Feed a family of four for £20 a week challenge

joedenise · 20 July 2015 at 9:57AM

Ladyluck1 wrote: »

Hi all!
Been gone a while!
Anyway, finding money tight again and my kids have got SUPER FUSSY! I have no idea what to do, they literally just won't eat if they don't like something and the only meal they really like is cereal at breakfast.
Id love to stick to £20-30 a week but it's just not possible when all they want to eat is roast chicken and expensive things.
Any help appreciated.
Oh and my kids are 20months and 4 1/2

I know it's very difficult when kids are being fussy but I think it's probably a case of tough love. Your kids won't starve themselves so just provide the meals you want them to eat and if they don't eat it just take it away without any fuss. (You might want to freeze it to get it out another time).

Next mealtime do the same again with another meal.

After a day or so they will be hungry and will eat what you give them.

The important thing is not to give them anything in between meals - crisps, biscuits etc.

It's very hard to do but it does work.

Another thing to try is to sit down with them at the table and eat the same thing; it may be earlier than you would normally eat but have a small meal with them - you can always eat again later after they've gone to bed if you need to.

Denise

HappyMJ · 20 July 2015 at 10:09AM

joedenise wrote: »

I know it's very difficult when kids are being fussy but I think it's probably a case of tough love. Your kids won't starve themselves so just provide the meals you want them to eat and if they don't eat it just take it away without any fuss. (You might want to freeze it to get it out another time).

Next mealtime do the same again with another meal.

After a day or so they will be hungry and will eat what you give them.

The important thing is not to give them anything in between meals - crisps, biscuits etc.

It's very hard to do but it does work.

Another thing to try is to sit down with them at the table and eat the same thing; it may be earlier than you would normally eat but have a small meal with them - you can always eat again later after they've gone to bed if you need to.

Denise

Your kids won't starve themselves - Errr...yes they will. Have you ever had fussy eaters? They will not eat. Really they won't touch food that has not been introduced slowly from an early age. They will go many days without any food whatsoever and a few days without food for a child is unhealthy. They will be hungry but will still refuse to eat. I've had it before. It's better to give them whatever they want and introduce new foods very slowly. There's nothing wrong with chicken if that's the only meat they'll eat I can think of much worse. Chicken is one of the cheapest meats available anyway at only £2-£4/kg. I'd feed as much of it as they want. Breakfast cereals are preferred...well of course they are they taste better than porridge and the children may not like the texture of toast. I'd try finding the breakfast cereals they prefer and stocking up once it's on offer. I would never advise restricting a child from snacking or eating whenever they want. It will affect their long term health not eating at all rather than eating a few biscuits and crisps instead of fruit. I'd make fruit as appetizing as possible. I make a great fruit salad with plenty of sweetness in it by using plenty of squash to increase the sweetness that few kids refuse. I'll even add a bit of ice-cream. If they refuse to eat it all the remains will get binned..but at least they've has the spoonful of ice cream. Something is better than nothing.

[Deleted User] · 20 July 2015 at 10:17AM

I agree with joedenise Tough love is a great way .Believe me children won't starve and will eventually eat what you put in front of them. I became very matter of fact with my two when they were little it wasn't 'would you like xxxx for dinner/tea/' it was here it is ,I eat the same , get on with it, after few grumpy faces and "I hate that stuff " which I, being sensible ignored, along with the tantrums they ate it when nothing else was forthcoming.

I have never liked crisps so very rarely did the girls eat them.Even today, and they are 45 and 47 they don't eat crisps.They grew up knowing what was put in front of them they ate, or went without.

