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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to want dd to eat her damn supper?

44 replies

fustybritches · 02/04/2015 17:39

She used to eat pasta
She ate pasta when she had a star chart to earn an Elsa doll
She eats pasta bake

So why won't she bloody well eat a single piece of pesto pasta?

I know I'm supposed to be nonchalant about this, but I just can't do it. How can I get her to try things?

I know she's hungry and she doesn't get pudding if she won't try her supper.

Please Mumsnet, I'm at the end of my tether.

OP posts:

Marmiteandjamislush · 02/04/2015 17:45

YANBU. Assuming she's school age, put dinner down in front of her and go and sit opposite her and read the paper. No begging, no pleading, no negotiating, no arguing.

AlternativeTentacles · 02/04/2015 17:45

You aren't using enough bribery. Make it worth her while.

WrappedInABlankie · 02/04/2015 17:46

I eat pasta
I eat pasta bake

I do these without the need of a chart

Hell will freeze over before I touch pesto!! Hth

Jackieharris · 02/04/2015 17:49

I think pesto is a really strong flavour to give a young DC. I don't eat it.

Just stick to tomato pasta if it makes life easier.

It's not like pesto is particularly nuitritious.

Bakeoffcake · 02/04/2015 17:50

Maybe she doesn't like pesto?

How old is she?

ResurrectAndEatShitChoc · 02/04/2015 17:52

Pesto is not nice.

Let her off with having something she just doesn't like

cashewnutty · 02/04/2015 17:52

Pesto pasta is horrible I wouldn't eat it either. I do eat many other things with pasta. Just not pesto.

manchestermummy · 02/04/2015 17:52

I ate nothing but pesto as a student and cannot touch the stuff now (it was the 90s, it was new and cheap).

Has she had it before?

ragged · 02/04/2015 17:53

I feed them what they'll eat from the selection of what else we're making for everybody. Life is too short.

Fairy13 · 02/04/2015 17:53

Has she tried it? It is quite a strong flavour in her defence, but she obviously won't know that if she hasn't tried it!!

Agree with above poster, sit back and don't engage.

monkeysox · 02/04/2015 17:54

Pesto has nuts in it, might be why? Give her something else.

merlehaggard · 02/04/2015 17:54

I will eat most forms of pasta/sauces but will also not eat pesto. Perhaps that is the problem.

99pokerface · 02/04/2015 17:54

Add message | Report | Message poster Marmiteandjamislush Thu 02-Apr-15 17:45:10
YANBU. Assuming she's school age, put dinner down in front of her and go and sit opposite her and read the paper. No begging, no pleading, no negotiating, no arguing.

agreed my children get one meal they eat or don't if they don't then nothing else bed with empty belly simple pesto is not a strong flavour at all I am from a caribbean background my children eat all sorts or currys wand what not chikdren will eat what their given if not pandered to op take marmites advise

VeryVeryDarkGrey · 02/04/2015 18:01

Pesto is disgusting stuff i dont blame her for not wanting to eat it

Original poster

fustybritches · 02/04/2015 18:04

She doesn't get anything else.
She's tried pesto, used to eat it all the time, ate it happily when the star chart was going, I use it on pizza (her favourite)

It's not just pasta, it's any supper other than pasta bake, pizza, risotto, sausages and veg.

I present her with healthy, tasty food and she won't touch it. She'd rather go hungry. She's 4.5. Growing, healthy, etc, but she won't try anything. I feel like crying. How will we ever get out of this if she won't try anything?

OP posts:

nilbyname · 02/04/2015 18:07

We used to make ds have a taste of our plate and then get him to tell us his thoughts, if he liked it, it would go on his meal plAn.

My mum made me eat stuff I hatesd and it made me very food adverse until I went to uni and had to cook for myself!

buildmeabuttercup · 02/04/2015 18:09

My dd is like this. She's only 2 but won't eat an evening meal. Things she used to eat she wont touch, it doesn't matter what we give her she pushes it away and says she doesn't like it. She refuses fruit but will happily eat it at nursery.

This isn't helpful I know, but you're not alone!

CoffeeAndBiscuitsPlease · 02/04/2015 18:11

My other half eats pasta way too much for my liking. Won't touch pesto. IF she hasn't even tried it though YANBU

toomuchnutella · 02/04/2015 18:11

yabu and I'm o you shouldn't be using rewards for her eating food (star chart) using food as a bribe or taking it away as a punishment (pudding).

FirstWeTakeManhattan · 02/04/2015 18:12

Oooh harsh words for pesto. Fresh pesto is lovely, some bottled pesto is grim though, I grant you.

My 3 DC (7, 5 and 1) all like it stirred through pasta with a bit of cooked chicken, peas and soft cheese to soften the flavour.

It is a strong flavour though, the smell alone is quite powerful, and if your DD doesn't like it, it's a bit unfair to make her eat it.

LowryFan · 02/04/2015 18:13

My dad used to give my brother 2p for finishing his meals. It worked well for them, 30 something years on I am still slightly bitter. But if she doesn't have siblings could be worth a try?!

worserevived · 02/04/2015 18:22

Stop worrying, stop using rewards and bribes, or withholding pudding, stop making food into an issue, and just let her eat whatever she wants off the plate, even if that is nothing. She's pushing your buttons, and she knows it.

Tomorrow, dish up her food, eat yours, chat normally, clear the plates away without commenting on what she has eaten, dish up pudding (if you are having it), eat yours etc

After a while she'll realise you aren't going to react and not eating will cease to be interesting.

I have a two year old, and her latest thing was chewing up food then spitting it on the floor. My reaction was tell her 'no' and clear it up.... so she kept doing it. Once I started ignoring this she stopped.

Original poster

fustybritches · 02/04/2015 18:22

I'm not going to make her eat it!

Pesto pasta is just today's meal. Yesterday it was noodles, she wouldn't try those either.
Last week at her friend's house she wouldn't try pizza because it looked different from my homemade version.

I know I shouldn't use bribery, but if she's 'not hungry' for supper why should she have pudding?

I tried not commenting on eating, giving pudding regardless, for 3 months, she started eating less as she knew she'd still get pudding.

Doesn't help that ds is dropping his nap this week, I'm in need of a break! Thank you for your replies mumsnetters

OP posts:

FirstWeTakeManhattan · 02/04/2015 18:25

How old is she OP?

EponasWildDaughter · 02/04/2015 18:32

One of mine went through this. DD1 i think. IIRC we used to just always put something in the meal which she liked, and let her just eat what she wanted of it. She was very slim and i'd worry about her weight, so to supplement her vitamin intake i'd give her a chocolate Complan at bed time every night. We were quite lucky because she like egg cooked anyway, potato cooked anyway, baked beans and PLAIN pasta, so could slip one of these into or onto most meals. She grew out of the fussyness over time. (she's 22 nos and eats anything you like).

Just keep your chin up OP, and try hard not to get into arguments about food with her. I know its REALLY hard. I used to picture how i'd feel about the food if someone was trying to badger me into eating something i didn't fancy at the time. Very off putting. Counter productive.

Would she like the pasta better just plain? Or with just a little salt and butter stirred in?

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