How do you get around fussy eaters? Tell us to win £100-worth of picture books! Ends midday 8 February

[SorchaMumsnet]

Eat Your People! is a hilarious tale of fussy eating, guaranteed to get children giggling. To celebrate its publication, we want to know how you get around those pickier eating habits.

Do you think vegetables are yucky? Just wait until you see what Monty the Monster has on his plate!

Monty definitely does NOT want to eat his people. He'll eat his vegetables - every single one! - but he will not eat his people.

For your chance to win Eat Your People! and a £100 picture book bundle from Hachette, just tell us: what are your tips for dealing with fussy eaters?

This discussion is sponsored by Hachette and will close at midday on 8 February

Books T&Cs apply

[user1472646069]

Making sure they were hungry. That meant not always having lunch or tea at a set time but waiting until he was hungry.

[purplevamp]

My kids are getting fussier the older they get! I just keep dishing up the food, eventually they start eating it! If they genuinely don't like something I won't make it for them, but most of the time they just think they don't. Also it's best not to make too much of a fuss about them not eating something. If you don't keep pestering them to eat it then they will start to eat it. But...easier said than done sometimes.

[Carriecakes80]

Three out of my four children have been massively fussy eaters, and with the first one, I worried, stressed, would cook five different dinners, trying to tempt him into eating, scared that if he ate one more slice of chocolate spread toast he would turn into one...these days with my six yr old who won't try anything, or, if she does, will taste it with the tiniest eensiest bit of her tongue, then proceed to act as though I have wiped my shoes in her mouth, even running to the toilet to rinse her mouth out with a look of utter disgust at me for letting something so heinous near her.
That was her trying a chip.
My girl will talk a good game...promise to try something because she is a big girl now and she wants to get bigger and be healthy, then the second its in front of her, you would be forgiven for thinking I had carved up her favourite Teddy, Mr Teddington, and served his head on a bed of snakes.
So...to sum up, how do I deal with the fussiness? I don't. I have given up, past caring! My other two grew out of it when they realised "Hey, we're hungry, but mum has no Chocolate spread or crisps in, darn it, we're going to have to eat dinner!"
Being fussy in a household where the cupboards are as empty as mums purse 98% of the time means you either starve to death, or you're going to have to get on board with eating Mums rubbish cooking like the rest of 'em!

[lhlawrie]

We have a reward chart, if they try something different then they can earn a sticker. Once they reach 7 stickers then I get them something small like a blind bag.

[Bellroyd]

Just don't let them get away with it - leave them hungry! If you relent, they'll play you like a violin and you will always be dancing to their tune they should be dancing to yours!

[jandoc]

I find by constantly trying to introduce new foods works great

[maria08k]

We encourage and sneak!! Hahahaha.

We encourage our son to pick out one vegetable and one piece of fruit from the Supermarket each week that he can try. His chosen veggie and fruit is then prepped by him so he feels grown up and "part of the process".

I also blend alot of veggies and hide them into sauces and gravies to make sure he is getting goodness into him!

[zebedee01]

My son went through a very fussy stage. I kept on putting the foods on his plate even though he told me he didn't like them. I think that is the key to it really, keep it normal! He has always eaten with us, eaten the same foods as us and been offered the same foods as us even when he was very fussy, and eventually he did start to eat different foods again!

By the way he wasn't starving! If he didn't eat his meal I would offer him something later on :)

[Doodygirl2009]

My son is a nightmare eater he eats the exact same thing every single day and he refuses to try anything new I'm hoping I can pick up some good advice on here

[TiggersAngel7774]

I wish i knew my son on the autism spectrum and food phobias are massive, real bad gag reflex

[Dessallara]

giving smaller portions to my daughter worked a treat if it's a very small portion and she doesn't really like it she will finish just because there isn't a lot and if she wants more she can always ask for more. When she was getting portions before she was being fussy even before she tried the food

[Rigbyroo]

Dd is a terrible eater lately. I try and involve her in menu making, food shopping and preparing food.

[xxgeexx]

I would love to know if anyone has the secret lol! The only thing i have found helps is letting them cook with you and mine are more likely too want to try there own handywork x

[chrisisorange]

My 2 yr old has pretty much been a self imposed vegetarian from birth. It's no big issue for us, but there are some foods (fruit and veg) it would be great if he ate more. I think like several comments have said, it's a case of working from what they will eat and gradually expanding it, different sandwich fillings and similar colour/size/flavour foods. Exercise first so he is hungry helps too.

[Sarah250187]

I get my 4 year old help me to prep dinner and we try as we go! Also him watching us try different foods encourages him too as well!

[grannybiker]

You can try all sorts from getting them to grow, care for and harvest their own veggies to hiding grated carrot in cake, but at the end of the day, no one thing works for every child.
Very few adults survive solely on grated cheese, cucumber and white sliced bead with the crusts cut off. Your toddler will eventually experiment further.

[piggypoo]

We get the kids involved in the cooking, and make the food into little faces that smile or have big teeth! That way, the kids can experiment with different tastes and textures, it never fails!

[HerRoyalFattyness]

Get them involved in making it. They tend to want to eat what they've made.
Also, don't give up. Keep offering it on the plate. If they don't eat it then don't worry about it, but carry on offering it. Eventually they'll try it.

[sarahw2]

I've always found that not forcing the issue has worked. Offer the 'offending' food, and if they don't want it, then that's that. Their curiosity has always gotten the better of them in the end and they end of trying it of their own accord. Maybe I've just been lucky with my two!

[pinkspideruk]

dont force the issue - introduce new foods in a relaxed setting - do messy play, cook together, put little bits to taste to the side and so on to encourage them without forcing them

[clarabella12]

make it fun and get them involved

[jamielmdjs]

storytelling. from pretending food items are objects (like trees and footballs) to playing it as a game and eating to win points.

[GiraffesAndButterflies]

Relax. I get much better results from my DD if she can see I'm laid back about what she eats.

Rewards (e.g. sticker, tv time) for trying something new/disliked.

Distraction- when we're not all eating together, it's a horrible atmosphere if I sit at the table just watching her eat. Usually we have the radio on and I clean the kitchen and chat to her.

[carrieo83]

My 11 month old is mostly really good and will eat anything. Some days she wants to be fed and sometimes she won't take anything from me, I just go with it and embrace the mess! X

[bex552]

Give them the foods they like but mix it up with new foods to try, one at a time, and try more than a couple of times!