I grew up with war time rationing when food was very scarce, so as a child it never occured to my brothers and I to say we didn't like something we just ate it regardless. probaly the only thing I really detested was tripe and even today I don;'t think I could eat a plateful,but back then my mother would stand over us and asy
"Good men died to put that food on your plate, eat it up or go without" she was a great supporter of merchant seamen as one of her brothers was in the merchant service.
Sounds awful, but children are no different to any other little animals they won't starve themselves and will eat.
My youngest DD has had five children and fussiness wasn't allowed either When it came to dinner time two or three veg were always put on the table and the children had to eat at least one of them or they went without .Her kids have all grown up eating virtually anything.

feeding a family is hard enough at the best of times yet alone when cash is short. so tough it out and trust me they will eat

Ladyluck1 · 20 July 2015 at 11:03AM

Thanks all, we already eat together at 4.30 because I just find it easier we all eat at the same time.
My toddler isn't as bad as the 4 1/2 year old and generally if she can pick her food off my plate she will eat it &#55357;&#56904;
I think I'm just going to be a bit tougher with my older one. I don't mind buying chicken as I can get it pretty cheap and make stock with the carcass BUT he would just eat a whole plate of chicken and none of the veg etc haha
I've just done a £20 lidl shop so will see how well I can stretch it, I want to try and get him to eat cottage pies and spaghetti Bolognese as I can really bulk out a mince dish with grated carrot and you don't need a lot. I just got 1kg from lidl for £3.49 too

tessie_bear · 20 July 2015 at 11:03AM

i read a good quote that said dont ask your child what they want for dinner unless they are paying...good advice i think

i have a foot in both camps..tough love and humouring fussy eater my wee one is autistic and i think he would starve himself but they say a healthy child never would so i hope that is some comfort...i like to sit at the table and turn out a healthy meal that imo isnt unreasonable to ask them to eat it....perhaps do some supermarket shopping and cooking together to involve the kids

that said i am of the opinion that we all dont like things...my dh doesnt like fish i cant eat egg white unless mixed like scrambled eggs and i think kids are entitled to dislike some foods...moany and biatching about all foods put in front of them is another matter

good luck tessa

mumofthetwins · 20 July 2015 at 2:51PM

One of my 2 will not eat anything with sauce .. beans, pizza, pasta, curry nothing. we did try the your not getting anything else until you eat it pulling the same meal out every time he would say he's hungry wanted a snack (which he didn't get) eventually he now eats gravy but still nothing else with sauce. they are now nearly 13 and when his brother and their friends go out for pizza he still wont have it ...
so good luck and little steps but you are better off trying to sort it now rather than later

lisa x

Ladyluck1 · 20 July 2015 at 2:58PM

mumofthetwins wrote: »

One of my 2 will not eat anything with sauce .. beans, pizza, pasta, curry nothing. we did try the your not getting anything else until you eat it pulling the same meal out every time he would say he's hungry wanted a snack (which he didn't get) eventually he now eats gravy but still nothing else with sauce. they are now nearly 13 and when his brother and their friends go out for pizza he still wont have it ...
so good luck and little steps but you are better off trying to sort it now rather than later
lisa x

How weird is that! My oldest one hates anything saucy, apart from gravy. He won't eat a cottage pie, beans, bolognese. Anything like that :rotfl:

FairyPrincessk · 20 July 2015 at 5:57PM

I won't weigh in on fussy eaters as I'm not a parent. However, I did want to suggest that most of those 'saucy' things might be made as components--i.e. make the mince/onion etc. mixture for bolognaise or cottage pie and just take out a portion for the child before finishing it off. Serve with pasta/mash/veg on the side.

ArthriticOldThing · 20 July 2015 at 7:17PM

Weird indeed. My youngest wouldn't eat anything that didn't have a sauce!!!

Islandmaid · 20 July 2015 at 7:37PM

When my eldest was about 2, he went through about 6 months eating only pasta, hotdog sausages, cucumber, bananas and yoghurts and would only drink milk - being my first I stressed about it till the very sensible nurse on a regular check up said ' so he eats fruit, veg, protein and carbs and drinks calcium' I think he will survive....

He,s now 21 6 ft 5 and eats anything.

Hopefully yours will turn a corner soon x

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Feed a family of four for £20 a week challenge

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