Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Food/recipes

For related content, visit our food content hub.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

children's tastes....

52 replies

AliGrylls · 13/05/2009 10:18

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?

OP posts:

francagoestohollywood · 13/05/2009 17:09

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?)

MrsMattie · 13/05/2009 17:10

You seem rather passive aggressive!@Aitch!

I'm jesting. Calm down.

Fennel · 13/05/2009 17:11

Like Miss Mattie. I feel children should eat "adult food" but my dds prefer plainer food to me. I like hot spicy vegetarian stuff, especially Indian food, the dds like bland plain things.

So we generally have spicy/mixed and plain/separated options. DP and I might have chickpea and spinach curry and rice. dd1 and dd3 might have blander chickpea stir fry and rice, dd2 (The fusspot) just rice and plain veg and cheese.

I would like them to all eat my sort of food but am not going to stress about it as long as they are eating healthily.

francagoestohollywood · 13/05/2009 17:12

Ups sorry!

Never understood why boasting for eating dry prunes. They are inedible, imo.

loujay · 13/05/2009 17:12

We all have the same in our house, whether it be curry, pie, roast, pasta etc........my rule is that the kids try everything before they say they dont like it.
to be honest the stronger the better for my 2!!

Gorionine · 13/05/2009 17:15

My DC love dried prunes (in fact all dried fruit!) but they like pizza too so maybe they are normal after all!

MrsMattie · 13/05/2009 17:16

Exactly@Fennel. My husband is Jamaican, so we aren't exactly living on chicken nuggets and chips in our house , but DS has his tastes, and I respect them, although I don't pander to them. I put 'unknown' stuff on his plate often to encourage him to try new things, I just don't expect him to always eat what we are having, as our tastes are very hot and spicy.

I also know that I didn't like loads of things when I was a kid, but I grew to eventually like most foods because my mum was really laid back about eating and didn't have that whole 'you'll eat what I give you and like it'.

francagoestohollywood · 13/05/2009 17:20

Deffo Gorionine! What I meant is that boasting about children's tastes in food is just a bit silly, as food is food and there shouldn't be "poncey" food or whatever.
Yes, MrsMattie, I did the same, by the time I was 12 I started to eat/try everything. But then I come from a family of gluttons

Hulababy · 13/05/2009 17:45

I have always fed DD the same food as us, from when she was eating solids rather than purees. We always tried (try) to eat together in the evening so it is easier to eat the same. There is vey little DD won't eat fortunately and I reckon she is less fussy than DH, lol! And she can eat food spicier than me too.

pointydog · 13/05/2009 17:49

Give your dc what you eat.
If it's not to their taste, they'll let you know.
Then decide if you want to adapt some of your recipes.

AitchTwoOh · 13/05/2009 18:14

how am i being passive aggressive? you do seem very angry about this neighbour, for some reason. i mean if you simply don't like her, then fine. but all that 'pfb, ponce, arse' stuff is pretty nasty imo.

let's face it, loads of the people on here came on saying that their kids liked strong flavours etc etc, by posting as you did you pretty much insulted them all and made out they were boasting.

of course children should be allowed to eat food they like, but if that food happens to be olives and not plain food then why would that make them any more a food ponce than you someone who can't cook anything other than bland food?

if children are different then they are different, not one better than the other. you can't have it both ways. live and let live.

MrsMattie · 13/05/2009 18:30

Aitch, I think you seem very angry, to be quite honest.
I was arsing around, having a bit of a light hearted snipe at someone I know (an absolute pain in the arse, actually). Why on earth have you turned it into some sort of running battle?

And for the record, I haven't insulted anyone on this thread. I've simply posted my own opinion. nobody b ut you seems to have miscontrued my words as some sort of mass insult against People Who Eat With Their Children.

MN wasn't some back-slapping self congratulation club last time I checked.

Honestly, get over it.

poshtottie · 13/05/2009 18:50

dh and I have very varied tastes. DS won't eat any of it.

Am very envious of people whose children eat anything.

Wondering where we have gone wrong really.

MrsMattie · 13/05/2009 18:54

You haven't gone wrong. It's like parents with 'good sleepers'. Dangerous to congratulate yourself on having an angel sleeper. Better to acknowledge that you are probably just lucky. I really believe the same is true with eating/food. Oh, and the most easy going / fussiest eaters can completely about-turn later on down the line

gavel!

francagoestohollywood · 13/05/2009 19:00

Yes, food can be an area of conflict for some children or at certain stages of a child's development.

But most of the times I think children have their own tastes, which, and it's worth to keep it in mind, change.

Dd didn't like a great variety of food as a baby and as a toddler, but she is getting better and better at trying food she didn't want at a younger age. Don't despair posh!

AitchTwoOh · 13/05/2009 19:02

mrs mattie.

MrsMattie · 13/05/2009 19:05

That's been my experience, too@franca.

Ds is 4 and even in the last few months the range of foods he will eat has widened considerably. He was practically veggie-phobic until recently, but with only the gentlest of encouragements has started to eat some greens recently. It still pains DH that he looks at all West Indian food as 'gross',. though

I'm sure he will be yamming down the curried chicken at some stage in the future...

pointydog · 13/05/2009 19:06

I agree with that, franca

Gorionine · 14/05/2009 09:35

Poshtottie, you pobably have not done anything wrong. I have 4 dcs and they have very different food taste and appetite. What I do is that I cook the same meal for everybody which usually includes veg, meat or fish (not everyday) and something like pasta ,rice or potato if they do not like something they are not forced to eat it (they are encouraged to at least try it though)but I will not cook anything else for them. If they have to go without one item for one meal I am not too worried as I can balance it out on the next meal.

Original poster

AliGrylls · 14/05/2009 10:35

Mrs Mattie, you are a woman after my own heart. I like your food philosophy.

Posh Tottie, some children fully grow out of it so long as they are exposed to various tastes. My sister was the world's fussiest eater as a child. Our poor mother had a continuous battle with her over the dinnertable - now she is a positive gourmet. There is nothing she won't try (although I do wonder if some of it is for show when she is chowing down grisly chicken feet).

OP posts:

poshtottie · 14/05/2009 13:36

Thanks for all the reassurances.

Unfortunately ds is an only child and normally eats by himself as I find eating dinner at 5pm far too early.

He is 3 in July and will start preschool in September so I am hoping he will stay for lunch and therefore eat with the other children, which may encourage him to eat better.

AitchTwoOh · 14/05/2009 20:41

can you really not have anything, just a tiny plate of food to show willing? children do learn by example.

poshtottie · 14/05/2009 21:00

We eat beakfast and lunch together but to no avail. Will not even taste new food.

He is actually worse than he was a year ago.

AitchTwoOh · 14/05/2009 21:10

oh right... oh well if you eat with him most of the time. how very annoying.
from what i understand, reading on here, there are Just Some Kids who don't like stuff and it's no-one's fault. i think some children seem to be particularly sensitive to small changes in taste and texture and the best thing to do is not give them a complex about it, iykwim? pain in the arse for you, though, but i think you just have to hang in there. (and maybe give him some vit drops to make yourself feel a bit better?{wink])

poshtottie · 14/05/2009 21:35

The thing is, though we sit at the table we are having different food.

I will have something I like and I give him something I think he will eat.

I may start next week now dh is away by having a main meal at lunch time and making something palatable for us both.

Worth a try.

Flip

1 2 3