Is there a point/ age at which you accept that your child dislikes a food?

[GreatGooglyMoogly]

If so, when? Do you stop giving it to just them, or stop using it in family meals completely, or neither? Your views please

Cece, some people perceive flavours differently (particularly children) hence the likes and dislikes. In some, those dislikes may be based in food intolerances, in some other in problems to tolerate the texture, and some other times is just plain dislike. (but there are so many things we dislike in life and we don't have to force ourselves to continue )

i.e. I hated cabbagge as a child, I remember a quite distinctive flavour that made me think I was munching on a bicycle wheel (not that I have much experience munching wheels but the smell of it was the same as that of my bike tires). Anyways, now I can not perceive that flavour and cabbage is one of my favourite vegetables, but... can't eat much of it because I feel bloated a few hours after that.

Everyone has different tastes and I do believe and respect that children can dislike foods. For example dd doesn't like butter on her sandwiches so we don't put any on, dh doens't either and went through every day at school throwing his sandwiches away and going hungry because his mother wouldn't believe him and continued putting butter on his bread He still doesn't eat anything with butter on now.

DS1 won't eat many potaotes, but it's the only thing he won't eat. DS2 on the other hand is a bit more fussy, although he has got much better. He will not eat mince in any shape or form - spag bol, mince and tatties, shepherds pie etc, he will eat burgers or meatballs as he doesn't seem to realise they are made of mince. I think it's a texture thing with him, same as pasta, he won't eat it, or beans or peas. He eats loads of other veg though, things i disliked as a child.
I was made to sit at the table until I had eaten something - somtimes I would be there for ages,hours even, and would gag and retch when eating the food. I try really hard not to be like that with the DS, if they don't eat it they aren't forced to sit there and eat it.

my dh wont eat any fresh vegetables, mainly salad, wont touch peas and corn if they are together touching or mixed( happily eats them apart). My ds had a real problem eating anything that wasnt orange in colour( we weaned him on pumpkin and carrots and other food which blended well to become orange) just out right refused it, until he was 14 months old. he now eats everything and i mean everything.

Even now as an adult I am slowly changing my mind towards certain foods. I disliked a LOT of foods when growing up and a lot of them I eat now although I think it boils down to taste VS texture for me. Most stuff that I used to hate was because of the texture whereas stuff that I still don't like (especially cream) is because I don't like the taste of the food.

Just to add, I also HATE bananas, they are disgusting.

so did we come to a conclusion about when to give up, though? i'm interested, because i keep reading on here that you've got to offer 20 times (or somtehing) before they like something. or is that before you accept that they don't like something. dd used to love spinach, for example, but now seems to loathe it. i keep giving it to her but end off eating it myself...

DD1 decided she hated chillie, she'd eat the veg on the side quite happily so I left her to it. A few weeks later I made chillie to which dd1 says 'Oooh is mummy making chillie, chillie is dd1's favourite'. And at supper she ate the lot, I try not to get worked up about food, so long as she's eating a fairly balanced diet, and I'm not cooking seperate meals for each member of the family, they can get on with it.

I really hate the texture of bananas, used to eat them as a child though. I cannot stand tomatoes either.

Oh God- I hope it's not 8. I will have to stop giving my son anything to eat apart from sweets.

Eggs in any shape or form used to make both my boys retch - they just couldn't swallow them and if that's not disliking something then I don't know what is!

Ds2 is fussier than ds1 who has a very broad palate but that said I get the impression that ds2 isn't as fussy as a lot of children. He doesn't like chocolate in any form either and is always cross if deceived by a smartie with the chocolate hidden in the middle.

FWIW I really hate some things that my parents love - celery springs to mind. Also blue cheese, hot fruit in savoury dishes (pineapple, sultanas) and red peppers give me dreadful heartburn to the point of feeling sick.

And what I meant to say was if there are things in this life that I just can't stomach then surely there are things like that for my children and I'm not about to carry on forever trying to 'make' them.

I'm in my late 40's and my mother still hasn't accepted the fact that I hate broad beans in parsley sauce

OK still can't think of anything I don't like although I have realised I do have preferences.

For instance I wouldn't choose to eat capers but if they were on a pizza I was given to eat then I would eat them. Would that count as a dislike? Likewise cups of tea - I never choose to have a cup but would drink a cup to be polite if I was a visitor somewhere.

I loathe capers