You let your kids eat what??

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  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    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
    Becca308 Posts: 43 Member
    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
    live2dream Posts: 614 Member
    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
    paigemarie93 Posts: 778 Member
    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
    4my2jays Posts: 168 Member
    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
    parys1 Posts: 2,072 Member
    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
    nora110 Posts: 24
    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
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
    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
    natalieg0307 Posts: 237 Member
    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
    SixCatFaerie Posts: 690 Member
    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...
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
    My kids get their mac & cheese but they also eat their stir fry veggies and bake chicken. They also get their pizza rolls and bake french fries. I don't want them to look at eating healthy as a punishment so I incorporate healthy items with some of their yummy foods. It works for me.

    I'm trying to teach them portion control. Also I want them to have a large palette so we eat a variety of things. They will eat most veggies if they are seasons really well or maybe have a light cheesy sauce.
  • Angellore
    Angellore Posts: 519 Member
    My mum was always strict with treats when I was a kid. We were only allowed chocolate once a week and we never had crisps or chocolate biscuits or boxeed juice for our packed lunch at school. We would have cereal for breakfast, sandwiches and a piece of fruit for lunch (with a flask of squash) and then a meat and two veg type dinner. We were allowed one cookie and a warm milk before bed. The result? As soon as I was able to go out on my own with my pocket money and when I got a bit more money with a paper round and a saturday job I spent the LOT on junk food. I would also steal food from the kitchen as a young kid and once my mum caught me in the kitchen when I was about 6 eating golden syrup straight from the can with a spoon. Another time I got caught at school when I was 8 stealing a packet of crisps from another kids bag and my mum got called up the school about it. I am sure that because my mum made those foods 'evil' I wanted them more and it probably went a long way to causing my disordered eating as a teen and adult.

    I sound like I blame my mum. I don't. She did what she thought was best. While I don't advocate giving kids everything they want I also don't think you should make kids aware that there are 'bad' foods or 'diets' etc.
  • shellgirl144
    shellgirl144 Posts: 33
    I'm with you guys. I don't and have never made everyone a different meal for dinner. I do not run a restaurant. They eat what I make or they can go hungry. It's that simple, but they've never gone hungry. ...and my kids are 16 and 17 and are still alive to tell about it. Once in awhile I will allow them to eat soemthing different, but they have to make it themselves.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    We mostly eat the same thing. I've found ways to work with it. For instance, I make fresh chicken nuggest. Cut a chicken breast in pieces, dredge it thorugh egg, then through bread crumbs or panko, and bake. So, they get chicken nuggets, and so do I. I don't mind eating those, but I wont eat those frozen ones. So, it's a win-win. I've adjusted a lot of things like that.

    But, I am teaching them how to eat heathful foods, but I also let them be kids and eat cookies and ice cream and things liek that. But, for our meal, I try to just cook one thing and that's what the family is having for dinner.

    Breakfast and lunch are a little different, where on the weekends, I make a custom meal for each person. I don't mind at all, I enjoy cooking and preparing food. But, when were in a hurry, I just make something and tell them to eat it. So, it goes either way, just depends. But, I've gotten away from feeding them junk. It's pretty much the things I eat. They are kind of picky, and I've made compromises too. Like, they like white bread not wheat, so I eat white bread. I hate iot, but that's one of the compromises I've made for them. They also have to make some for me.
  • atay18
    atay18 Posts: 39 Member
    We ate my parent's meals or we had the option of making our own peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We could then clean up after ourselves. This option was generally way less appealling then whatever my parent's made.
  • crystal8208
    crystal8208 Posts: 284 Member
    I also don't have kiddos but I do sit for other families. And a few children I cared for often enough that they saw me as a parenting figure (in one sad case, they identified with me as a parent more than their own parent). So I got a decent amount of practice at feeding kiddos what they don't want. A reward is always good. For my sitters, we usually have dinner (including the offending food), and the reward was popcorn and movie later. If they kids chose not to eat dinner that was their choice, but when movie time came, they couldn't have popcorn. I had one girl push me very far. She kicked the couch and screamed until she was red in the face, held her breath till she was blue, etc wanting popcorn like her siblings when she chose not to eat the green beans I made for dinner. After about 35 minutes of tantrum (being ignored by the family and me), she finally gave up and asked me to reheat her beans so she could eat them and have popcorn. Solved. And she never pushed me again.

    When I was a child, I ate dinner with my grandparents after school because my parents worked during the day. I remember my offending food: beets. I hate them! Still do. But, my perk was I got to keep my glass at the table if I ate the beets. (My cousins would suck down 4-5 glasses of juice/milk/etc and claim 'not hungry', so Grandma kept the glasses on the counter during mealtimes to police the amount of beverage.) Eat a beet, drink a drink, eat a beet, drink a drink. I would drink 3 glasses of juice but it got those nasty beets down.

