children's tastes....

[AliGrylls]

I have always believed that children should basically eat the same as adults (even from a young age). However, my husband says thinks that some of the food we make might not be to a child's taste - for example, chicken pie, spaghetti bolognaise with garlic in. I can't ever remember my mother feeding me and my sister a meal that was completely different to what her and my dad would eat and ny sister and I eat most things. DH's view is that I should feed my child more simple food when the time comes (although not junk food). I think his mother did this with him until the age of about 7 or 8 and both him and his brother are sooo fussy with food. I would like to know what other people's views are and what they have done and, if they would do anything differently?

we fed dd1 our food (unsalted) from 6 months, and are doiing the same with dd2. www.babyledweaning.com

i think you're husband is way off base, tbh. childrens tastes are (more or less) what you make them. children in india aren't given pork chops until they're seven and then allowed a curry at eight.

My mother used to give us bland food. She would make a pie and put onion in one half and leave the other half plain for the dcs. We had pasta with cheese on instead of bolognese. I was 12 before I relised that I liked bolognese (I had it at a friends house). I was a fussy eater and I would tell people I didn't like things that I had never had and I genuinely believed I didn't like them.

What food does your dh have in mind? I am struggling to think of things simpler than a chicken pie.

Oh my ds is 3 and since 6 months has eaten what we eat - there is no way in hell I am cooking twice - lol.
When things like chilli or curry or even bolognese were a bit powerful I just stirred a bit of milk, or sourcream or plain yoghurt into his - he now will eat everything and anything and is a joy.
My sil did it differently and now is struggling with a picky eater - if I offered him something new she would say he doesn't like that because she didn't and he would then say to me I don't like that despite having never ever tried it.

I think kids should try anything and everything.

I was the pickiest eater in the world as a child - the first thing I actually enjoyed (according to my mum) was some lamb kebab skewers soaked in garlic, given to me at their friends house.

My DS (3.2) requested 'apricots and some cucumber' for his pudding yesterday. I was expecting a demand for chocolate pudding or maybe icecream.

You can't second guess them - let them try what you are having.

I think your husband if completely wrong tbh lol

gecko loves chilli and curry and spicy things aswell as plain noodles, cucmber, cheese oatcakes

she has been offered what we are eating since she was weaned at 6 months
she has also fed herself since then

I didn't do this with my first two children and they are VERY fussy

gecko is just past 2 now and will give whatever you put infront of her a good go

Yes anything and everything here - DS eats what we eat and there is nothing we wouldn't let him try, apart from alcohol. Even very spicy foods we let him have a tiny taste. He is a big eater and loves most foods, and unlike many of his friends he doesn't baulk at food with "bits in", or unfamiliar foods. He loves strong tastes - garlic, pickled stuff, curry etc. Not a problem.

I know we're lucky, and it does seem that some children are naturally very picky and refuse a lot of foods - and if that happens you'll need to adjust - but at least start by giving them everything. Why make a rod for your own back? If they take to it, you only have to cook one meal for everyone, it's much easier when you eat out, etc.

Just tell your husband you don't agree with him, and show him this thread - but say if he insists on making two separate meals, he can do it. Every day, for seven years. That might sort the matter out.

I really do think children should be allowed to try a varierty. I don't necessarily think it means they won't be fussy, children are just as individual or varied in their tastes as adults. I think the best thing it has done for mine though is that they will at least try it and not turn their nose up because it looks different. Doesn';t mean they will always eat it, but they will give it a good try.

It's best to just give it a go and try. One of my dts has been eating very spicy food from an early age and they both hated bland food when smaller. One now loves really spicy hotwings, and the other adores cheese and raw onion sandwiches and goose.

Your DH is talking a load of bollox tbh, these kind of attitudes are what make it hard for children to get used to new tastes later on.

Children should and can be exposed to all sorts of tastes from a young age, this way they get used to these and like them when older.

When I ran a babyfood business our best-sellers and most popular meals among the babies where the stronger flavoured ones, including all the ones with garlic in them, the lamb with sweet potato and cinnamon, and the chicken, chestnut and parsnip bake.

Ask your DH what he thinks Indian children eat? Or Thai kids? Or Arabs?

Herbs, spices, strong flavours like garlic, onions and ginger are all fine for children to eat.

Don't go down the route of different meals for different members of the family. How boring.

ChoptheDuck I agree, you've made some good points. If your child doesn't like a flavour, then that is a different matter (my DS hates potatoes so I don't feed him them) but they have the right to be given the opportunity to at least try new foods and variety.

I wouldn't class chicken pie and bolognese as particularly strong flavoured or 'adult' in taste, in fact I'd say they are perfect children's meals.

DCs eat the same as us since very little(unsalted for the first year). When we want something very spicy we tend to ass it i our own plate as ds2 likes spicy but gets an upset tummy after it so tends to avoid it.

I used to work with children from North Africa and I remember them putting "harissa" (chilli paste) on absolutely everything as if it was just plain tomato sauce! Even the very young ones did it! When I tried to put some on my food I thought I was going to die! They all had a good laught though!

I had a Pakistani friend who would sprinkle dried chillies onto fried eggs for her sons (1yr and 3yrs) for breakfast in the mornings. They always ate it.

I think he just thinks plain food is the way ahead. Things like roast chicken and pasta in plain tomato sauce. I am glad I have your support - I don't know much about it at the moment. I think the chicken pie is because I put nutmeg in and also half a glass of wine (which is actually in a fully reduced sauce so it doesn't even taste).

Nutmeg is a mild taste anyway. Wine is fine if it's cooked. These things just make food taste nicer and so more palatable to your DC. You are right, he is wrong!

lol muffle.

I think we over did the different flavours for DD when she was little! She's 13 now and loves to experiment in the kitchen. I have just seen her make a quick after school snack of Jacobs crackers with BBQ sauce on them?!

There isn't one rule that fits all. My DS has never liked spicy, garlickey or herby foods, despite the fact that me and DH mainly eat this sort of food. He prefers plainer food. Fair enough. I serve him plainer stuff, and encourage him to try other things now and then, no pressure.

I can't stand it when people boast that their child eats raw chilli peppers or whatever. Woopy doo!

Sorry, just remembering arsey old neighbour who used to turn her nose up at things like pizza for her PFB and say 'But Alfie has always eaten with us. Do you have any olives or, you know, other adult food?'. No. Ponce.

why can't you stand it? and why assume they're boasting? couldn't they just be relating a fact? there's no need to cast aspersions, imo.

and maybe her pfb really didn't like pizza but had a mad thing for olives and she didn't want to say that was the only thing he'd eat?

MrsMattie, you could always suggest her to have her olives on a pizza, quite delicious actually!

My dad is Italian and we used to have a home made pizza "napoletana" every Saturday evening, never considered it as "junk food",very much grown up food!

My Dad keeps saying this sort of thing to me too! I generally ignore him, as I too am a believer in feeding our children the same food that we are eating and if that happens to be a curry or something with garlic in so be it.

DD1 is very good with food, is going through a phase of avoiding gravy but usually eats averything on her plate.
DD2 not so good, has veg radar and will not touch the stuff no matter how well concealed

I'm Italian too and very much of the idea that (good) pizza is a very dignified food! (and why are olives considered adult food, btw?)

You didn't have to live next door to her!@Aitch. I know boasting when I hear it.

'Oh, my Alfie doesn't like sweets. He prefers rabbit shit pellets organic, fairtrade dried up old prunes...'

OK, it wasn't quite what she said, but, honestly...she was one of those 'ooh, look, my 2 yr old likes exotic food' arses...

you seem very angry about it...