You let your kids eat what??

BruteSquad

If I didn't eat what my mother gave me she would serve it up to me for my next meal. I'm not a parent, so I'm probably going to get flamed here, but when did parents start pandering to kids like this? I'm just curious, did the parents of this generation do that? Mine didn't and certainly the previous generation couldn't afford to.

I am with you. I remember leaning to eat what Mom served.

jcpmoore

I have to confess, my older son who is 7 is incredibly picky. I mean this kid likes almost nothing. He likes chicken nuggets (ew), mashed potatoes with cheese, scrambled eggs, yogurt, and applesauce. Now most of this can be incorporated into a meal but doesn't stand on its own as a meal. So we compromise. He'll eat ramen noodles (ugh) and grilled cheese (ugh) or tomato soup if I let him have mashed potatoes as his entree when I fix grilled chicken.

I do have rules that if he hasn't tried a thing he has to try it before declaring he doesn't like it. If he has tried it, he has to try it again. And again. They say a kid has to be exposed to a thing up to 10 times before they realize they like it, so I go with that. If he doesn't like it, then he can have his other things.

Last night we had shrimp with whole grain linguini, steamed broccoli, and steamed corn. He ate the shrimp AND pasta. :noway: I did agree to let him have cheese sauce on it, but hey-he ate it. And his corn. So, it does eventually happen apparently.

In the meantime, I thank God my kids don't like pizza and burgers every night and they're not fans of french fries. They do eat fruit. My youngest will take fruit and yogurt over pancakes or broccoli over mac and cheese any day. Both are active, so I guess it's all good.



*ew means I don't like it and ugh means I hate fixing it.

Vegetablearian

If I didn't eat what my mother gave me she would serve it up to me for my next meal. I'm not a parent, so I'm probably going to get flamed here, but when did parents start pandering to kids like this? I'm just curious, did the parents of this generation do that? Mine didn't and certainly the previous generation couldn't afford to.

I am with you. I remember leaning to eat what Mom served.

another one here! If I refused to eat the food on the table I would not be allowed to leave the table for around 2 hours or so ... then it would get served up for the next day ... lets just say there wasnt many foods I would never eat! There were some I never liked and would never eat and would rather go hungry so my mum let me avoid them (raw tomato or anything in a creamy sauce like lasagne, spaghettie carbonara, chicken pie, mac n cheese etc) other than that id eat anything

BAMFMeredith

My son is insanely picky as well. He gets on these kicks about what foods he will eat and which ones he won't. For a good long while it was chicken nuggets and chicken nuggets only (as a previous poster said). So I began making my own which cut up pieces of chicken breast and egg whites with mashed up corn flakes as the breading. Then I slowly started weaning him off of the nuggets and now he'll pretty much eat any kind of chicken. But that's about the only meat he will eat at all.

He won't eat rice or quinoa, he only likes certain vegetables (occasionally), so I've kinda tailored dinner time to meet both of our needs. I'll eat the things he won't eat for lunch or snacks (his school provides a balanced breakfast, lunch, and a healthy snack), and for dinner it's usually some variation of chicken and a veggie or a salad. It gets boring for dinner, but if he'll eat it and I'll eat it, it works.

One thing I've found with my son, if I tell him "you can have what the rest of us are having for dinner, or you can have nothing and go to bed" eventually, he'll give in and eat. It's what my parents did for me and my sister, and I figure he is just trying to test his boundaries. I read somewhere that a child has to taste something up to 20 times individually before being able to accurately decide if he or she likes it. So we have a "one bite" rule. He has to take one bite of something, and decide if he wants to eat the rest. He can either eat the rest, or eat nothing.

Good luck, kids are pretty much all picky at one point or another!!

Aleciajones

If I didn't eat what my mother gave me she would serve it up to me for my next meal. I'm not a parent, so I'm probably going to get flamed here, but when did parents start pandering to kids like this? I'm just curious, did the parents of this generation do that? Mine didn't and certainly the previous generation couldn't afford to.

