Is there such a thing as a child who cheerfully eats whatever you put in front of her / him?

[YunoYurbubson]

My children are 2 and 4. I don't think of them as particularly fussy, and they eat a wide range of things.

But OH for a meal time where they didn't peer suspiciously at whatever is on their plate. Or announce they don;t like it before trying it. Or asking for ketchup.

My dream is "That looks nice mum!" "Thanks mum, may I please get down?"

Possibly with a little jovial conversation or anecdotes about our day thrown in.

Does this exist?

Or has everyone had to ban the words yuck, disgusting and eurrrgh from the dinner table?

My DD (5) pretty much eats anything. Her current obsession is ribs (she happily polished off an adult portion in Giraffe the other week although no chips, she doesn't like them ) but she has also been known to express preference on types of sushi...

My DS 4 is not as easy going and has a tendency towards rudeness: "I haaaaaaaaaaaaaate that" before woolfing down a plate of whatever it was.

We eat out a lot and I think that helps with trying new things - DD particularly likes to be seen as "grown up".

In terms of what we eat our last few meals have been: chicken and mushroom risotto, salmon and brocoli with oyster sauce and rice, morrocan lamb and aubergine stew and lentil curry with harissa chicken.

Basically they get what they are given. Food is put in front of them, if they don't eat it I don't make a fuss or cajole but there is nothing else instead. they are praised for good manners raher than eating everything up and cannot get down from the table until everyone has finished.

I'm afraid I am quite a strict parent when it comes to table manners, mine are not allowed to say yuck etc. It takes them a while to learn but they get the message eventually

Most nights there is something on the menu that they aren't too keen on but also at least one part of the meal that they enjoy.

Agree that all kids are different. Even though I have raised them the same they have quite unique taste in food.

DS is 4 and will try anything with enthusiasm. That's good enough for me. If he doesn't like it then there's no pressure to eat it, although it goes on his plate if it goes on ours. He's allowed to leave anything as long as he's tried it.

He had savoy cabbage the other day for, probably, the first time this year and demolished the lot without prompting. I was very impressed

My 8 yr old DD 'loves' certain meals like beef stew and will tell me this every time it is served. I havn't trained the other 2 well enough yet though

it's not your parenting Ladybiscuit

I have one who will eat anything and one who is a big fusspot. I did nothing different and they are only just under 15 months apart so I doubt it was anything I did!

nancydrew - I don't offer alternatives, he gets what is put in front of him. But if you have a child that regularly sobs when you offer them something different, then after a while it gets a bit wearing.

Adair - I have given him a hugely hard time over the 'that smells disgusting' comment, believe me. And I don't pander to it - just carry on eating my thai soup regardless.

He has always been like this - we went away with friends when he was about 18 months and he was the only child (of about seven) who wouldn't eat the food that other people's mums cooked (we took it in turns). I despair to be honest

Sorry OP - didn't mean to make this all about me but I really really hate it. I find it really embarrassing and I love cooking so it's hugely frustrating too.

My son has ASD, mrsbigw, so even if I were strict (which I'm not, particularly), he would still say inappropriate things.

DD is 8y and we are very lucky with her. there is not that much she doesn't like. She will try anything - has tried snails and alligator for example. And she loves quite a range of food and is starting to eat more hot and spicy options more too. She's always been the same. Nothing I have done from what I can see. It does make life much easier though as me and DH love eating out so restaurants are a doddle with her. DD also loves cooking and loves to find new recipes to try out herself, esp if they use an ingredient she hasn;t really had before.

Fro what I have seen of friends with more fussy eaters - it isn't generally the parent's fault and they don't appear to have done anything wrong. I think it is just often down to children's personalities and also sometimes their way of having a level of control in their life can come into too.

You need to meet my ds, he dosen't even LOOK at his food before it falls down his neck

With things they say they don;t like - we go with the everything ought to be tried 20 times before they know for sure Mind doesn't work with DH, DD seems more adaptable!

I have one of these, aged 4. Tonight she said 'that looks really tasty, Mummy' (beef casserole with mushrooms, sweet potatoes, cabbage) Ate it, asked for more, ate that, asked for fruit, ate that, got down and cleared the pots away.

I don't know if it's anything I did (probably not) but she gets to help cook every meal and meal plan with me/help with the shop so maybe that helps. Maybe.

