Fussy eaters aged 8, 11 and 13 making mealtimes such hard work!

[ducdo]

We have three children aged 8, 11 and 13. The eldest DS is actually great and will eat most things, incl small portions of veg and some fruit! Yippee!!

However, middle daughter's 'err I dont like that, there's bits in it' have rubbed off on youngest and now mealtimes are awful trying to find something they all like and giving them some variety.

I ask them each week to do a weekly meal planner and even that is a chore coming up with 5 meals without incl chips too many times.

All they want to eat is spag bol, pasta and sauce, chicken/sausages + chips, yorkshire puddings and I think that's it.

Eldest two like chicken curry and roast dinners, youngest doesnt, eldest likes omlette and pies, younger two don't - story of my life this is i could give more examples.

When little, they ate all sorts of variety, balanced, healthy foods, now just gone off them completely.

I can't cold turkey them and say if you dont eat it, you cant have anything else, as they're at the age where they can just help themselves to food in the cupboard when i'm not looking (e.g. quick biscuit out the tin, or snack out the fridge).

If anyone's been through this and has any words of advice, I would love to hear them!

Marking place as mine are very similar. I actually lock the kitchen door at times to stop the bread/biscuit/juice runs my 7 year old does. I fed him artichoke when he was weaning ffs, why are his tastes so bland now?!

My two went through stages like this.

the meal plans are a good idea, I would continue with that but once or twice a week add things that one of them isn't keen on, but let them eat the bits they like.
My dd went through a stage of not likening roasts, but I contained to make them, she'd just pick what she wanted to eat.
She also decided she hated spat bol, so I'd cook her some pasta and plain tomato sauce.

How do you deal with the kitchen raids?

Hi there,
I am feeling your pain. My almost 9 yr old has always been an awful eater. So frustrating given dh and I eat everything and anything. He has never, ever, eaten anything green, to my knowledge. Except of course a haribo, if it's green. Awful.

I now go cold turkey. Even if he claims to be hungry at bedtime. He's tall and thin, but prob not under weight. Carbohydrate central at our place, sadly. Even give him spitulina tablets. I refuse to produce a meal plan or menu. I just serve up, and if he refuses, he starves. But he'll never starve, really! And we eat the same ish thing often. He's just stubborn. No other issues. Plenty of fussy eaters in the family, so it's not a complete shock.

He does eat meat, fish and chicken. Thank goodness. I just keep going, although I have visions of a uni student living on beans, fags and red bull...

It's Just really, really annoying. Frustrated face!

Good luck to you all.

My DS has been challenging to feed, but is better now at 12 and will eat quite a few things, though absolutely nothing green. Having 2 fussy ones must be stressful OP.

My method is same as atonofwashings, I just cook and serve and he either eats or he doesn't. I do always cook several meals a week that he will like, but I'm not restricting the rest of us to eating just those. The last year or so I let him make himself a sandwich if he doesn't want what's on offer, or a bowl of cereal. On occasion I cook extra of a meal he likes and give it him again the next day when the rest of us are having a meal he doesn't like. He is growing really fast at the moment and needs to eat. But I don't let the kids raid the fridge or anything else! What if they eat tomorrow's dinner? The only thing they can help themselves to is milk.

He has just developed a love of curry ( provided nothing green in it) and now eats several fruits from choice, so he continues to very slowly improve the range of what he eats.

the fridge / cupboard raids are v. annoying and whilst they all know they should ask if they want something, i do see the sneaking sometimes. Now they are getting older, its harder to deal with as they will do it behind my back or if they get caught, particularly my DD will just smile and run off! Sooo annoying, thinks its clever... then we end up arguing. Not good.

These older years are proving tricky!

yes, the fridge raiding is happening at ours too. And the bread bin raids, too. I've tried bribing with puddings, but he'll happily go without, despite a very sweet tooth. Multivits and other supplements are given and taken, but I am hoping he sorts himself out. it's hard with they are growing and ds has sprouted a lot recently. Not sure how he survives! And what's with the avoiding of all that is green? I've heard chat about human instinct telling us to avoid, but it's hard when you see other kids tuck in to broccoli florets and the likes with out question... Ho hum. we just keep going!