To see how long they can go without food?

[twolittleboysonetiredmum]

Half joking title... Posting here as I know ill get a decent perspective on my very minor problem.
I have two DS who are 4 and 2.5. They are, like most tedious small chn, picky about what they eat. Fine. Normally I make sure there's one thing in a meal they'll eat eg we had curry and rice - they won't touch the curry but will eat the rice etc then I let them have yogurt/fruit/custard for pudding. Or something more exciting if we have it in.
However - they've started getting to the point that they won't even eat the rice. And I'm also sick of them refusing to eat anything new. Ever. They won't even try a mouthful of unfamiliar food.
So should I refuse to give them anything other than their main course until they try it? And hopefully they'll get so hungry they'll actually eat it? Or are they too little for that?
They're also shit sleepers and early risers so we worry about them going to bed hungry...

[abbsismyhero]

my fussy eater ate nothing BUT curries for the first three years of his life i had to hide veg in them constantly and you should have seen his face when i gave him a roast dinner! they grow out of it hopefully!

your four year old is old enough to understand that not enough food eaten means no yoghurt/fruit etc

im embarrassed to say i got desperate enough to shove my 2 (almost three) year old in front of the tv last night he will eat anything in front of the box and i really wanted him to sleep past four am as he is waking up "hungry"

he woke at three am

[catsrus]

I took a different tack to most people on here. I made them what I knew they would eat (eg jacket potato, cheese, beans) but I made myself more interesting meals, lots of veggies and interesting flavours. I ate with them and they were allowed to try my food - but I was very clear that this was grown up food that they "might not like", I was not willing to "waste" it by giving it to them because I really liked it. This removed any pressure from them to eat unfamiliar food, but gave them the opportunity and incentive to try it.

A bit of reverse psychology often works well but try not to get any of them hooked on smoked salmon

[Geraniumred]

Would they eat a thick, smooth soup with, maybe croutons or bread and cheese? Carrot and butternut squash or red lentil is nice and unthreatening.

[manicinsomniac]

My parents tried this with me when I was 5. They thought I'd give in when I was hungry enough.

I ended up in hospital with a tube feed.

Some children will not try something they don't want to!

[IceBeing]

two I would make some pasta..have maybe two sauces to choose from (from jars...I work full time ) and then salad stuff and fruit and yogurt all at the same time (probably wouldn't do bread as well because DD is a pasta hoover and it wouldn't get a look in - but why not if yours are unsure about pasta!)

[IceBeing]

sorry its prob already been said but have you tried raw veg as opposed to cooked? DD eats raw mushroom, pepper, courgette but doesn't really go for cooked of any of those.

[BlackeyedShepherdsbringsheep]

I would cook what they eat. freeze some and give it to them when you are having curry. they can have a taste of curry too if they want. This is what I do when I fancy a stir fry and dd hates it. or risotto and ds hates it.

[Nanny0gg]

However, fussiness is a choice

No it's not.

[Jw35]

Why not nanny?

[DancingDuck]

Jw35 - it can be a symptom of something: allergy or food intolerance, gastric problems (in DS's case he had such severe reflux that he associated food with throwing up and so with a sore throat, bad taste in his mouth and painful stomach, so he was food-phobic and skeletally thin for years.

It also turned out he had ASD and so new textures and tastes scared the life out of him. f I hadn't been extremely indulgent and allowed him to pick and choose, and to be very rigid for many years about what he would and wouldn't eat, then he'd have been even iller and thinner than he was.

[BlueSmarties76]

Exactly what formerbabe said. No pudding unless a very good amount of food has been eaten and has to try everything on the plate, even if it's just half a teaspoonful. DS was a terrible eater until a couple of years ago (only wanted beige foods) but thanks to this method (I think?) will now eat anything - last week we had salad for dinner (did include lentils but was mostly leaves, peppers and tomatoes with dressing).

[twolittleboysonetiredmum]

Thank you all. I'm feeling motivated and starting tonight. I'm removing pudding totally, unless it's a birthday etc put a choice of food out and leave them to it. And that's it. I really hope it works...

[Nanny0gg]

Jw35

If I had to eat a food I dislike (and sadly I dislike many) I would probably be sick.

Sometimes it's the smell or the taste but more often it's the texture I can't get past.

I don't choose to be choosy (or fussy) and it has made going to people's houses very difficult over the years. (unless they know me well).

[IceBeing]

good luck two I hope it works for you - don't despair if results aren't instant though!

[Witchend]

I was a fussy eater, and I still can't eat some things my parents insisted I ate. I will vomit if I try, which is embarrassing and irritating.

I was fairly good,at trying new foods. Pity I really disliked the two mainstays of my parents' diet.

I also loose hunger if I haven't eaten for a while, so saying don't eat was fine by me. I could, and I still can (but don't) get along fine after half a day or so without eating as I genuinely don't feel hungry. In fact I have to force myself to eat if I have been without food because I know the longer I go the harder it is to eat.

Looking back, although I was labelled the fussy eater, I actually had a far more varied diet than my siblings, because I ate less usual stuff... Or at any rate stuff that wasn't generally served at home. My siblings wouldn't eat anything unusual.

[BlueSmarties76]

I once read that children are naturally neophobic with food so will not like / tolerate something until they have eaten it 5 times.

I also saw a (BBC?) program featuring a man who worked with food in some capacity and tried to make himself like the foods he hated by eating them a lot over several weeks starting with minuscule amounts. He did suceed, but said that the foods he hated most would never become his favourites, but that he would no longer be put off ordering a dish which contained them. Some of them he did really enjoy by the end though.

[BlueSmarties76]

Regarding continental kids eating well compared to Brits, I recently read 'Bringing up bebe' by Pamela Druvkerman (about French parenting). She described how the French local authorities are responsible for planning food in all nurseries and schools.

Essentially she believes French kids eat so well because the French have no concept of special food for children. From the time they start nursery they eat adult meals consisting of 4 courses - cold vegetable based starter, protein based main, a cheese course and pudding. Snacks between meals are not allowed either.

[HeadDreamer]

bluesmarties and of course with that the children also have the peer pressure to not to be a fuzzy eater.

[knobblyknee]

Have you tried (are you sick of hearing that yet!) having a non fussy, slightly older child over for tea? Someone they would copy.

Please be aware, it is acceptable to bribe non fussy child before hand.

[KeyserSophie]

MNers stress far too much about children's diets being exotic and that if they dont eat olives from birth they will grow into social pariahs. Providing they get the necessary macronutrients for proper development and growth, who cares if they get it from plain chicken and rice or coq au vin with parmentier potatoes? Food is fuel. Eating some stops you dying. We fetishise it far too much.

Secondly, most children grow out of fussyness. The only vegetable I would eat until I was 10 was peas (frozen, natch) or salad veg. The only meat was chicken (other than in sausage or burger form). I'm now unfussy- with the exceptions of runny eggs, I'll eat anything put in front of me, even if I wouldnt necessarily choose it from a menu. However, I have some sympathy for the fussies because I do literally vomit if I try to eat a runny egg- have had to stare down many an omelette chef on this.

All that said, I do think snacking increases fussiness in that it moves "it's not my favourite but I dont mind it" into the "dont like it- wont eat it" bracket - to be honest, I'm the same. e.g. Grilled salmon- boring as hell but if I'm hungry, I'll scarf it down and think it was quite nice.