To think most kids hardly eat any fruit and veg

[Mummabear04]

I've just noticed that when I have kids round for play dates that loads of them will not eat any fruit or veg snacks. I understand not everyone will like everything but there are so many kids who will refuse apples, strawberries, grapes and I just find it mad. None of these kids have AFRID or any other needs. They always ask for sweets and chocolate which is fine and I don't mind giving them some but AIBU to think that most kids don't really eat any fruit or veg?

I think it probably seems like your own kids eat more because inherently what you have in the house reflects what they eat?

I've asked countless kids what veg they like and offered a big selection. Lots openly tell me they hate veg. DS asks them if he can eat theirs 😂

😆 Very true!

Why are so many people on here concerned about what other people's kids eat on playdates? The children are coming to your house to play, not to eat.

I don't view it as my business what other people's kids eat or drink. My kids don't drink juice but we have some in for playdate children since I know some won't drink water and it's important when hot to keep them hydrated if they're here for a few hours. I don't insist that kids drink only milk or water in our house, like my own children do.

I try to find something that visiting children will eat (even if it's toast or cereal), but there are a whole host of reasons why they might not feel comfortable eating in my house so I don't take it personally (or as a reflection on their parents) if they won't eat what we're having. I just tell their parents what they had to eat when they pick up so they know whether they'll need to feed them later.

If I'm dropping off my older one for a playdate, I tell the parents in advance that DC1 probably won't eat anything so don't go to any trouble or offer anything special. I don't expect hosting parents to provide my DC with any special food (or indeed any food at all) but what I do expect is for my DC not to be pressured into eating or made to feel bad without a trusted adult there to support them.

My oldest is very fussy about fruit, apples have to be hard ones not the softer kind, and preferably sour, and even then she'll only eat them once in a blue moon. Bananas occasionally, if they are pretty close to unripe, not if they have any black on the skin. Kiwis have to be hard too. She'll eat berries though. On the flip side, she'll munch on raw cabbage like its a tasty snack.

Youngest will eat whatever fruit is on offer, steals raw onion when I'm chopping it for dinner, and enjoys snacks of frozen peas. Cooked veg he will eat under duress. Loves salad.

Children's friends that have come round haven't seemed keen on veg but have always eaten it when served it.

Fruit gets eaten. The more expensive the better! Veg is a never ending battle of wills!

Even my fussy eater eats fruit but it’s very much on her terms and depends on the day which she would choose to eat!
put a vegetable on her plate though and that’s a whole other story…

I think going to another persons house is 'fun' isn't it so they expect 'fun' food like sweets and chocolate over healthy food.

My kids love fruit! Literally bankrupts me every month with the amount I spend.

Haven't noticed this at all.

When my DD has friends over, she sees that as an occasion and will want to have a nice treat, but this would be alongside fruit, veg sticks.

To be fair, if you were hosting someone, you'd probably serve up something a bit more special too.

Urgh same. She always wants all the berries and only reluctantly snaffles and apple or banana.

Fruit gets absolutely hoovered up at our house, we had quite a large play date this weekend with the nice weather and all the fruit went, the cucumbers and red peppers were super popular too! I didn’t really have loads of sweets and stuff out though, they all just got an ice cream once they’d had their
’picky bits’ 🤣

Mine won’t as she’s too busy at a play date playing or will be opting for a treat over fruit/veg. However she will have at least 6-8 portions of fruit and veg per day. I think we may possibly be into double figures today

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I’ve not observed this; my eldest nephew ate all types of fruit and veg from a toddler. Only one in my family who won’t select fruit is my youngest son - he’d much rather have a bowl of cocopops!

But their friends all eat fruit and veg and I’ve only ever had one child to dinner who would only eat pizza and nothing else.

Also, you have no idea what they eat at home.

This isn’t my experience. No one prepared me for the extent to which my soft fruit spending would rocket after DD started on solid food. Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries. She has two pieces of fruit a day at school. Loves raw peppers and tomatoes - the first thing she eats off the plate.

She does like sweets too, but she eats far more fruit (and veg).

I have one child who probably has ARFID and another whose favourite foods include Brussels sprouts, broccoli and asparagus.

all kids are different

Depends on the kids, or more accurately the parents. Plenty of places you can go to the country and see obese parents with obese children eating crisps and sweets on the way back from school. Plenty of places you don’t.

One of mine doesn’t eat much fruit. She just doesn’t really like some of it - it’s actually not really that good for you a lot of the time (high sugar, little nutrients) so it doesn’t bother me. She will eat bananas, apples, strawberries, melons. She doesn’t like cucumber, tomatoes, veg sticks, blueberries or raspberries. She doesn’t have a bad diet and we are mainly upf free, but she would rather have a bowl of cashews than cucumber. She is never given pre packaged snacks. She’s just not that keen on fruit.

My DS is autistic and does not eat any fruit or veg!

My other child does. It’s nothing to do with parenting. You already have a harder job so don’t beat yourself up about it!

Some don't. We go through a punnet of strawberries a day. A punnet of grapes abs blueberries every other day. 2 lots of banana a week , net of satsumas and whatever else is in season.

Salad stuff they don't particularly enjoy but they do eat lots of veg just nit a huge variety, carrots , corn, broccoli, green beans, sprouts

I am extremely lucky that my son (age 11) literally eats anything and everything, fruit and veg included.

His friends tend to be good with fruit but a lot are more fussy with veg.

At the school I work in (secondary) if I am in the dining hall at lunch, I notice a lot of veg gets left 😔

My DD11 doesn’t eat any fruit, and the only veg she tolerates are peas and baby corn (she hates them but will eat them).

My DS7 adores fruit and veg. His favourites include brocoli, cauliflower, green beans... and pretty much all fruit!

They were raised the same way but DD has ARFID and DS doesn't. DD can't eat/touch fruit or veg. DS eats them before anything else in his meal!

My 3rd child absolutely loves his fruit and veg! He could probably go vegetarian if necessary. My older 2 not so much...

We regularly meet with friends! Today for example there were sweets, biscuits, ice lollies as well as peppers, cucumbers, melon, apple, blueberries & strawberries. Of course they all had a sweetie or two or 5 (haribo) but ALL apples, strawberries, peppers, cucumbers and blueberries were demolished. Some had a biscuit, some didn’t!

We always always bring fruit because it’s the thing most of them eat!

In my experience everyone dislikes a thing or two but will eat a range of other things. My small people for example enjoy peppers, tomatoes, carrots, cucumber and lettuce/spinach. We recently went to a friend's and were served courgette, celery, olives, beetroot and mushrooms which had limited success with my children. But I've had those kids at mine and they didn't like the peppers and cucumber. It's probably a little of what you know/are used to.

I usually have a plate of veg out whilst I'm prepping dinner so if anyone comes in hungry they can snack on veg sticks to keep them going. They feel like they got a sneaky pre-dinner snack, I got additional veg into the smalls. Win.

Saying that to agree with someone up thread, if my two are at a party or someone else's house they're usually far too busy to eat properly unless I'm there encouraging them. They often come back so hungry!! So may also be a bit of that?