making stuff the kids don't like

[Anonymous]

My personal plan is that I continue to have some meals that are almost guarenteed my son won't like, but I allow him to eat other things that don't require lots of prep and is healthy (fruit, yogurt, etc.). He is only 3.5, but I plan to continue with this approach - because it allows me to have food I like, allows him to be constantly introduced to food he "doesn't like", and takes the pressure off me trying to plan a meal that he will eat.

[Anonymous]

My 4 yo will try anything--as long as her 6 yo "picky eater" sister is not around. As soon as big sis says "Eww," nothing I say will convince her to try something new. So frustrating.

[Anonymous]

I have a few food rules in my house (with twin 5 year olds):

- you eat what I serve or you don't eat. This may sound really cruel, but I ALWAYS make sure there is one item on their plate that I know they love and I will give them seconds of that if they ask. From the time they 2 or so I decided that I would never be a short order cook.

- try at least a bite of everything on your plate -- we call it the "No, Thank You" bite. If you don't like it, you just say "no thank you!" and move on. Obviously if they were gagging I would let them spit it out. I know this is a debate above, but experts say sometimes you have to try a food MANY times before they like it. This works! just yesterday my daughter took one bite of a scallop and said, "Ohhh, I love this and I didn't think I would!"

- @12:09 my other rule is no saying "eww or yuck" at the table. My husband and I tell our children that I spend a lot of time shopping, choosing healthy meals and cooking for our family and it hurts my feelings that I spend all this time doing this for THEM only to hear YUCK! They may think it and make faces, but no more YUCKS.

My son tends to be more picky, but he loves things that he would never have known he loves if I didn't make him try it. Generally, he doesn't really like green veggies but he LOVES seaweed salad. He never would have known this if I didn't make him try ONE bite b/c it looks like a green vegetable. Now, he orders his own when we go out for sushi.

[Anonymous]

My personal plan is that I continue to have some meals that are almost guarenteed my son won't like, but I allow him to eat other things that don't require lots of prep and is healthy (fruit, yogurt, etc.). ... it allows me to have food I like, allows him to be constantly introduced to food he "doesn't like", and takes the pressure off me trying to plan a meal that he will eat.

This is exactly what I do. I've never understood, to be honest, why the this issue is often painted as a stark dichotomy: either Mom is a "short order cook" who "gives in" cooks multiple entrees and sides for multiple people at the same meal, OR , Mom says "it's my way or the highway" and the preschooler has the bullshit choice between genuine hunger or putting something in her mouth that repulses her.

There's definitely a middle ground. Hummus, yogurt, cheese, bread, whole pieces of fruit ... prep time = 6 seconds.

[Anonymous]

I guess part of the trick is figuring out what is a true revulsion vs. what is a power struggle. I don't think that anyone would advocate for forcing children to eat food that makes them retch, but you also need to make sure that your children are eating a diet broader than chicken fingers and fries. If I let my child choose, he would be perfectly happy eating mac and cheese for every single meal. His issues are not of a true dislike of a food, just a strong preference for something else. I would never force him to eat something he finds foul, but I also won't be catering to a preference for low-nutrition foods.

[Anonymous]

my wife attributes my son's good eating on my demands to keep putting it on his plate. he doesn't have to eat it, but we encourage him to try a bite and then he can push it off his plate. we just keep putting it back on his plate week after week and after several tries he usually eats it. The trick is to not make a big deal about it. Last night he was exclaiming about the brussell sprouts and we were pinching ourselves. He's 5 and a year ago he only liked beige foods, but now he eats salad, broccoli, fish, asparagus, white bean escarole soup, pretty much anything. I also think he started to appreciate food when he started watching the Food Network with his mom and realized that food is something to be enjoyed.

[Anonymous]

my wife attributes my son's good eating on my demands to keep putting it on his plate. he doesn't have to eat it, but we encourage him to try a bite and then he can push it off his plate. we just keep putting it back on his plate week after week and after several tries he usually eats it. The trick is to not make a big deal about it. Last night he was exclaiming about the brussell sprouts and we were pinching ourselves. He's 5 and a year ago he only liked beige foods, but now he eats salad, broccoli, fish, asparagus, white bean escarole soup, pretty much anything. I also think he started to appreciate food when he started watching the Food Network with his mom and realized that food is something to be enjoyed.

[Anonymous]

Our children are 11 and 13 and we love to cook and eat good food. They have the normal reluctance to try new and unusual foods, but they now eat a wide variety of foods and almost all vegetables (still working on brussel sprouts and spinach). But they were like most kids when they were younger and would have happily eaten mac and cheese or spaghetti for every meal if give the chance. Here's what worked for us: We eat dinner together almost every night and I don't prepare separate things for the kids. I read somewhere that a child will be offered something 10 times before they finally like it, so they have to take a tiny bit of whatever's being served at dinnertime, and not just eat the things they like. Just last night, my kid said that lima beans "aren't all that bad" after refusing to eat them for years! My kids will also get curious about foods if they see their parents/friends enjoying something over time. Don't make alternative meals; hunger's a great motivator. No dessert unless they've tried everything and eaten a sensible meal. "Dessert" is often fruit, although they probably have a cookie or a scoop of ice cream a few nights per week.