Super fussy eater! Help!

[Babybeesmama]

Hey. My 3 year old dd has always been a fussy eater but its driving me mad, she would happily live off beans & sausages and shreddies if I'd let her! She's not a big meat fan (with the exception of sausages!) and tends to chew mince but then spit it out ! More texture than taste. I think it's all my fault in a way - she was diagnosed with hiatus hernia at 18 months & had lost weight so I did let her have what she wanted in a way because I was so desperate she put on weight.

I now also have 10 month old ds who is an amazing eater.

Any hints/tips/recipes very gratefully recieved!

you could try a few things...
take her shopping and let her choose from a limited choice, ie broccoli/ or peas? pasta spirals or tubes (pasta shapes fun as loads to choose from)
then cook pasta, explain what you're doing, let her chop up ham/ cheese/ olives/ red/yellow pepper/ cucumber/ whatever
put in little piles on a plate in the middle, give her pasta and get her to decorate it with toppings, green or red pesto is an easy sauce, again she can spoon it on

or toast/grill 1/2 buns/ crumpets melt cheese on top and do the same with the toppings to make mini pizza faces

it's making food fun, allowing her power of creating it

then there comes the point where you decide how strict to be re: trying/eating the food

you can do fruit dippers for yogurt, again she can chop up fruit - bananas are easy, soft pears etc but whatever she chops she has to eat.

At least she will eat some things, trick is not to worry about it, shreddies have all the vitamins she needs - my 3yo niece is V similar, beans/sausages and chips is the only evening meal she will properly eat. they'll get bored eventually and try new things

What treatment does she have or the hiatus hernia? Have you read My Chikd Won't Eat by Carlos Gonzalez?

Thanks for the replies! I will try letting her help. I can occasionally persuade her to try things but it takes ages. I did think about trying a reward chart for trying new foods.

She's been weaned off lansoprazole for reflux over time jilted and they are happy that unless she has symptoms again it won't need repair. I think she does prefer smaller meals because of it. Might take a look at that book thanks x