This is what I do with my kids. The only change I will tolerate is one doesn't like cooked carrots so tonight's sautéed carrots with be changed to just raw carrots for her. If they don't like something they eat it with a bite of whatever else they have that they do like or they are left to choke it down.
I was morbidly obese as a kid because I was allowed to eat any time and anything I wanted, I will not let them end up a I did. They do get ice cream, and candy but it's only on days when we have been active enough to deserve it and it's always a measured serving.

carrie1013

If I didn't eat what my mother gave me she would serve it up to me for my next meal. I'm not a parent, so I'm probably going to get flamed here, but when did parents start pandering to kids like this? I'm just curious, did the parents of this generation do that? Mine didn't and certainly the previous generation couldn't afford to.

That is too funny, my parents were the same way. If I didn't finish my cereal for breakfast, i had to eat it for lunch :sick: I make my kids atleast try everything I make... and not just once, I continue to make them try it. They've come around pretty good.

TKHappy

I want to add too!! There are things my kids eat that would surprise most adults and that is because after seeing me eat it so much they eventually "want a taste". Even though I have only been in my stepsons life for four years, he has 'tried' and grown a liking to a lot of new foods he was not exposed to before I came along.....my husband he's a toughy on trying anything other then steak and potatoes.

So I think leading by example will definitely help!! Especially when they wanna be like their mommas. It also doesn't hurt to look up healthier versions of the things kids like....my kids love homade cookies, I found a recipe for pumpkin raisin cookies they love, its better then chocolate chip.

I also find that if you let them help with making meals they are more likely to try it. I ask them to try just one bite of new foods and that helps too....my daughter finally grew a taste for asparagus, my stepson-brussel sprouts....they beg for baked potatoes over french fries.

I say as long as they are active and exposed to healthy options and your being a great role model....your doing something right!

shalinimunjal

Growing up we didn't get a choice. Everyone ate the exact same meal. If one kid didn't care for/want a side, they did without that particular side but still ate the remaining.

Now, when I had my firstborn, he was picky and we were lenient as parents. Plus he went to the daycare and got served mozzarella sticks, chicken nuggets, etc. Finger food like that is easy for toddlers to eat so he started eating that and still eats it, very occasionally now. Now his palate has increased to trying new things and eating the same food as us but if he doesn't want something occasionally, we let him have the above.

Along came my second born. This time around, we were more experienced so we did things differently. Since the day she started eating solids, we started her on real food. NO PUREES!! She is 22 months and will eat everything on the table with me, as long as I eat the same thing. And she has been this way since around 10 months age! This past weekend at the food court, she sat at the table and ate fried rice and steamed veggies much to the amazement of a fellow diner. Then she moved on to DH's kabob plate LOL
For any moms reading this, I highly highly recommend the 'Baby Led Weaning' book for introduction to solid foods. It opened my eyes and change my outlook on solids for babies.

katzav

my kids (4 & 6) eat what we eat, every night, no matter what is served. i actually cook, nothing out of the box for the most part, and my kids eat it with minimal complaining. my eldest doesn't like 'slimy' stuff, such as sauteed onions, or mushy zucchini and eggplant, but she eats most of what she's served even still.
i have no suggestions for how to make your kids start, but know that they are completely capable of doing it, just like we all did. my mother NEVER would have made a separate meal, and frankly neither would I. no dinner=no dessert...even if that dessert is an orange!

Jesea

I try to add new recipes to our family meals several times each month, then we decide together if they are "keepers" or not. I typically serve one meal that fits into my calorie goals, and let my sons (2 yrs and 7 yrs) decide how much they want to eat. If a recipe completely bombs, they can choose yogurt or carrots or something else that's healthy, but most of the time they eat some of it, even though they may pick out parts they don't care for. Usually, you eat what I make and if not, you'll catch up at breakfast. Both boys like a lot of healthy meals, and we're always trying something new.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

My 2.5 year old son and I share the same allergies so yes, we eat the same things. We sit down for dinner, I put pork and veggies in front of him, he says "I want cereal" I say "this is dinner." We eat. If he has a fit about something that he wants I tell him we don't have any, or he may have that after he eats this. If he refuses to eat I start the bed time process. Normally we eat dinner and then go start the bedtime process which inclues additional cottage cheese and applesauce, if he doesn't eat dinner he doesn't get cottage cheese and applesauce so inevitably we end up back downstairs at the dinner table. No matter if he ate it last time or not, if it's on my plate it goes onto his. This isn't to say that I don't sometimes feed him hotdogs, but he'd have hotdogs every meal if he had his way, and it's not his way it's mine.

