Please tell me how to get my 3.5 year old to eat meat!

[Ellax]

He progressively became fussier after he turned about 1.5. He’ll just about eat mince beef if it’s mixed with rice. The same with chicken if it’s really really really finely chopped up.

are there any tips? Please! He’ll now also only eat if if it’s cod or salmon and I have to mix it with creamy mash.

I could never for example place like a piece of meat or fish with a side.

is this normal?

and can anyway offer any advice?

find myself constantly making two meals at dinner and I just don’t like the direction I feel like this is going.

many tips please!

The thing is soon you will be putting g it all in the blender and that's not good. Just model what you eat. Give him the Same as the rest of the family but cut it up smaller obviously. Try not to make a fuss about it just keep doing that and he will start eating what everyone else is eventually Don't make an issue as it can make it worse. If he doesn't eat it just take it away but don't offer anything else

He doesn't need to eat meat?

Just keep offering a wide variety of foods offer non-meat protein sources and keep relaxed about it.

My DD was/is still like this with most meat age 6. Funnily enough during pregnancy meat made me so sick I barely ate any until 24+ weeks and then just chicken so I often wonder if it's linked. Dd did try lots of things during weaning but was never particularly keen on meat.

She will now eat spaghetti bolognaise with minced lamb, roast chicken, steamed plain chicken - no sauce, steamed plain salmon. Occasionally a pork sausage. But that's about it - she won't even eat fish fingers or chicken nuggets like most kids that age! It's difficult having a fussy eater as means I have to separate her food to ensure no sauce/flavour etc or do something else altogether!

I think as long as healthy weight and eating a variety of other foods it's probably not a big deal as plenty of vegetarian or vegan families around.

It saves cutting and chewing - my DD was always like that

Another family child was similar and is now vegetarian as she didn't like the taste and texture

As pp said though meat isn't critical

My 4 year old won’t eat any meat apart from sausage. I think it’s the texture

Will he bite anything or us everything minced or mashed?

Mine was the same. She ate no meat at all (apart from tastes when weaning) until about 3. Then sausages were ok. Then chicken nuggets and fish fingers. At about 4 she would have chilli, spag bol and roast chicken. But that’s it. She still won’t even try most meats, won’t eat ham, bacon or anything.

It’s fine for kids not to eat meat, though I get it’s annoying when you’re trying to cook for everyone. I just always offer my child the chance to try everything we have but have a ‘safe’ alternative for her too.

I don't see the problem. He is eating meat. My son (nearly 3) is similar. I just keep offering food and trust that he'll get there. He's allowed not to like certain things or to have preferences about how he eats them.

My son will have chicken finely chopped in soup or as chicken nuggets or burgers. He eats bolognese and bacon. Fish, he'll only eat fish fingers, or tuna in pasta or toasties. He loves haggis which is good.

That's it for meat really. He would never eat salmon or smoked haddock when we have it, or have sausages, pies, or chicken when we have a roast dinner. I don't worry about it. Maybe one day he'll try these things. He doesn't eat eggs either apart from the occasional French toast or in pancakes, so I mix one egg yolk into his porridge every morning.