Do you make separate dinner for your kids? Or do they eat what you eat?

[Anonymous]

I actually prefer to make my little one a separate meal because my husband I eat really late and we enjoy cooking together. To be fair, I do usually serve her left overs from our meal the night before. I keep her meals pretty low effort and routine. (Ex: salmon, strawberries, peas OR chicken, butter noodles, broccoli). I have a feeling when we have another child or when she is older, we will change this but for now, it’s a great routine that works for our family. We eat breakfast and lunch together as a family, so I don’t feel bad about her eating dinner solo.

[Anonymous]

Children are only picky eaters because parents allow them to be
My mother called us to dinner and we ate what was served. No whining. I have done the same with my children. Same thing. No picky eaters and no whining.

[Anonymous]

While I do think there are some legit picky eaters, I also think of you give your toddler Mac n cheese, hot dogs and nuggets on a regular basis that is what they are going to want....... If you don’t give them those foods they won’t eat them.

[Anonymous]

The 4 year old eats what we eat and always has past purées. The baby is not 1 yet and I purée vegetables for her and freeze and she gets bits of flaked salmon or meat etc from our plates.
My oldest doesn't know Kraft Mac and cheese or chicken nuggets exist. It's not something I like or ever made for her. She has her favorite things (cauliflower, chicken soup, roasted salmon, zucchini, fried cod). And plenty of things she doesn't really like but will eat since that's what's served.
I don't make mealtime a battle. She can eat whats in her plate (we serve family style so I put a little of everything on there first) or have yogurt or a boiled egg And toast. She takes me up on alternative dinner maybe once a month.

[Anonymous]

I'm another Ellyn Satter fan. I like her idea of being considerate without catering. So, I serve a variety of foods, but I also make sure that there are 1 or 2 things on the table that I know my kids will eat. So, for example, if I'm serving curry and I have a kid who doesn't yet like curry (that's how we talk about it), then the rice is in a separate bowl, and they can have that, and there's milk to drink. Or if I'm serving salmon, which I know they'll eat, then that might be the time to try sides that are a little outside their comfort zone like spiced lentils or Brussels sprouts.

My kids are 12 and 9. My 12 year old pretty much ate whatever from the beginning, so of course I thought I was a stellar parent. My 9 year old has taken his time learning to like foods, but now eats a variety.

[Anonymous]

I have three kids. We fed them all the same way. The oldest and the youngest are game for everything and eat all kinds of foods, spiced, ethnic, you name it. The middle one just doesn't want any of it. If she doesn't want anything we have, she has bread, cheese and a vegetable for dinner. I am just done fighting about this.

[Anonymous]

I am vegetarian so my kid is too. He has been "helping" me prepare meals since he was 4. Let kids be a part of the process and they will eat what is on the table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I do think there are some legit picky eaters, I also think of you give your toddler Mac n cheese, hot dogs and nuggets on a regular basis that is what they are going to want....... If you don’t give them those foods they won’t eat them.

My mother was no great shakes as a cook but she never put that slop on the table. Everything was home-made; menus were planned in detail for shopping day. She got home from work at 4:30 and dinner was ready at 5:30 sharp.

To this day I don't think I have eaten the crap mentioned above, and I have never given it to my own kids. Just set a good example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I do think there are some legit picky eaters, I also think of you give your toddler Mac n cheese, hot dogs and nuggets on a regular basis that is what they are going to want....... If you don’t give them those foods they won’t eat them.

My mother was no great shakes as a cook but she never put that slop on the table. Everything was home-made; menus were planned in detail for shopping day. She got home from work at 4:30 and dinner was ready at 5:30 sharp.

To this day I don't think I have eaten the crap mentioned above, and I have never given it to my own kids. Just set a good example.

Op here - I love cooking surprisingly but fell into a bad routine of giving the kids those things. My husband and I don’t even eat canned red pasta sauce. I make homemade sauce every couple of months and have it in the freezer. I make homemade dinner every night for myself and my husband the kids just weren’t eating it!

[Anonymous]

OP, I also have an increasingly picky eater. I have used the quarantine to explain to my 3 yo that food is special, Daddy has to wear special gear to go get it for us, and that it cannot be wasted. If he refuses, we serve it later. Of course, I only ever cooked a completely different meal if ours was a choking hazard. After age 3, I have only served 1 meal for our family. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Eating is unimportant. Being together is what's important. Talking about one's day. Sitting at the table. All be together. Someone may be eating their meal. They got home later and need to eat now. Whether everyone who's sitting at the table is actually putting food in their mouth is not important.

[Anonymous]

They've always eaten what we eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I do think there are some legit picky eaters, I also think of you give your toddler Mac n cheese, hot dogs and nuggets on a regular basis that is what they are going to want....... If you don’t give them those foods they won’t eat them.

I totally agree. Many parents find it easier to serve things they know their kid will eat. If you do have a picky eater it can take years and frequent exposure to get them to expand their palate. It requires time and effort that alot of parents don't want to deal with.

Starting at a young age can make a huge difference. Even if a child goes through a phase where they suddenly become picky if you keep offering a variety of foods they eventually go back to eating. But it can take a long time.

[Anonymous]

They eat what we eat but I usually will deconstruct it for them. So if we are doing a pasta e fagioli soup, I will do the soup in one compartment of the plate, noodles in another, and add something I know they will eat (usually fruit). They are 3 and 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I do think there are some legit picky eaters, I also think of you give your toddler Mac n cheese, hot dogs and nuggets on a regular basis that is what they are going to want....... If you don’t give them those foods they won’t eat them.

I mean, I know no one is doing play dates now (hopefully), but when your kids go to other kids' houses, they will likely be exposed to these kinds of foods. Or at school (back when we had school). I wouldn't imagine it would be easy to find a kid who has never been given mac and cheese, hot dogs, or chicken nuggets.