Food waste and children

[YukoandHiro]

Is there any solution? It's making me miserable (and costing me a lot)

Not that I’ve found for my toddler.

I’ve had to mentally reframe what she chucks on the floor as a learning exercise, rather than waste.

How to you serve up? I find allowing children to help themselves (obviously stepping in if veg dodging etc) to be less wasteful than plating up. Obviously depends a bit on age of kids though.

Food waste as in older children just turning up their noses and refusing to eat or younger babies and toddlers throwing their food around?

Don't overfill their plate, give a few bits and refill once they've eaten it.

Feed them the same as the rest of the family so anything they've not had plated up can be eaten by somebody else or saved as leftovers.

Try to get them involved in the preparation and serving of meals.

I do plate up but sometimes we do sharing from one big dish. 10 month old is very keen and good at self feeding but is obviously a baby so the floor sees a lot of action. My 4yo is quite picky and so we keep exposing her to at least one item she doesn't eat every meal in an attempt to improve her attitudes to food - but then it either goes into the bin or into me (I am also gaining weight as a result of hating the waste...)

For the baby, how about a mat round the high chair that is clean enough to eat off so the food gets picked up and returned for another attempt at making it into the mouth?

For the 4 year old, only cook her full (child-sized) portions of the bits you know she will eat. For the new foods you are exposing her to, just make yourself/partner your usual amount and give her a little of that. Then if you end up eating it, it's no more than a standard portion. If she loves it then you make her more next time.

I totally sympathise with you, I hate food waste! My six year old is going through a picky phase but as he was previously a good eater I am taking a harder line... Although it's tempting to just make a nice meal for me and DH and give the kids beige freezer tapas that I know they will eat 😔

Smaller portions and generally sticking to what you know will be eaten. Offer a small amount of yours to help expose to different foods