My 3yo dd is becoming more and more fussy about the dinners she will eat. She has never been brilliant but the number of dinners that she will eat is down to about seven/eight (most of which are tomato based). Things that she ate a few months/weeks ago she will now not try, let alone eat, she won't try new things and she is getting pickier about different versions of the same things, i.e. if spaghetti bolognese has 'green bits' in (herbs) she won't touch it.
She is also fussy about sandwiches but that doesn't bother me so much, other than she is now refusing fillings she ate a month or so ago.
She is absolutely fine with breakfasts, lunches and eats lots of fruit.
We have tried various strategies but none seem to work, what we tend to do at the mo, if she doesn't eat any dinner at all, is make no fuss about it, don't give her any pudding and then she has fruit for supper (as I don't want her to go to bed hungry).
If she tries some of something new or that she doesn't have often then she does get pudding.
It has occasionally become a battle ground, which I know is the worst possible thing but it drives me crazy when dh is cooking her nice food and we are getting to the point where in order to keepg giving ds (who is one and eats most dinners) a variety of foods, we will have to give them different meals as otherwise she will not have a dinner for two or three nights a week.
I don't know what to do - is what we are doing at the mo the best strategy or should I stop snacks (she tends to have fruit or breadsticks) or stop giving supper or give her things I know she won't eat or just give her things I know she will eat? She sometimes likes to help make lunch and has in the past helped with dinner but this makes no difference. It is so frustrating and I am really starting to dread thinking about what to give her and mealtimes themselves.
Any advice would be great. Thanks.