). But she's not a fussy eater so that helps. I have been quite strict with her though in the past: she gets no alternatives if she refuses to eat a meal.

LindaJill · 26/12/2014 11:35

Btw still use this approach with my teens when they are being fussy/hormonal/dramatic about what's for dinner. Put veg on the plate, then ignore DC behaviour/whining entirely, about half the time it does actually get eaten.

maddy68 · 26/12/2014 11:35

Yes of course? But then they eat anything anyway
Not really into fussy eating, I've always put everything on their plate and it made a fuss if they leave anything. But next time it's back on the plate as next time they might like it

20fifteen · 26/12/2014 11:36

Yes our D'S (10) ploughed through his Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. But then again it's really just a roast dinner isn't it? Was very pleased he ate 3 Brussels sprouts - he has always treated those with content in the past.

Chunderella · 26/12/2014 11:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fusspot66 · 26/12/2014 11:38

DS 4 1/2 not one bite
DD 8 1/2 tried the turkey and ham, suddenly loves sprouts this year but isn't well (cough/catarrh lurgy)
Smike and ignore. More wine dear?
This too will pass.

Bunbaker · 26/12/2014 11:40

DD always used to, but she gave up meat this year, so she had salmon en croute instead of turkey, but had roasties and veg just the same (except for sprouts, which she loathes).

WorraLiberty · 26/12/2014 11:42

My 3 do (except for sprouts)

I'm the youngest of 5 and we all did too

I could never imagine my Mum entertaining the thought of making making different meals when she had a family of 7 to feed.

TheEnduringMoment · 26/12/2014 11:43

There are times when I think that my 2 DC conspired behind my back to divide the food universe into two non-overlapping sets of "things DS will eat but DD won't" and "things DD will eat but DS won't" and I get huge amounts of flak about that from my DPs (which is harsh because DF, DB and I are all quirky eaters).

However they both wolf down roast chicken / turkey dinners, always have - bar DD's inexplicable parsnip hatred.

AndSoThisIsChristmas · 26/12/2014 11:48

Yes my 4 does and have since they were able to eat a roast with us. I have often made roast when we had play dates over as I find it is the one thing most children will eat " something" of.

Today we are having roast gammon I know that will be wolfed down as it is a firm family favourite.

Bunbaker · 26/12/2014 11:50

There's nothing inexplicable about hating parsnips Grin

They are loathsome and only fit for cattle fodder IMO.

Sallystyle · 26/12/2014 11:54

I'm not really into fussy eating

Well, neither am I but I just can't stop my son gagging and throwing up when he tries a food he doesn't like.

OP, I have a very very fussy eater. He likes roasts, well the puddings, sausages and a bit of chicken but he likes very little else. He would live on haribos if he had his own way! He will go to bed hungry for nights on end instead of eating food that makes him throw up. The whole kids won't starve thing? mine would! He would either starve or just throw up a lot so I don't really have much of a choice really. I have to cater for it to keep him alive.

It's tough but I figure at aged 13 nothing is going to change any time soon; if ever, and my aim is just to get him enough nutrients and calories as I can on the limited food he will eat.

My dd5 used to eat anything and everything. Right now she is going through a very fussy stage. I don't make a big deal out of it, BTDT with the others and I have found that letting them get on with it for a while and not turning it into an issue really helps and I have no doubt she will go back to her normal good eating habits soon.

MrsFlorrick · 26/12/2014 11:54

DD (5) scoffed the lot. She loves roast dinners. DS (3) was moaning and whining because he knew the house was full of biscuits and sweets and homemade bakeries so he was holding out for some of that

He did eat a little of it and a whole large Yorkshire pudding dipped in gravy (or "graby" as he calls it).

So one will but not the other. Perhaps try and look at different trimming so there is something for the fussier ones to pick at for longer?

WhoKnowsWhereTheMistletoes · 26/12/2014 12:00

No, DS who is 10 and has ASD doesn't like any of it and has pasta with tomato sauce, all the rest of us have at least one thing we don't eat (DH hates sprouts, I hate parsnips, DD hates stuffing, we all hate spiced bread sauce and only make it for my parents). Roast dinners are not a regular meal jn our house, definitely not anyone's favourite type of food. Christmas dinner not the time to be making people eat things they don't like IMO.

OhFestiveDay · 26/12/2014 12:05

No, but they've got better recently. Two years ago when they were 2 and 4 I made a separate macaroni cheese as they wouldn't have eaten anything on the plate. This year one ate yorkshire puddings and carrots, and tried the turkey, and the other ate yorkshire puddings, sweetcorn and sausages.

School meals for the eldest has had a good effect on eating veg, though she's still picky about meat. She insists she will never ever ever eat potatoes and I don't make her try them. Normally if there's something she says she doesn't like on her plate I ask her to try it but then she can leave it.

Youngest is still more forceful with what she does and doesn't like and will try/not try, but she's a lot less picky than eldest was at her age so I'm hoping she'll improve as she gets older.

Bunbaker · 26/12/2014 12:06

I'm not really into fussy eating

Neither am I, but you clearly haven't had to deal with a really fussy eater. When you have a baby who has dropped off the centile chart who refuses to eat what you want them to, and have a health visitor voicing concerns about how underweight your child is, perhaps you can give constructive advice on how to make them eat.

That comment was really unhelpful

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