Wasn't suggesting that you should adopt my parenting style dolittlest merely joining in the discussion with my own experiences :)

ladybiscuit, i do believe the theory that some children/people are what they call "supertasters" which means that they are much more perceptive to taste and flavours and smells

i saw a programme mentioning it ages ago and they had all these babies, i guess who were around 10-14 months ish, and they gave them all these different foods to eat.

some ate them all, without a second thought, including thickly spread marmite, lemon segments etc
others showed a very, very strong reaction to them and even the tiniest bit on their tongue set it off

Mine are mostly like me - will eat most things but have certain things that we hate - the rule is here though that you have to try it once and if you dont like it fair enough but you have to try.

dd (2.5) will eat anything and everything though if she's hungry. ds will eat most things but not curry

I certainly dont get 'ooh yummy' unless its something they really like and have asked for - lasagne or roast lamb or some such.

Oh have just remembered though that ds and I went to a posh restaurant a couple of weeks ago and he ordered something that he loves at home but couldnt eat it as it was completely different and presented in the wrong way so maybe my dc are not picky here as they tend to like everything but dont like it done in a different way iyswim?

With mine, it seems to depend on two things:

• how hungry they are
• how long it is since they last ate it ( the longer the better )

I often wonder if its to do with how I weaned them/what I ate in pregnancy etc. On balance, it just seems to be different palates.

DD(4) at the moment doesn't like macaroni cheese, smoked mackerel ( which she loved when she was 3 ), avocado or pineapple.

DS (7) at the moment doesn't like rice, melon, mash or kiwi.

DS, up until a year ago hated eggs and omelette is now his favourite food, so it pays to keep plugging away or try a different method of cooking.

We went to Giraffe last weekend and they were both mad for my duck spicy noodles. Both have previously turned their noses up at noodles. I guess its because they were mine and I was enjoying them.

So they may be a little fussy about certain stuff at certain times but its all relative, I don't think they're that bad. Their table manners at the moment are another matter. Its a constant nag from me 3 times daily. I'm sick of the sound of my own voice.

Only one DC here, she is 20mo and very odd. Both DH and I enjoy our food, and she has always eaten what we eat. However she eats barely anything- I don't know how she runs around as much as she does! Literally, she will eat 3 spoonfuls and that will be enough. I only give her fruit between meals but she still picks away like a bird. She is strong and healthy and sleeps 12 hours a night so I'm not worried- just puzzled!

I would prefer a "fussy" child than one that doesn't seem to regulate amount or enjoy their food but just gobbles it down. I have one nephew like this and he is large, and he has always been like it.

Oops, sorry, Ladybiscuit, didn't mean to offend. Was trying to be sympathetic - glad you didn't pander to it. As I said, our battle is cutlery at the moment (she has used a knife and fork since 1 or something but happily eats with fingers unless I keep reminding, argh).

Fussiness IMVHO (and epxerience) is partly about expression (which is where the dc need to learn da manners) and partly about taste (fair enough, but I do lean towards the keep offering in a low-key fashion) and LOTS about control (which we all need, huh?). Good parenting is letting the kids have some of that control I think (which means they will be so-called 'fussy' about certain things).

I think most children find it hard to just eat what other people give them - my shepherd's pie is v different from others for example. Think familiarity is important. KNow lots of kids who eat olives (or spaghetti hoops) for example, mine don't really cos we just don't ever have them!

I was a very fussy child. I can remember how stubborn I was (and how I would actually gag at food). I do think my mum could have tried some things (grew embarrassed by my lack of familiarity with foods as I grew up) but I had other ishoos around control and tbh, it would have exhibited elsewhere...

(bit epic, sorry. )

I thought that I was uber Mum as my two dd's would eat anything then I had ds who is very fussy.

Oh no you didn't offend at all Adair! Sorry if it came across as a bit snippy - was typing quickly as the fire was about to go out :o

I think it's horribly rude of him. As is saying 'that lady has a really fat tummy' in a loud voice :( He's at at that 'say what you think' age sigh>

ladybiscuit sorry I wasn't suggesting that you ought to adopt my regime - it is just what works for us. Like some other posters have said my DC can be nightmares in their own way so I am just grateful for small mercies.

FWIW I am something of a foodie (I hate that term but think it conveys what I mean) I love food: I love cooking it and eating it, reading about it and like nothing more than people enjoying what I cook - I would have a houseful every night if I could child imaginable. I lived on pasta with grated cheese and toast. Never ate any fruit, wouldn't eat most vegetables, rice, anything with visible bones the list goes on.

I grew out of it by about 16 when I realised dairylea sandwiches didn't go well with my sophisticated image so there is always hope.

Lots of babies are completely non-fussy and will eat anything (spinach, broccoli, blue cheese, olives etc) but then it all can go a bit pear-shaped at around age 2. I don't really know why as I've not experienced it myself, but I do know it is an incredibly common thing.