I am new @ this, but need advice!!! - dinner time!!

roberts1 wrote: ok so my husband fixes roast, carrots, potatoes.. We love it, but our 2 girls Olivia 3 and brianna 7 dont. so instead of just fixing something they like, my husband says " when i was lil if we didnt like what our parents fixed then we wouldnt eat". my view is if they want a ppand j for dinner, fix it, @ least they are eating!! Our kids our soooo picky, what can i do so we dont argue @ every dinner time?????

gr33n3y3z replied: your hubby is right I hate to say that bc thats how I grew up maybe a little suggestion just put one or two pieces of each on a plate and tell them you have to eat half see if that helps
when they get hungry they will eat it and trust me they wont starve

Welcome to the board and keep us posted

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: I'm with your husband. My kids get to eat what I fix...if they dont want it they dont eat.
Like Lisa's my kids have yet to starve

CantWait replied: IMHO 3 and 7 is old enough to start participating and eating what's given to them at meal time. The expectation is not always that they're going to like it, but certainly I wouldn't be making something totally different each meal either.

Jamison'smama replied: I tend to fix at least one item that they will like with others that are not their favorites. I might fix the roast then fix mashed potatoes or a veggie (something healthy) that the whole family will eat.

Calimama replied: I agree with everyone else. How are ever going to get them to try new foods? Roast, potatoes, and carrots have a ton more nutritional value than pbj.

roberts1 replied: Thank you all so much for all your advice!! We talked it over, and are going to start fixing something they for sure will eat AS WELL as new foods. This program is soo neat, i am very excited, and am sure will have more delimas!!

msoulz replied: I guess it depends on the kid. I was a skinny kid in a fat family, probably because I did not like what they ate. So mom made me what I liked so I would eat, otherwise I would not, which is not healthy either. I am still a "discerning" eater (OK, some call it picky ) and it's not to be stubborn or anything, it's that certain stuff just tastes bad to me. I know many people who aren't picky think it's just the picky one making trouble, but to me, it's just a matter of taste.

If my son doensn't eat well he gets migraine headaches. So try as I might I still have to make something that he will eat and it does get frustrating sometimes when I feel like I am making two or three dinners at a time. Fortunately he will try about anything but he does have PB & J for dinner sometimes. It's better than having him vommitting in the middle of the night from a headache.

So will they starve? Probably not, but don't take it personally if they don't like what you have cooked either. It's not likely your cooking, it's what was cooked. I think it is fair to ask them to try everything though. That is another thing that people get confused and upset about - it's not your cooking, it's that I don't like the food.

Just a few thoughts from an adult picky eater.

Old Mom Hubbard replied: "Give a little, take a little" my parents and grandparents used to say. In explaining this concept to us kids, "We'd give a little" meaning-Give a little try and eat a little of something we THOUGHT we did not want/like and we'd GET to eat what we wanted...but ONLY after we ate what we did not want.

For each bite of something we did NOT want, this would = the number of bites of something we did want.

My brother and I never starved either, for NOT giving at all/refusing to try or eat what was prepared. YOU ARE THE PARENT and so you must begin now teaching proper nutition and balanced meals, and to ensure plenty of fresh veggies and fruits are eaten. Don't let the kids tell you what they are going to eat. Again, try the "Balance of", they eat what YOU fix and bite will = bite for what they DO want after they have eaten what has been prepared and if they refuse then hey, let them go without. They will not starve and no it is not abuse. You are simply setting the rules in your home. Have fun with it, and good luck!

Cece00 replied: I usually put something on the plate the kids do like, and then stuff they may or may not like. The rule is that they have to eat at least 3 bites of anything they do not think they like...sometimes they will only eat 3, sometimes they eat the rest. My kids do not have the choice of not eating, but if they absolutely REFUSED to eat, they would go to bed hungry. I dont fix extra food.

MyBabeMaddie replied: I'm not at that stage yet but I wish you luck!

My dad did the same thing as your dh and I turned out ok!

Boo&BugsMom replied:
I have to agree with your hubby. Giving into their wants will only create more pickiness. When I make something, I always make sure that there is something that I know our son likes, whether it's the veggie or bread. He does have to try new foods, and many times more than at one meal, because sometimes it takes a child 8 tries before they "realize they like it". Also, their tastes change over time. If we have something we know he likes, then he at least has to eat a certain portion of it. I never, ever make him something different than what we have though. That only creates a monster (figure of speech, of course), IMHO. I am a total believer in food discipline and many times (from my experiences in daycare and preschool) believe picky eaters are created due to the lack of food discpline in the home.