Help me with my fussy eater.

[jmh740]

At home there's myself oh dd10 and ds 7 I'm veggie oh and dd are huge meat lovers I often end up making 3 meals in the evening which is driving me mad. Ds is very fussy he will eat just plain pizza, macaroni cheese, chicken nuggets occasionally fish fingers, tortellini with grated cheese on, scrambled eggs, Tom soup, cheese, Jam or chocolate spread sandwiches thin fries wont try fatter chips jacket pots with cheese and that's about it, I've got into a cycle of just making what I know he will eat but I'm worried about his limited diet does anyone have any suggestions of how to broaden his eating habits without each meal time ending in tears?

Maybe branch out by using what he eats. Buy a base and make Anabel karmels hidden veg sauce for the pizza. Make your own nuggets and fish fingers. Try adding butternut squash to the macaroni cheese - there are recipies if you google. Purée up some greens to add (hide) to the tomato soup. Nut butters instead of the sugary spreads. If he'll eat scrambled eggs maybe other eggy things - eggy bread, quiche (can put some veg in)

Letting him feel hungry really can make a difference. Offering just 2 snacks and 3 meals and offering something boring if a meal is refused. Explaining that you'll just serve one meal but make sure there is always something on his plate you know he eats. Then encourage him to pick out the bits he likes.

There isn't a lot of iron there. Does he eat a fortified cereal like ready break for breakfast?

Shredders and weetabix are two of his fave cereals

Weetabix ARE fortified!

Both of them are fortified. If you offer him some fruit high in vitamin C with the cereal it will help him absorb the iron.

He usually has apple or orange juice with breakfast.

Will he eat any veg at all?

He won't really eat veg I'm struggling to think of any he will eat. Just remembered he will eat sweetcorn but not on the cob. He does like fruit but it's really the evening meals I'm struggling with. If I make a roast I give him chicken nuggets because he wouldn't eat roast chicken I make him mash because he won't eat roasties if I was doing carrots and broccoli I would put a small piece of each on his plate and ask him to try and eat at least one, he would get stressed about this last time he tried carrot he started gagging so I've left it for a while I don't want meal times to become a battle.

Have you tried him with fishcakes? Fairly similar to fish fingers and mash potato but if he would eat them you could make a load and freeze them and could mix things up a bit with different fish and also add in mashed veg (sweet potato, parsnip, cauliflower, butternut squash).

I'm currently reading through this website. www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/index.php
My own problem is different (over-eating) but she covers all food issues. Basically encourages you provide family food (at mealtimes only) and put no pressure on child to eat even indirectly and wait for them to eat it. Might be worth a shot.