Picky eater. Unhelpful husband

[Fran88]

Hi

My four year old son is a picky eater. Granted, feeding him can be bit of a nightmare, but it could be worse. He's just started to eat meat, albeit of the breaded kind and we can get the odd fruit and veg down him.

Mealtimes usually falls on me, as does much of the parenting. My husband finds it all frustrating and embarrassing and isn't a fan of the soft approach.

I was more than happy for my husband to try dinner with my son tonight and introduce some new food. He chose an incredibly potent fish pie!

Life happened and we didn't end up getting home until quite late- past bed time. My son was overtired.

As soon as my husband put the fish pie in front of him he started crying and got very distressed. I suggested trying tomorrow straight after nursery when he's not tired and probably a bit more willing. Even if he starts crying again, I'd be more inclined to persevere.

My husband is now giving me the silent treatment and thinks I'm being soft. I'm all for encouraging my son to broaden his diet, but I don't see the point of causing distress.
He loves pasta, so why not add something to his favourite meal to make it more healthy?

It's also very irritating that he's had no involvement and all of sudden wants things his way.

Any thoughts would be welcome.

Hi Fran88, seems likes your husband doesn't know how to engage with your 4 year old, he seems kinda persistent, as a mother of three children and one of them being 5 years old, I can also relate to you, my husband well now ex husband never had a soft side, and that's why it ended well that and the fact I found him cheating on me.

Anyways, the point being said, communication is key, and I think you and your partner need to discuss things to help your 4-year old.

Hope this helps. xoxo

Hi Fran, I have a bit of experience with picky eating. My son is currently 126 months old but used to struggle massively when he was 5 years old. We took him recently for a test and found out he has autism which was most likely the cause of his picky eating and issues with flavours, textures etc.

Make sure you don't jump to this conclusion immediately but just for you to think about.

As for your husband. My husband was massively helpful when my son was growing up. We found that talking about what troubles us and any worries with kids was the most helpful as we got off to a rough start but worked it all out after some communication.

Keep your head up, Doll x