Changing a child's diet overnight

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Just wondering if anyone has done this successfully. I have a 4 year old who is a terrible eater: sausages, waffles, chicken tenders. Dinner is the only meal I really struggle with as he eats a good brekkie and a reasonable lunch. My younger child used to eat well but now sees her brother eating junk and wants the same things.

I'm tempted to just stop cooking what I know he'll eat and start serving up shepherds pie and chicken curry and mashed potatoes and spag Bol etc etc, ordinary home made things.

I don't want to create a big issue and unnecessary drama around food but I'm feeling increasingly guilty about what he eats.

Anyone any positive stories (or ideas)?

Do it. If you'd never introduced chicken nuggets and other crap he wouldn't know they existed and wouldn't hanker for them. You're pandering to him so of course he's showing a preference for processed junk.

We did this. DD1 would only eat broccoli with cheese sauce and pasta. Whilst this wasn't the worst diet, it was hardly balanced, so one day we decided she could eat what she wanted from the dinner, although she had to try everything, but she had to feed herself and she wouldn't get anything later (she had a v small appetite and had milk before bed, so I wasn't worried about her starving).

It took a few days for her to settle to the new regime, but she is now 12 and will eat anything (within reason!). As a side note - she still doesn't enjoy eating/most food, which was probably the issue in the first place, but she now eats because she doesn't want to be hungry. I'm not that bothered by food either, so presumably that's where she gets it from. We are both very slim!

I got the DS's to tell me some food's they like to eat, then I made a 2 week meal plan. It has some foods they like but with veg added (hot dogs with veg sticks) and others which I'm pretty sure they would like (shepherd's pie, curry, toad in the hole, sweet and sour chicken). Each day has a pudding, which could just be tinned peaches but it's something they like.
It's pretty boring for me but I tell them all day what's going to be for dinner and pudding and they actually eat it! So sticking with these 10 weekday meals for now and then maybe I'll change it seasonally.

@StylishMummy I totally agree with you. Before I had kids I judged people like me! And I always think if he'd been born somewhere where curry and rice is the staple diet he'd cope without waffles.

Selfishly I'm worried he'll eat nothing and start waking up earlier (already up at 6am every day) starving.

I guess I won't know until I try.

@janek I would love to be someone not bothered about food instead of someone who thinks about food all day every day!

Good advice re: telling him all day what's for dinner because as a rule he doesn't like to be blindsided and needs warning about any changes ahead.

I have twice sent my preschooler to bed with no dinner because he messed around so much and was completely refusing to come to the table and eat it. After about fifty last changes in the end I just put him straight to bed. I felt terrible and was convinced he would wake up hungry but both times he slept as normal. I would expect a fair few tantrums initially but if you are consistent in refusing to give an alternative hopefully he will adjust eventually. I would be very very casual about whether or not he eats any of it but be clear there is no other option. 'oh you don't like it? That's a shame but never mind, all the more for me and younger one'. Good luck! It is so easy to slide into less than ideal habits, we've all been there whether it's food related or too much screen time or whatever.

That should say fifty last chances not changes! I should add that he absolutely loves his food but still didn't seem to wake up hungry.

I’m wondering this too. Before I started work in March 2.5 yo DS ate brilliantly, think kale with scrambled eggs, curries, stews, pies, lasagne, loved all fruit, wasn’t keen on raw veg but would wolf it down cooked... now I can’t get him to eat anything but toast, porridge, chips and the occasional roast potato.

In my head, it’s brcause when I went out to work, PIL started having him and fed him sausage and chips constantly, as well as sugary crap that he’d not had before. Now he would prefer that!! I’m wondering if I just go cold turkey on gfeedinh him what he likes, maybe he’ll go back to eating well??

Mine are a bit older but I do the online food shop every weekend and they get to choose a dinner each. I won't cook processed food more than once a week though so pizza can go on the menu and so can chicken dippers and chips but not in the same week. I won't repeat too often either as I get bored, otherwise DS would choose chilli and wraps every week. They don't complain as much when it's not their favourite now.

I also find that they like to know what's for tea early in the day. DD is 11 and quite often asks me on Sunday to run through the meal plans for the week!

I’m not sure about overnight but I have gradually reduced the calorie content of DS’s meals. I had a bit of a wake up call when he went back to school after Christmas and he couldn’t do any of his trousers up which were already a size above his.
I found meal plans and portion sizes via the Caroline walker trust and now he has a portion of fruit and veg in his packed lunch and only crisps once a week and more of his plate is vegetables at dinner as well.