fussy eater - am i sensible or stupid?

[desperatehousewife]

DS is 2.5 eats nothing except marmite sandwiches, cereal, yoghurts and milk and the odd bit of apple/banana/melon. (he used to eat pasta and pesto and lots more good stuff that I cooked him).

He appears healthy, he is full of energy and is growing well. However I really want him to try new foods to broaden his spectrum. I also want him to understand that eating is an enjoyable social occasion.

To take any pressure/stress away, I have stopped his packed lunch this week at nursery. I have orderd nursery lunches for him. Yesterday he refused to take even a mouthful so went hungry.
But had his sandwiches for tea as usual.

I'm planning to trial this for 2 weeks (he goes to nursery 3 times a week)

Any suggestions from anyone about how to crack this, appreciated.

I think it sounds a great idea. My DD1 went to a nursery where the food was lovely and she used to try everything. This closed and since then she has had packed lunches as the various schools/nurseries had no kitchens. She is 9 now and still very fussy although is getting better and better.

Are the nursery good at getting the children to try bits and pieces? Do they have any choice or just small amounts of food? Did he eat his sandwiches happily when he got home?

Hope your plan works.

Poor you. From my own experience and the number of threads on this subject ... it's totally normal. Think your idea of getting him to eat nursery school food is a good one (assuming you are happy with menus and quality.) The nursery staff will be familar with this phase and peer pressure might help.
Resist the temptation to stress over this... don't show him it annoys you. Try other things where possible (eg different sandwich filling for one little sandwich). Don't be like a restaurant offering lots of alternatives.
Does you DS eat with you ever? Even if you can just do this a couple of times a week, perhaps he will be tempted to try something from your plate.
Don't think there is a way to crack it exactly but as he gets older he will probably try more things... my dd (now 4) will eat a good selection of things.

Lady P - yes we always eat together they days he's not at nursery - he NEVER shows any interest in anything we eat. Tried everything - making food fun, involving him in the shopping/cooking etc...offering little amounts on plate with other stuff I know he'll eat. He just freaks and demands anything new is taken away from the table. little brat! I've noticed he is very sensitive to smells lately - hates anything with a strong smell that is cooking.

Bad idea that one then

I think I'd continue with what he does eat ... but I'm curious what would happen if you didn't give those options... wonder if he'd get hungry enough to eat something new? Wonder if other wise MNers have ever tried that.

Desperatehousewife - I have posted about this before but thought I'd add it again. My DD smells everything she eats before putting it in her mouth. She does seem to have a keen sense of smell and sniffs her hands constantly if she has touched food. Milk is a particular problem although she drinks it happily. Sometimes she is unable to eat in the same room as us if we are eating something which has a distinct smell - fish pie makes her gag.

It's a difficult one to crack unfortunately.

Lady P - that's what I'm hoping, that if he's hungry enough at nursery, he'll try something new. [frustrated icon]

DHW you're doing the right thing. He may not be desperate enough to eat, but as I keep telling myself (repeating it like a mantra) "it is better to send a child to bed hungry than with a belly full of crap!"

I have a theory that even if kids don't eat it, the fact that it is there on the table/ in the lunch box as a norm, will mean that some of its nutritional value is going into them . No not really, but it normalises the food for them, IYSWIM. I've been serving my DS mushrooms which he doesn't eat for about 2 months now, and he's stopped having histrionics when he sees them on his plate. One day, in about three years or so, he may actually eat some!

Sorry to be a thicko but what does IYSWIM mean?

If You See What I Mean!

If You See What I Mean

well day 2 - and ds didn't touch a mouthful of his nursery food again! He tells me he had a weetabix instead...if this is true, I'll be furious with nursery. Grrr....talk about an uphill struggle!

DD1 ended up going hungry at nursery at lunchtimes when I stopped her packed lunch. She still ate her tea though, always a snacky tea.
TBH, she only started eating new foods when DD2 was born, and when she stopped going to nursery. We used to bribe her with sticker charts and presents if she would try something, on the condition she could spit it out if she didn't like it. She now tries things without the bribe, as she has realised that things are nice!! Tonight she had cous cous and veg for tea!!