meat phobic 4 year old - ideas please

OrkneyStar

My DS is 14 months, used to eat very well, now its up and down and he is a bit more fussy. He is younger than your DS of course but thought I might share this with you......Tonight we had mince and tatties (decent mince, locally produced steak mince so no nasties in there). I basically mushed the mince up through some nice buttery mash (you could leave out the butter) and voila lots of mince (well lots for him anyway) was going down with the potato, even though he would normally through the meat back at me lol. Gradually increase the mince lump size as he gets used to the new taste/texture. You could also try spag bol this way, loads of his fave veg in the sauce but a little mince (pork, steak/beef, turkey whatever) through it, gradually increasing it ?
What about veg pasta, again with tiny cubes of meat ?
It is good he eats fish though and also seems to do very well with his veg .
Good luck.
PS I would not give him lots of chippy food but the odd one won't do too much harm IMHO.
Edited to say, DS ate chicken, cauli, pepper, rice and sweetcorn tonight (the first 3 parts were slow cooker curry and the chicken was very soft so maybe that might help ?)

pigpen

Keep putting it on his plate.. he may just not like the texture.. my brother hated it and chew and chew and chew the same lump until he gagged and spat it out.. from being very little.. he just doesn't eat it now either. Hubby didn't eat meat at all either.. he hated it.. until last year now he is positively carniverous!!

All my lot eat meat but DS3 hates mince.. and my oldest daughter likes processed things like nuggets and burgers but won't touch a roast!

Just keep offering it he will get there.. failing that cook things that have big lumps of meat and pick them out of his.. that way he is still getting the juices and nutrients from those without having to chew.. and chew... and chew...

Just ignore when it is left on his plate.. he may well just eat it one day.. don't ask him to try it, or ask him if he is eating it.. so long as he is eating well and eating everything else you listed he isn't going to fade away!

Sarahsaver

Processed meat is easier to eat. Try it. It will dissolve in your mouth, but real meat you HAVE to chew. If you lety on you are worried it could become more of an issue.
BTW I cook most things from scratch but not because of food phobias, just because its the best way!

LilMissEmmylou

what about shredding chicken and mashing it in with some veg? would he fall for that? i know its how i used to get it when i was wee

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I wouldn't worry too much. He probably wouldn't eat them anyway.

Most kids I know barely touch the school dinners, partly because they are complete muck and partly because they would rather be outside playing with their friends than stuck inside eating the muck. Even the fruit and veg have next to no minerals or vitamins in them, and the vegetarian option will probably be gone by the time he gets to the dinnerladies. By the way, the food you will be shown by the school caterers on your 'visit the school' day bears no relation to what is actually served up when no parents are present.

You will probably find that members of staff's children that attend the school usually have packed lunches.

DD1 refused to eat meat based school dinners as she said they looked like spit on a plate, and won't eat senior school cafeteria food as apparently that is even worse. DD2 refuses to have the free school meals (she says their food is designed to make fat children thin not healthy) and, as she is already tiny, she doesn't want 'stuff with no vitamins'.

They take little lock n lock style round pots to school with tomato, cucumber, lettuce, cheese, grated carrot and a little mayonnaise, sometimes buckwheat noodles with hoisin sauce, cucumber and maybe a tablespoon of roast duck or chicken, sometimes rice salad, potato salad, chopped mixed fruit, a yoghurt, salad wraps/chapattis. As I am a lovely Mummy, there is of course a little treat put in as well, usually a fruit flapjack or homemade cookie. The oldest will only have soya milk as she dislikes cows milk and the youngest has UHT milk drinks.

I found out at the end of term that DD2 got an award from the dinner ladies for having the healthiest packed lunches and DD1 is known for being the no junk girl.

I would say at most they have about 3oz of meat between them in a week, including the ever popular Sunday Dinner. Their fish consumption is pretty high though - they have eaten all fish ever given to them - fresh tuna, salmon, coley, cod, mackerel, haddock, pollock, whiting, trout, basa, etc, plus tinned sardines, mackerel and tuna - and prawns, crevettes, lobster, squat lobster, langoustine, clams, crab, cockles, mussels.

Thinking about it - could my DDs be reincarnated Japanese children?

starjumper

When I was growing up I couldn't eat meat and wouldn't eat meat until I went to school and the dinner ladies forced it on me, long story short, ate meat from the age of 5-13 and then went veggie, I'm happy and healthy. Some people just can't tolerate meat, if he wants to eat it he will. Best not to make issues out of food. Sounds like he eats really well anyway so hats off to you!

hollyh

Hi

My youngest who's 2 has never liked potatoes in any way shape or form. Every time we had potatoes i just put a tiny amount on his plate. At first he would just leave it and i'd take it away without any fuss. Eventually i came to notice he would eat mashed potatoes if it had parsley sauce or gravy on them. Next he started eating hm chips, then last week he ate a roast potato for the first time in his life. I think he thought he may as well try it as it's always there.;)

Ds1 was the same he wouldn't eat chips until he was about 6 ( not such a bad thing) and he wouldn't eat roast potatoes until he was 10 now he loves them

So i would say just keep serving him meat maybe just a little bit and don't make a fuss if he doesn't eat it. You may be surprised one day.

lindseykim13

I have a similar problem mine don't like the chewyness of it, however i cut it up small and make a game of it 'bet you can't eat your piece before i eat mine' if they are adamant they don't want it i don't force but they always get some on their plate and where as they wouldn't touch it before it at least gets chewed or a bit eaten now so they are learning. Also told that they arn't getting anything else instead of it.
Have you explained where meat comes from? my ds's 6 and 3 know and always have done then they can make their own choice about if they want to eat it or not also. I use 'the animal died to feed you so you shouldn't waste it' but i do use shock tactics though!:rotfl:

Eagle_1

My Daughter was a very fussy eater so what i did was let her help me make dinner. While we were preparing the stuff id come out with things like:
I bet your Roast beef and Yorkshire puddings are better than mine
or
Look how good them sausages are, how did you get them to look as nice as that
I see it as all psycological (sp), they think they dont like the food but as soon as they 'think' they have prepared the meal it magically becomes gorgeous.
On a sunday Id carve the meat and id cut about 4 squares of the meat and say to DD keep an eye on that meat cos theres pieces keep vanishing then what would happen was Dad would come in and pinch a piece of the meat and Id look and notice a piece had gone and them two would be laughing, so eventually she would pinch a piece of the meat and im left playing silly beggars pretending i didnt know where the meat had gone..............but it worked and it got her eating meat

loocyloo

hi, my 6yr old has recently started saying 'yuck, i'm not eating that' to every single meal put him front of him ...whether he has been involved in its chosing/preparation or whatever. i just say 'ok' and i'm finding he eats it! he knows that if he doesn't eat, there will be nothing else at all until the next mealtime!

i've looked after children who don't/won't eat meat, and it does seem to be the 'chew factor'! i used to use chicken mince in bolognese/chilli style meals, as its seems to dissolve the most! (i also used to blitz the sauce after cooking it, so it was smooth, then maybe add vegetable 'lumps' !)
but, as long as a child is getting all the protein and vitamins they need, there is no harm in them not eating meat. as for school dinners, i think it is personal to the school/county as to what is provided.

xxx