DS is 5 and apart from maybe his first year on proper food, he's been really fussy. We probably hit a low point about 18 months ago when I had a battle with him every single meal time just to get a few mouthfuls inside him. I was tearing my hair out.
But I persevered and for the past year I've been on a massive mission to cook all different types of food in the hope that we'd get him more enthusiastic about food and find a few things he likes. It's kind of paying off...he's still not nearly the variety I'd like him to be eating but I reckon I have about 10 meals ( most of which are various pasta dishes!) that I know with a bit of persuasion he'll eat.
But there's still stuff that I think he should be eating and enjoying...like risottos and mild curries ad fritatas that he won't touch.
I'm just wondering where to go from here. Some friends are telling me that I should be pleased that I've got quite a few meals now that he will eat and I should stick to them. But if I just stick to them I feel like I'm limiting him...and my DD (15 months). If you were me would you carry on cooking curries, risottos, frittatas etc knpwing that they'll be rejected but in the hope that one day he might change his mind about them? Or would you just give him stuff you know he'd eat?
At the moment I'm still cooking loads of meals and still getting frustrated when they don't get eaten. I know I could make my life easier but it feels a bit like defeat!
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Fussy eater: should I just give him what I know he'll eat or keep offering variety?
CoffeeChocolateWine · 15/10/2013 18:33
CoffeeChocolateWine No, I don't think that! It is definitely one of those things that is so hard to see/deal with when you are in the middle of it. The need to 'feed' our offspring is so primal & emotive.
It doesn't even have to be 'batch cooking' just make a bit extra of what you are having for your dinner and give it to DD the next day (they really aren't that fussy about it being reheated) or make double of what DS is having and give it to him the following day as well. It doesn't have to be a massive 'batch cook'. Look for ways to 'do a bit extra' that can cut down the next days cooking.
Also, don't worry about DD. It cuts both ways with how their tastes develop and change. Just try to get nutritious food into them with the least stress to you - in the long run, it will all work out. Good news/bad news is that what they eat at the toddler stage doesn't seem to influence what they eat/like when they get a bit older!
And yes, look at DS - does he look like he's suffering due to lack of fritata?? 
They are only little for a short time, try not to worry about how little variety he eats and just try to make sure he eats good stuff, even if it's the same day in/day out.
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