Running out of meals my children will eat

[stressedouttofuck]

My toddler is pretty much refusing all food and I know that everyone will say it’s normal and maybe, it’s still really stressful though. My four year old used to be a good eater as in he’d eat most foods but needs a lot of encouragement, you mostly need to feed him.

Has anyone got any suggestions? The usual bolognaise, shepherds pie types they’ve refused and they won’t eat picnic style food.

Roast chicken, veg and potatoes
Home made chicken nuggets with potato wedges cooked in the oven with veg or salad
Stir fry

Sausage and mash
Chicken in a creamy sauce with rice and veg

I remember that feeling well.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It honestly is common for toddlers to start refusing food, but oh my goodness I would get so stressed over it I cried, a lot! This book helped me so much - I just felt so much more relaxed about everything. DS wasn’t eating any more than he did before but I really learnt to cope with it much better. (And now he’s a teenager who eats constantly)

My kids used to refuse good healthy meals.

So I decided sod it, I'll give them chicken nuggets & chips. 4-5 times a week.
Within 3 weeks both were back to eating proper meals again.

I used to make sausage meat patties in the shape of rabbits or other figures. Worked every time 😊

They don’t like chicken nuggets or food like that. My toddler is literally living off fresh air at the moment.

When my two DC were that age they didn't like saucy/lumpy/mushy food like bolognese or shepherd's pie. I made batches of home made burgers and meat balls (chicken, lamb, mince) and served them with veg and whatever carb I had to hand.

It was really dull but I would get quite upset if I'd spent time making a pie/risotto/whatever and they didn't eat it. This took all the stress out of it. I got the recipes from Annabelle Karmel and The River Cottage books I think.

Sainsburys sell Heck chicken mince which is perfect for meatballs (I'm vegetarian so can't vouch for the taste, but the rest of my family devour them - especially if I use the chicken Italia mince).

DC are 14 and 11 now and will happily eat bolognese, chili, cottage pie etc.

What are they eating?

Simple stuff then you don't get stressed if they don't eat? I think they go through stages of living off half a pear or something then suddenly start eating again

Like toasties, scrambled eggs, omelette, rotisserie chicken... shove some cucumber sticks or apple on the side
Anything with a dip usually goes down ok

Sound similar to my 4 year old. He won’t eat any meat or things mixed up in sauce , or loads of stuff. Also won’t eat nuggets or fries type food

Success here (sometimes):
Eggs - he likes thin omelettes now, boiled eggs (but not the yolk). I do cheese omelette often
Pasta - plain with Parmesan and butter. Occasionally red pesto.
peas and edamé beans, and green beans
chickpeas - cold plain ones
raw pepper, cucumber
cheese. Hard goat cheese especially
Bread. He will eat rye bread and seeded ( all with crusts off) so if yours will it’s a good way to fill with vague healthy grains. Things like wraps, soft pretzels or other bread also. Won’t eat cake
Prawns and white fish ( like sea bass). Usually with garlic butter
Crossiants
Porridge
fruit ( all fruit)
greek yogurt

I used to get even more upset as he wouldn’t eat loads of things and is slightly underweight. But now he still gets offered main meal we have every night, and I keep some things separate. And worse case give him some toast and Greek yogurt afterwards so he isn’t hungry before bed. I always give him breakfast and lunch I know he likes

Today, virtually nothing. They’ve been offered

Boiled egg on toast (breakfast)
Banana (snack)

Cod, boiled new potatoes and peas (lunch)

Cucumber and cherry tomatoes (afternoon snack) and crisps

Spaghetti bolognaise

Toddler refused everything except a bit of banana and cod.

Any tooth ache or sore throat?
Carbs ?
What are they drinking?

@stressedouttofuck maybe keep some of that separate? Mine wouldn’t bolognaise either, so I give him a tiny bit of pasta with sauce on side, but main portion just pasta and butter and cheese, with some things like cucumber or whatever they do like on side

What do they drink?

Water and milk. Not sure what you mean ‘carbs’, they’ve been offered potatoes, bread and pasta today.

Keep serving up food with no pressure to eat it. If they are eating anything, you can give that with some unapproved food for them to try or not. Just don't replace with a bunch of sugar instead.

Both of mine went through some pretty extreme fussiness as toddlers, but it does generally get better as they get older.

Mine went through a phase where they just didn't want to stop playing to eat. Something that helped was walking in the buggy to playgroup and just giving them a sandwich on the way

Bit of a wildcard but would they eat a smooth sauce curry? It's the only food my four year old never went off. I use 'The Curry Guy' recipes.

if they seem to eat bananas fine, offer as part of breakfast each morning. At least if they eat that they have eaten something filling before going out.

Following this advice changed my life & my kids food consumption - it really works & you will feel massive relief:

https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/how-to-feed/the-division-of-responsibility-in-feeding/#:~:text=When%20you%20follow%20the%20Satter,eat%20of%20what%20you%20provide.

I agree with not spending ages cooking, and then meal times become much lower stakes.

"Deconstructed" food tends to go down well, ie a few different things separated out (your lunch sounds perfect tbf!)

Plain pasta, meat balls, cheese, peas, all in separate compartments.
Pitta, houmous, veg
Pizza, sweetcorn
Cheese toasties, cucumber
Bagel, scrambled egg, cherry tomatoes
EXCEPT all kids love sushi, even if they hate each component part by itself!

Also, my toddlers were funny about texture but quite adventurous with taste. So they liked sweet chili chicken, and random things like pickled gherkins.

Wil they eat any carb

Anyway a child can live off banana and cod for a week.
So give that and milk and see if anything changes in few days

Seconding this recommendation

Is there are a reason you're giving them two hot meals a day? If you give them something simple and plain like a cheese sandwich for lunch a hot meal at tea time might be more appealing.

Few suggestions…

Baked beans on toast/jacket potato with baked beans

tuna pasta bake

hummus and pita bread with veggie sticks

I do say in my OP they don’t eat picnic type food,