CM club: fussy eater turning DS fussy!

[lechatnoir]

My youngest (3.5) DS has always been really good with food - will eat pretty much anything you put in front of him, lovely table manners etc. I've started minding another boy (4) twice a week who is lovely they get on brilliantly but he is a very fussy eater & it's started to rub off on DS. Little things like using his hands more to eat, announcing things he's previously loved as "yucky" and generally announcing "I don't like that" to pretty much everything I offer (my reply of "yes you do now eat up" still works but I wonder how long for)

Any tactics on stopping mindees bad habits rubbing off on your own children in particular poor eating?

i would just continue what you are doing - praising his good eating habits and giving him lots of positive attention, and not rewarding the mindee with the poor eating habits, ie - no dessert, no getting down from the table before others have finished etc.
can you sit them slightly seperately also? rather than next to each other? (I know you may be doing this anyway...)

Also talk to mindees mum about what she does at home with regard to his eating and explain it is impacting on your ds - see what her input could be with reinforcing good eating habits?

I agree with not rewarding your mindee (only one choice, regardless of whether he eats it etc) but it may also be the case that your DS is simply going through a phase - many children do, even if they've previously been adventurous eaters.

Thank you both

I am in exactly the same situation, and have talked to the parents. I have got a food list of what they definitely like, but it is limited, so I cannot always accommodate.

It is very difficult, but keep going and your family attitude to food may rub off on the mindee