HELP - MN NEEDS YOUR TIPS FOR FUSSY EATERS

[AbbyMumsnet]

We need your tips on dealing with fussy eaters - so could you please be so kind as to post them here? Thank you!

kill em

god i feel liek it

mmm, I think the one about inviting a good eater over for a meal often works. My dss eat much better when their cousin, who enjoys a wide range of foods, comes over.

i second the cod. Drives me up the wall.
So do incredibly slow eaters.

much as i hate doing it I have to say that arranging things in smiley faces works for us

as does grated cheese on the top (of just about anything, incl chicken curry - yuck!)

tomato ketchup on the top works the same

and we do "eat it up and you can have..." though I'm sure I've read that this is A BAD THING as it makes them think pudding is better but you know I'm 31 and i think pudding is better too!

fix a smile on your face and don't let them see it get to you, pretend that it doesn't matter. YOu can get them back when they're older.

Offer meal

Leave for 30 mins

Remove meal

No fuss. No hype. No treats. No pudding.

Fruit available on request.

Get to know what they don't like.
Serve it anyway whenever you feel like it.
Offer bread, butter, fruit, yoghurt as alternative.

Get them to help you plan what you are going to have for dinner, let them help you shop for it and let them help you cook it. Obviously you can't do this everyday but if you do it every so often it introduces new meals to them.

LOL, Califrau.
Everything Jarm said.
Bribing with chocolate custard or icecream
Leaving her alone in the room. I cook something I know she will eat every other day then I know she's having dinner that often. The other nights I serve normal food even if she wont eat it and hope that one day she just will.

Get them involved in all aspects.
Having a good eater/praising a sibling who eats well but not commenting on not eating.
Dont make a fuss about not eating as it akes things worse and they realise you are fretting.
Offer a meal but never alone and take away after a limited time.
Try to do some fun things like indoor picnics etc to relax some of the more formal associations with meals.
Always have one thing they like on the plate so they will at least eat something!!
Try to encourage tasting new foods/food not liked by licking/touching /playing with it.

All worked for DS

oh meant to add no toys at table and meal time is meal time so even if not eating sit with the family.

wait until they're 13 then they seem to eat anything

I veer between rage, despair, neglect, brighly-smiling participation, and extravagant praise.

Most of the time whatever the tactic is, I end up burying my head in my hands in despair.

have a ds who eats anything but have looked after plenty of 'fussy' eaters

involve them with shopping..trips to choose fruit & vegetables etc

cook with them..maybe start with a fruit loaf/mufins etc & then move on to pasta sauces,pizza etc

let them create meal plates..draw a protein,carb,veg etc that they would like to eat
grow something that they can eat..be it strawberries,herbs,peas..whatever..let them see & be a part of where there food comes from..make it fun

Everything Jarm said. In addition it is important to never ever ever offer an alternative. I also think it is important to eat as a family and have your children see you eating what you are expecting them to eat (and how too). It helps to be a good cook. (I have had more than one child eat things at my house that they wouldn't touch in their own home). And never ever ever say to a child "you won't like that" before you give it to them or "I don't like that."

MY dd1 went threw a fussy phase so we planted a herb garden together. Before cokking meals (together if my sanity was still intact at that time of day) I got her to pick the relevant herbs to add to the meal. She loved it and started going on about how you could really taste the difference! Bless her cottons

PS. My ds' (6) favorite food is flying fish roe. Favorite vegetable is artichoke, followed by swiss chard. He is also partial to yellowtail sushi, liver and sardines. The only thing he absolutely won't eat is peanut butter (likes peanuts). And prefers olives to fish crackers.

oh yes, that's true wildwoman. I always get my kids to pick my herbs for me.

let them be involved in every step of meal preparation, from growing veg to shopping for food, preapring food etc etc.

Oh no! I meant cooking not cokking!

actually, I find saying ''you won't like that..'' works in a reverse pyschology way

My sister and nephew came up today and we had to feed them- so 2 asd kids, (one gluten and dairy free, free one dairy free), one (pregannat with MS) vegetarian, one notoriously picky eater (adult!)

HELP

• we put bowls of all sorts down the table- olives, two types of lettuce, grated cheese, chopped chicken breast, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, a great big tray of roasted vegetables, mayo, olive oil and a large playe of raps. The kids loved making and learning how to fold wraps, and the adults loved being able to pickewhat they liked, as well as watching the kids choose really healthy options, as they will usually do when given a chance and not pushed into you must eat X, Y and never Z.

So choice taste colour positive role models

serve the fussy eater with the food that they like meal after meal in as boring a way as possible and without comment. At the same time, make the rest of the family's meal as fun as possible - eg who can have a spaghetti slurping competition, food arranged in the shape of faces and have fun making them go blind/deaf etc. It only took 4 days of this before my 2 year old was begging to be allowed to join in.

That's a good one Snipersmum