After 6 years to give up trying to get DD to eat my home cooking?

[Careerchanger2017]

My DD has never eaten much of her evening meal, when I ask her why she says she doesn't like it. The only meals she likes are chicken nuggets (frozen), fishfingers (frozen), breaded fish (frozen), sausage mash and veg, jackets beans and cheese, home made spaghetti bolognese and a pick and mix style salad. Aibu to just feed her these meals from now on? I'm sick of her refusing meals over and over and then going to bed complaining she is hungry. She won't even eat a roast dinner anymore she is getting worse as she grows up instead of better

Yabu

Just don't buy the frozen stuff at all. You can have some things she likes like chips (the McCain ones with just sunflower oil are best) and introduce other foods.

My 4 year old dd is very fussy but actually she will eat small bits of other things - it just takes a bit of a long game. So have to gradually introduce stuff and keep having it even if she doesn't always eat it.

We have a rule that she has to try something and she can't say "yuck". I have more success getting her to try something when I'm cooking it - so there no pressure for her at meal times.

The stuff she eats doesn't actually sound that bad OP. Heard much worse. I see you're going to have a go at making your own fish fingers, which is great, but even if you didn't, the decent quality ones with a high fish content are fine. If she likes pick and mix salads, I'd try and offer some of that each meal. Alongside your homemade chicken nuggets, that's healthy enough. Spag bol, great, do that once a week and hide some veg in it, and save some leftovers for her to have the next night while you all have something else. It's not the end of the world if she doesn't like roasts.

Oh gosh. Please stop worrying. It all sounds completely normal. For gods sake don't waste time making your own fish fingers. And don't try to cajole ("just one pea!" "But you really like roast chicken!" Etc etc because that really will create resistance. Read this instead www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/sep/22/dont-make-children-eat-greens

My DD has the same few meals straight out of packets on endless repeat (pie, chicken, battered fish, Mac n cheese). They get served with mountains of veg from the freezer. That way, I mind binning them less.

I cook from scratch for DH and I most days, but she won't eat any of it, even if it's something really kid-friendly like a pasta bake.

Does my head it, but there's nothing I can do about it.

Don't make fish fingers if you don't want to, but blimey, they're easy and quick to make, as are chicken nuggets. You just chop up the chicken or fish into whatever shape, dip them in a bit of egg, then breadcrumbs and then fry them.

My dd is 5 and she's been picky since about 3yo. Sometimes I fret over it and other times I think "fuck it, I wouldn't eat something I don't like" and I let her have plain pasta with sausages and Grated cheese on the side followed by a bowl of raspberries and strawberries. Not my idea of a meal but she eats it and she is thriving.

I hated mealtimes as a kid and frankly as long as dd still happily eats fruit and veg, carbs and protein I'm not entirely bothered by what shape or style or crispy coating they come in.

I have a picky one and a chancer - will eat almost anything but will angle for the freezer food.

The picky one just won't eat if she doesn't like it. She just gets skinnier (over a number of weeks) to the point at which I let her have freezer food followed by chocolate icecream. She doesn't really enjoy food like my other child and would rather be hungry than eat something she doesn't like. The 'only offer healthy and they have to eat it' method does not work for her. It makes her upset and too thin.

So I guess I'm saying OP you have my sympathy. My dietician friend said I should focus on getting her enough calories as she is still growing so rapidly at this age (4.5). And as healthy as she allows it.

On the other hand I have to restrict other child from eating picky child's leftovers, 'sharing' her treats and generally eating anything in front of her - she'll eat toothpaste, she'll ask for breath-freshening mints if she knows they are in my bag, she'll eat a sachet of ketchup with no meal to put it on. Whenever we have a trip out or a holiday or a special occasion in school, if you ask her about her favourite bit she always refers to the food element.

There has to be an element of nature as well as nurture as I raised them both and they're opposites!