If my DS#2 refuses to eat a broken cream cracker....

[OrmIrian]

...does that make him a discerning foodie,

or an awkward little ......person?

BECAUSE HE IS DRIVING ME MAD!!!!!!!!!!

I don't like to waste food and he wouldn't eat it until it had been 'glued' together with butter. "Round" (ie digestive bisuits) have to be really round - ie not broken. Milk has to be in green cup - not blue, not yellow, not orange...but green.

I need a strict nanny type person to come along and starve him until he is prepared to compromise his principles... I can't do it >

But apart from that he's just luverly....

My DS1 used to cry if I cut up his food because it was broken!

Yeah. He does that too. Which is why he ends up trying to eat whole sausages and great chunks of brocolli.

I'm sure it will stop. It did with the other 2 but meanwhile....

I know what you're going through! Frustrating indeed!

Apparently the biscuit thing is because a young childs idea of a biscuit is of a whole, round perfect biscuit. Whereas, OTOH, a crumbly, broken effort is NOT a biscuit and is just some rubbish they don't want.

ds1 now five was like this, biscuits, bread etc, but he just grew out of it, although he sometimes has a preference now on a grumpy day, I could not be bothered to persist with reasoning, too many other things that are worth the battle, like he used to have to just drop his trousers and take a pee whereever we happened to be!

I found the "this is how it is" method worked for mine but you've got to be strong and it's probably easier said than done if you've not been like that before now. How old is he?

They are just starting to recognise food. If they expect a biscuit, they have a clear picture in their minds about what a biscuit looks like, and if it doesn't look like that picture, it's not a biscuit.

I absolutely couldn't be doing with this. Don't glue it together with butter. Get a grip woman. You are in charge here. He's discerning because he's allowed to be. He's fully aware that you will glue it together with butter.

Just say 'NO'. Or 'No, sorry darling' if you're really fluffy.

I have always, I must say, used the 'This is how it is' method. I do not muck about with food. Period.

It is annoying but they do grow out of it. I don't like the fat on a pork chop, or the dusty bits at the bottom of the bran flake packet, so I wouldn't think it was fair if someone made me eat them.

I don't give the children things that would offend me like dusty cereal bits as mrsmalumbas describes or the broekn bits of biscuit at the end of the tin.

But, if the top half of a custard cream falls of as it comes out of the packet, they get it in two pieces, etc.

I agree that you should not be glueing food together with butter or anything like this - you need to be far more in control of what happens!

Oh...right. Thanks. I'll get a grip....

I've had 3 and they've all gone through this phase at some time. But DS#2 seems to be the worst. I guess it's something to do with needing to be larger than life to get noticed.

Meant to add - say 'no' Doh!!! Why didn't I think of that. I do...endlessly. It's just that sometimes it all gets too much.....

It's a phase..... I just hope it doesn't last too much longer.

My DS 3.5 and dd 22months are the same although ds was far worse and still is. It does wind me up but then I have OCD to a certain extent and would hate it if someone stopped me from doing my annoying little things. Its funny coz you know it's stupid but you can't help it and it's all about being in control. The good news is that it will pass eventually!

czn - Yes, I think the control thing is a big deal and TBH I don't blame him for that. We control almost every other aspect of his little life. He's not malnourished and he's otherwise a charming little chap so hey...I just wanted to post my momentary frustration.

Ds1 was like that - he used to weep over broken biscuits. He grew out of it (I never glued anything back together with butter though )

Now ds2 - easy peasy - I'd go "oh look that means you've got two biscuits" - big grin, happy as Larry.

I didn't grow out of not liking broken biscuits - I still don't - I just grew out of saying so. And when your house is infested with hordes of ravenous teenagers, the broken bits at the bottom of the tin are all you get anyway.....

My mum used to buy 'broken' biscuits which we loved as it was harder to guage how many we'd scoffed instead of say two biscuits then bed. Broken biscuits are fabby as adults - all the calories run out of the ends .

Now is that true verucca? Come on now....be honest . Because I'm in danger of raiding the biscuit tin which I happen to know is filled with lots and lots of broken bits that DS#2 won't touch...

I'm still old enough to remember Liptons grocers (only just) where you could buy biscuits by weight out of big tins. You could bu the broken ones at a discount. Gawd... I really must go and get my bus pass....

lol, with my DS I make sure there are two broken ones. One bigger than the other. Then I take the bigger one, give him the smaller one and he wants to trade (wise boy!) and is suddenly happy with the broken biscuit.

Orm, if you've had the same problem with all your three children it looks like there's a pattern... any ideas how this has happened? I'm just guessing, but may you're a bit of a softie???

Rumbled MrsMarvel!

But when it comes to broken biscuits I think I can afford to be don't you?

dont sweat the small stuff

place the cracker on the plate and tell him thats the one he is getting. if he doesn't eat it or continues to paddy then take it away and he doesn't get the cracker.

be strong, don't give in and he will be eating crumbs in no time