Edit: to add, because I've never allowed him to refuse a food completely, and just kept offering it to him he eats more veggies than anything else (except fruit), and scarfs down everything from black bean soup to sushi and whatever is inbetween. I read once that when introducing new foods to an infant you need to give it a try up to 15 times before the get a taste for it. I made all of his baby food from scratch and the only thing he ever vomited was canned food, so I continued to make it myself. The only thing I've allowed him to fully reject is mashed potatoes because that's the very first thing he ever really choked on so I totally get it.

Becca308

If I didn't eat what my mother gave me she would serve it up to me for my next meal. I'm not a parent, so I'm probably going to get flamed here, but when did parents start pandering to kids like this? I'm just curious, did the parents of this generation do that? Mine didn't and certainly the previous generation couldn't afford to.

^^This. And this is more or less what I do with my children too. We don't eat 100% clean, but we also don't buy any processed, frozen foods either. The children want chicken tenders? I'm cutting up chicken breasts, rolling them in breadcrumbs and baking them. They want pizza? I'm kneading my own dough and making that pizza. And if I put a squash and chickpea stew on the table and my 5 year old doesn't want it? We remind her to eat the bits she likes least first, or to hide them in something she does like. If she doesn't eat it, she waits until the next meal.

We also eat the same thing at mealtimes - I'm a believer that if the children see my husband and I enjoying the food in front of us, they will too.

The fruit is easily accessible and they don't need to ask to have a piece. The biscuits, sweets and crisps are in a less accessible cupboard. The girls can get to it if they chose, but they often don't.

We take time to explain to the girls the value of the food and exercise choices they make, and not just in terms of weight loss (they're 5 and 11, they don't need that sort of advice yet). It's more about energy, brain foods, being able to focus at school, not getting tired due to dehydration, etc.

live2dream

Maybe I'm naive because I don't have kids, but I'm pretty sure I would refuse to feed my kid processed junk. Bad eating habits that start young and carry on into adulthood can only be detrimental and make it that much harder for them to be a healthy, non-overweight adult. Plus, shouldn't your growing years be the MOST important time to get all the nutrients you need and the best nutrition possible?

I just don't understand how parents can be okay with feeding their kids happy meals, chips, soda, candy, etc... day after day. And to say that their kids won't eat anything else. What?! If they've never had a happy meal, they wouldn't know what they were missing.

That said, I was one of the pickiest kid eaters EVER. I wanted to live off of hot dogs, mac and cheese and turkey sandwiches. My parents allowed me to have terrible eating habits and it made it 1000x harder for me to turn around my eating habits. It took me 10 years, but I'm finally following a plant-based diet with limited processed food.

To the OP though: Looks like you are doing great as far as introducing quinoa and salads to your kids. Maybe try smoothies as well, and add spinach to get more fruits and veggies

paigemarie93

If I didn't eat what my mother gave me she would serve it up to me for my next meal. I'm not a parent, so I'm probably going to get flamed here, but when did parents start pandering to kids like this? I'm just curious, did the parents of this generation do that? Mine didn't and certainly the previous generation couldn't afford to.

We always ate the same meals when I was a kid, each of us having different meals? That's absurd!
If one of us didn't like something that was on our plate, then we got that taken off & got an extra of something else.
If we didn't eat what we got, we'd get told "eat it or it goes on your head" (that is a joke ofcourse, if we didn't eat it, it went in the bin) but the thought of having food in our hair made us eat it.

