Why are people so competitive over what their kids eat?

[Fuebomba0]

Like eating a kids meal at a restaurant isn't that bad , just don't see why a lot of people are competitive over what their kids eat. Like wow your 5 year old DS eats seafood paella 👏👏

BLW is absolutely fine if you are going to do it safely. I work with young children, and so many parents give me things to feed to their children that are just a choking hazard to be honest. One in particular was terrible for it. I made the mistake of giving the child things from his bag, going against my better judgement, thinking mum knows best, she would only put it in if he was eating it at home.....then he would choke. After about the third or fourth time, anything I thought was a risk was taken out the bag, kept for another child and I would give him something else. He wasn't choking to death on my watch.

It is bizarre. Surely it can’t all be attributed to parenting skills. I grew up eating mussels, olives, jalapeños...you name it, I ate it. My sister came along - same parents, same dinner table - and wouldn’t eat anything that wasn’t beige and with ketchup. She grew out of it eventually. I think parents unnecessarily congratulate and berate themselves for all sorts of things when not everything is either an achievement or a failing. Sometimes kids are just weird.

My eldest DC will eat absolutely anything - the more obscure the better. Except mushrooms. But will eat any other fruit or vegetable.

My youngest DC will give anything a go. Can have quite ‘exotic’ tastes. Loves all fruit and veg.

My middle DC will not eat fruit or vegetable in a recognisable form. ie; will eat chilli/pasta with hidden veg Etc but won’t eat veg on a roast dinner. Fruit in no form, not even a Banoffe Pie!

Interesting people see it as a competition - it’s luck more than anything! I’ve done everything the same with weaning etc.

I have two very different eaters.
8yr old loves proper home cooked dinners, loves a roast with plenty of peas and carrot, loves a spag bol, loves chilli etc...as long as its not too spicy. But can I get her to eat fruit or a variety of lunches. Not a chance.

6yr old is a trier. She will question anything new and give everything a good try. She has expensive taste, loves a steak, peppered sauce. She loves avocado on toast. She loves a good home cooked dinner too and will eat quite a good amount of fruit most days. She hates sandwiches. Detests them.

They love the idea of going to McDs but when there they don't ever finish their meal. They do enjoy a chicken nugget and chips dinner, but not a regular basis.

It's always olives and smoked salmon round here. "Oh, Arlo would eat me out of house and home with smoked salmon!"
Give him some bloody quavers and calm down. Fucking disgusting stuff if you ask me and I'm 40.

Surely it goes both ways though? My ds eats anything and everything. He often gets mocking comments if he asks for something not on the kids menu. I don't care what others eat, just what my child eats.

@Boom45 nah, who knew no pram after 2 was a thing! DD is nearly 4 and I’m still depreciating her pram cos a) it cost actual cash and b) it’s bloody practical for a run, supermarket shop, coats and bag hold etc. I now get the looks I’ve been receiving, clearly some judges fuckers think my child is too old but I don’t care. I’m efficient and angry like that 😂

judgey

Is it just me or is anyone else really enjoying this thread? With the pandemic it feels like ages since we had a bunfight about weaning/food/sleep

I have to wean DS2 in 2 weeks, so it'll be interesting to see how similar or different he is to DS1 (DS1 took ages to get the hang of eating, then had possible allergies, but now isn't fussy at all)

@Nix2020

It starts with blw (which is just unnecessary) then keeps going. It's a competition basically.

Unnecessary how? @Nix2020

@Nix2020

It starts with blw (which is just unnecessary) then keeps going. It's a competition basically.

Unnecessary how? @Nix2020

@1Morewineplease i'm not sure of this is actually true but i'm sure I read somewhere that in France, they don't have snacks especially aimed at children and they don't have kids menus, just a regular menu for everyone.

Op - people can’t help themselves. Their insecurities shine through in these cases. I’m getting used to just ignoring. I’m of a ‘give them a bit of everything and they must try it before dismissing it’ POV. Some people are fussy eaters, others are fine. Same with kids. No one gets a trophy coz their dc eats foie gras ffs

It's possible to think that it's annoying when children's menus are always fried and chip based without being a food snob.

I love a good take away and fry ups and a chippy tea, but when I go out to eat there's a whole range of good available to me and restaurants don't send the message 'you are an adult so have some caviar and olives and other disgusting food that's meant to signify class'. If I want chips as a side, usually it's available.

Look at children's menus and they're too often something+chips. The whole premise is that children couldn't possibly want to eat a broad range of food. It's annoying.

In my friendship group most children actually do like to eat some fruits and vegetables, so if they give them these all the time they will eat a healthy diet. I think the problem is that the list of dislikes is still quite long, but as long as you don't focus on that, it doesn't make it impossible to eat healthy, it's just the same things every week.

@Waxonwaxoff0

Agree. I love it when there's a McDonalds thread. Some people trip over themselves to tell you how much their DC hate McDonalds.

My children don't eat burgers or pizza. If it weren't for the fact they suck up chips and crisps in seconds I'd be hanged as a fancypantssnob.

Its the rice cakes that get me. I don't know what they are, have never had one; but they seem to be the thing to carry in your bag and give your children when they have finished an activity.

@DrCoconut

I have autistic food fussers. The number of people who have hoiked their judgy pants is amazing. So now I'm just yeah yeah your kid's favourite is moules mariniere with a side of olives and obscure crudités and my kid would eat more than a bread roll if you were his mother. Have a gold star. That said it would nice to plan meals a bit more exotic than McDonalds.

Yep, I have those. And they also won't eat MaccyDs, although the fries are 'alright'.

@eddiemairswife

Its the rice cakes that get me. I don't know what they are, have never had one; but they seem to be the thing to carry in your bag and give your children when they have finished an activity.

I have actually started buying these and giving them to my kids so I fit in. 🙈 Kids do actually like them, mind!

And you feel bad about it because your kids are the typical 'kids menu' kinda eaters?

Kids menu are chips and nuggets and pizza. Just junkfood really.

I love kids who eat anything. It's upbringing. Teaching kids about food and about different structures and taste. (special needs etc asside)not going to cook your kid a different meal when they say they don't like something.

Fussy eaters is a first world problem. Literally.

I won't be giving my kids any fast food like maccyDs. It's too tasty and I know they'll never want to eat my homemade meals again.

“Oh, I don’t do competitive parenting.”

That usually shuts them up.

yeahnahmum so in a family with one kid that eats anything and another who doesn't (PPs on this thread) how does "it's upbringing" work then?

@ambereeree

I won't be giving my kids any fast food like maccyDs. It's too tasty and I know they'll never want to eat my homemade meals again.

Rubbish! DD loves a McDonalds dinner but she also loves homemade soup, spaghetti bolognese, chilli...

@Yeahnahmum it's nothing to do with upbringing. I eat pretty much anything and love trying new food. I've brought DS up to try lots of different things. When he was a toddler he ate anything. As he's got older he has decided he "doesn't like" most food. Initially I refused to cook him different meals and he just would not eat anything. He's very skinny for his age. I'd rather he ate something than nothing so now I just do things I know he likes. He eats plenty of fruit and veg, he loves a chilli or a bolognese but he won't eat any kind of potato apart from chips, he won't touch fish and he always goes for chicken nuggets if they are on the menu.

I was quite a fussy child and had a phobia of being sick so I had a limited diet. I grew out of it and I'm nothing like that as an adult so I'm not particularly concerned.