ARGGGHHHH!! Why won't my kids eat my food!!

lucasmum

Sorry if this turns out to be a bit of a rant! I have a 5 yr old and a 1 yr old. DS1 has always been a great eater and DS2 seemed to be the same, although is a bit more fussy- for a while now they have been getting really fussy, I can't remember a meal i cooked where i had a single empty plate and that includes my OH(but he has always been fussy). I don't know about any of you but I take this really personally.
I am a good cook, for chr*st's sake I went to catering college!
I love cooking but am at a complete loss as what to cook for my kids. I am quite picky about what I feed them, always give them their 5 a day, no E numbers etc.

For example we had pasta with tom sauce with veggies in and DS2 picked out the sweetcorn and DS1 had 2 pieces of pasta.
Tonight it was sauages beans and mash with a few left over carrots (coz DS2 always eats carrots). Beans and carrots were eaten but I literally threw away a whole plate of DS1's dinner away. Its not exactly exotic food.
I have been quite strict and not made seperate meals and no food after dinner etc, but if this goes on for much longer they will starve!

What kid proof meals do you make any insipration would be great coz I even threatened just buying ready meals for them last night so I don't have to waste my time cooking.

Some of my failed attempts include:
HM Chicken nuggets
Potato cheese and onion layer bake(from here)
Cotage Pie
Spag Bol

To make it worse DS2 polished his plate off last weekend wilst staying at my mum's. It was sausage beans and chips!!
Thanks for listening to my rant any suggestions geatly recieved.

ariba10

If you try to make an issue of it they will latch onto that and play you up,

I have not heard of a child yet that has starved itself to death.

I know it has been said many times in the past. But they have a choice. Eat it or go without.

JailhouseBabe

I second ariba10 - eat it or go without. DD never got sweets, biscuits, etc. if she hadn't finished her meal. If she didn't eat something, it would get served again at the next meal time.
There are a few exceptions, we all genuinely dislike some things and you I think you can recognise when that's truly the case with your own children. I would never cook more than meal at any meal time either - everyone eats the same.
BTW, DD is now 19 and I think the biggest compliment she's ever paid me was when she said that when she has children, she'll raise them exactly the same way that I raised her

As an aside - I never complained when her plate wasn't completely empty, as long as she'd made the effort. I grew up being told that I had to clear my plate & blame that on any weight problems I've ever had!

Yategirl

yep.. eat or go without... they soon learn! I agree.. we all have genuine dislikes and I respect that but we all eat the same. I insist that they eat fair amount as well (especially if they start asking for pudding)...

jennet1

I agree with the others take it or leave it, here are some suggestions that always go down well in our house:
Roast chicken dinner ( i just roast a large chicken piece for the 3 of us!)
fish pie, topped with mash
lasagne
shepards pie
toad in the hole
hth

kazwookie

As a kid, my mother cooked us all the same meal, you ate it or you went without, end of story.

I always remember her friend coming round saying she had just cooked 4 different meals!!!

gunsandbanjos

Lucasmum, do you give them anything else instead if they refuse the meal?

lucasmum

Thanks guys, I completely agree with you. i try not to make a big deal but sometimes when I have spent the time maing something I cannot hide my frustration!
DS1 does not like mushrooms, thats fair enough but its the food that I know they like that I really have a problem with them not eating. If they eat something once and the next time I dish it up they don't like it!

How do you cope with different tastes within your family. Myself and DS1 like noodles, rice, seafood whilst DS2 like potatoes and carrots(thats about it). Do you just take it in turns with different faves and everybody else has to join in or does your family just share the same tastes?

pigpen

Children do not starve themselves.. ever.. If they did I'd have been dead.. though sometimes I swear mine have thrived on fresh air and bogies!!,.. funny how they are always right keen on eating those!! lol.. anyway.. that's just gross..

The first thing I'd do is feed them smaller portions.. less waste... and also less of a daunting task .. being faced with a huge plate of food (even if it is little more than a sparrows beak full) is really off-putting.

Also have a word with the OH.. if the children are seeing him wasting food then to them it is 'normal' and they will follow suit... personally I'd have a right old rant I hate it when my hubby leaves food I've cooked.. I'm not a terrible cook.. I really only ever cook traditional foods.. fairly bland etc.. I hate spicy stuff. If he sticks with his childish eating habits (because that is what they are!! It just makes me think molly-coddled spoiled brat!! sorry OH, just being honest!!) I'd feed the children at a different time.. same meal but he would have to sit somewhere else or have his warmed up.. and yes I've done this before!!

Parenting is a joint enterprise and if there are mixed signals coming in they will use that as a tool to create havoc! You both have to work together on this.. not have one slipping biscuits when dinner is left.

Also, .. don't try forcing them.. they have a set time limit to eat their food in.. if they don't eat it a) their plate is removed and b) they do not get dessert!! If they complain they are hungry an hour later.. their food is warmed up and represented.. if they are truly hungry it will be eaten!! No coaxing, no cajoling.

We do not parley with terrorists and anarchists!!! lol.. savvy???

I did tuna pasta bake tonight.. DS3 hasn't tried even a mouthful so has gone to bed without.. his loss!!

lucasmum

I don't give them anything else. i have been known to give DS2 a yoghurt so he gets his calcium but I have even stopped that now

HelenKA_2

Just to let you know, you're not the only one. I frequently feel 'black afronted' when they turn their noses up at that which I have spent time and money cooking.

I try to make sure that each child has a meal they like (or some component that they like :rotfl: ) every day or so, which usually means rice/pasta and everyone gets a tiny bit of everything on the table. Recently I have been insisting that they do eat this tiny thing though as someone else said if they have made a good effort.....

The other thing I do (apart from the obvious no pudding thing though we rarely have pudding!!) is if they want to leave it and I think they should have eaten more, they have to eat their age in mouthfuls: so at present that is 7 or 9 (sadly the 12 yr old never has to be co-ursed this way).

I also decided that I wasn't going to spend hours making delicious meals unless 'I' wanted it, it just made me so mad when I thought 'I'll make this thing and they'll really like it and eat it' then they didn't. Luckily DH is very appreciative .