4my2jays

My kids eat different things than myself on occassion but it is not much difference. I often bake my chicken and other things so the main part of the meal we eat the same as far as protein and veggies. I usually will give them some things thaty I can not have which are mac&cheese, corn and stuff but it is given in moderation. Instead of only having chips in my home for them for snack, since I eat more fruit they have been gravitaing for the fruit more instead of the chips, so I buy more fruit (which is great). Also I try to limit fruity drinks in my house but noticed since Mommy drinks more water they drink it more also, but I don't restrict them to just water. I try to give them little choices, but I think by doing that, they see what I eat/drink and try to mimic that.

We go to the Y almost everyday. We call it "Operation To Get Healthy" program in our house. I usually workout in the gym or do Zumba and they play basketball. So we are out moving around burning calories and its our family time as well because we go as a family. I love what these changes have done for our relationshsip as Mother, Son and Daughter.

parys1

If I didn't eat what my mother gave me she would serve it up to me for my next meal. I'm not a parent, so I'm probably going to get flamed here, but when did parents start pandering to kids like this? I'm just curious, did the parents of this generation do that? Mine didn't and certainly the previous generation couldn't afford to.

I am with you. I remember leaning to eat what Mom served.

This was the same for me and I've done the same with my children. My son (11) and daughter(9, almost 10) pretty much eat what is there. I only cook one family meal, although my son would dearly love me to make him something else sometimes. It's not a matter of cost, it's what I'm making available to them. Some days I get cheers and hugs, some days I get grumbles and minimal amounts eaten. The rule is, you must at least try it. You don't have to finish it if you hate it, but you have to try it. I do try to make sure that there is some part of the meal that everyone favours - not always successful. Both kids have finally stopped hounding me for lunchables and the like - I don't buy them, but I will make my own version.

nora110

I try to have all of us eat the same things- I dont go without goodies either! I want my kids to realize that eating healthy is enjoyable, and is not about going without the splurges in life, but in moderation. Fortunately, my kids love my homemade sweet potato (not)fries, roasted asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, salad, and any fruit. They dont have to eat what I am eating, they have to TRY everything, but we do equal swaps- you don't want spinach, you can have carrots or celery. One doesn't like pineapple, so he gets another fruit when we have that.

I try to teach them about portion control with the goodies. I will make cupcakes instead of a cake, or mini muffins, or if I bake brownies, I cut them into portions. We make smoothies with frozen bananas and yogurt and they think that's as good as ice cream. Or we have real ice cream, but small bowls.

And sometimes, we all blow it. We went out for wings on saturday. And that's ok. We just get back to normal the next day.

My1985Freckles

If I didn't eat what my mother gave me she would serve it up to me for my next meal. I'm not a parent, so I'm probably going to get flamed here, but when did parents start pandering to kids like this? I'm just curious, did the parents of this generation do that? Mine didn't and certainly the previous generation couldn't afford to.

I'm also not a parent and I've wondered the same thing.... and yes, I usally get flamed for it.

natalieg0307

I do a happy dance when my family of 5 eats the same thing for dinner. It DOES get better, but with picky eaters...it's still a pain. At 11, 13, and 17 they DO try new foods more often (some they like, some they don't). But now they are old enough....if they don't like what we are having dinner, they make their own.

Good luck.

SixCatFaerie

If I didn't eat what my mother gave me she would serve it up to me for my next meal. I'm not a parent, so I'm probably going to get flamed here, but when did parents start pandering to kids like this? I'm just curious, did the parents of this generation do that? Mine didn't and certainly the previous generation couldn't afford to.

^^^This! I don't have kids either. When I was a kid if I didn't eat what my Mom made I went hungry (same with previous generations on both sides of my family) & yep, she gave me the same food I didn't eat for the next meal. She tried to teach me to eat healthy & filling foods. I thought she was being mean by not letting me eat what my friends ate.

I should have listened to my Mom! If I had, I wouldn't have gotten fat after leaving home. (pure rebellion on my part!) I was NOT a fat child! I was a healthy eater & was athletic. After I moved out & especially after getting married I ate every bad thing I could get my hands on! Now here I am trying to lose all the weight I gained. Should have listened to my Mom...