    And to clarify, Grandma never told us we couldn't have beverage, she just wanted to make sure we ate too. We could have as much drink during play and study times as we wanted. Don't want Grandma bashing on here. But that's my story and how I handle it with my sitting kids. When the time comes to get my own children to get over picky eatings, I'll most likely incorporate some mix of my sitting and Grandma. :drinker:
  • bluberrygoo
    bluberrygoo Posts: 222 Member
    My 1 y/o fell in love with flaxseed meal pancakes, but I had to take them away. Way too much pooping and now he has a horrible diaper rash. My kids love lean pockets, salads, wheat thins, bagels, grilled chicken, and anything spicey. I don't buy junk food and my kids don't care for cookies.
  • BecksgotBack
    BecksgotBack Posts: 385 Member
    I'm the short order cook. There's just the two of us so if we're having chicken for dinner she gets chicken and whatever else she wants. She knows she HAS to have a vegetable and fruit. But she gets to pick. She doesn't like quinoa. I don't make her eat it. I have switched to whole grain pasta--she's okay with that. And brown rice. At first she didn't want it but then i just explained the difference between brown rice and white rice in terms she would understand...now she's okay with it. I much rather cook what she wants than throw it away. I've tried the "sit at the table till it's gone" thing. The only person i'm punishing is myself. By time I get home I'm exhausted, miserable and do not feel like fighting with a child about what she's going to eat for 2 hours. (yes, she's sat at that table for 2 hours--she ate it. But really? Did she learn anything--no. She just pissed me off) As long as it's healthy i don't care. If she wants eggs for dinner--she gets eggs for dinner. At least she's making healthy choices. We have far worse things to worry about--I pick my battles. Food will not be one of them.

    oh...but if i had 2 or more kids (i'd go crazy) there's no way. eat what i give you and like it. that would take way too much time.
  • bluberrygoo
    bluberrygoo Posts: 222 Member
    When I was a child, if I didn'teat what was made then I starved. I was starving all the time, then got use to it and stopped eating breakfast and lunch. I never had fast food till I was in high school, it was a big no no in my house.
  • IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym
    IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym Posts: 5,573 Member
    my kids eat Lunchables, McDonald's, etc., but they eat until they are full and stop. They do not shovel food in their faces until they burst at the seams, nor do they make horribly bad food choices, so once in a while processed food doesn't hurt them. Heck, it doesn't hurt me, either, once in a while in moderation....
  • briteyes
    briteyes Posts: 435 Member
    i try to have my kids eat as cleanly as possible - given that they are kids and they are both out of the house in someone else's care for 8 - 10 hours on weekdays, i only have so much control.

    and given that they are naturally picky eaters (although a lot less picky than most kids) I do let them eat stuff I rarely eat - but I also work hard to buy the best of the worst

    for example:

    white bread - i buy whole wheat white bread
    lunch meat - i buy hormel's all-natural nitrate free lunch meat
    yogurt - i buy stoneyfield farm's organic yogurt squeezers
    juice boxes - i buy fruitables
    mac n cheese - i buy annie's organic mac n cheese
    frozen pizza - i buy costco's kirkland brand cheese pizza w/ all-natural ingredients and then i add my own toppings to it
    chicken nuggets - i try to make my own :D and bake not fry them
    fish sticks - again make my own and bake not fry them

    i always try to avoid HFCS, always try to buy whole/organic/all-natural varieties if possible/reasonably priced

    a lot of the staple ingredients i keep in the home are the healthier/all-natural/whole/organic variety anyways, and i'm a cook most nights - i don't do a lot of "fast" meals - instead we eat leftovers

    every so often i let my kids get something not typical and it's a huge treat to them - like lunchables, fruit snacks, cookies, etc

    but i make most of our goodies, they love fresh fruit as a dessert, etc...

    so to make a long story short, it can totally be done. sure they don't eat the same foods, but there is no reason why your kids can't eat clean and healthy too. my son is 8 and he knows that those things we don't allow in the home are bad for him, but he also likes them - he won't pass down a chance to eat a pop tart or drink a soda, but he knows that we don't keep that stuff at home - only soda we have at home is made with real sugar not HFCS
  • sarvissa
    sarvissa Posts: 70 Member
    I have a son (21yrs) who basically won't touch a vegetable. He eats the main course (usually meat related), and that's it. If he's still hungry I tell him to make a sandwich. I have a daughter (13yrs) who recently became vegetarian. THAT threw me for a loop for sure! I now try to incorporate more meatless meals, or more substantial side dishes to accomodate, but I do not make her a seperate meal. There are some meatless burgers in the freezer for her if she's still hungry. My other daughter (15) eats a bit of this and a bit of that and will pretty much try anything, although doesn't eat a lot.

    My kids learned from a young age to eat what we have, or make your own dinner, because I'm not making 5 different meals!
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    Our kids eat what we eat...and if they don't want to, they don't eat. If we KNOW we're making something they won't eat (typically fish), we'll make them something they will. That's very unusual though.

    Luckily my hubby is a veggie freak, so they're both very much into veggies (mainly tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans). I still let them eat mac and cheese from the box, but I'll pair it with veggies as well. They always get fresh fruit as a part of breakfast and we only drink skim milk. We try to balance it as much as possible but the other side of it is, my goal with losing weight is to do it on "normal" food. I refuse to by special "me only" food. Our grocery bill is high enough...I don't need it to go higher. So I adjust my portions and eat what everyone else eats.

    Both of my kids LOVE steak, pork, chicken, etc. Pretty much any meat we make, they'll eat. So we always just try to make sure we pair it with veggies and I'm good with it. Heck...once in a while we have "snack" night and a movie for dinner....pizza rolls, taquitoes, and a big platter full of fresh veggies. They LOVE it.
  • RyanDanielle5101
    RyanDanielle5101 Posts: 533
    I try to cook dinner every night!! If they don't like what I make they can have a bowl of cereal, I don't make separate meals to make everyone happy. They have always liked healthy food though, once they were old enough to eat table food they ate whatever we had just cut very small and unseasoned:)

    They are kids though and I have goldfish, gushers, oreos, cheese its and other snack stuff for them when they get home from school. Portion control is key.
  • parys1
    parys1 Posts: 2,072 Member
    The only reason my kids wanted Lunchables, was because they were seduced by the commercial :laugh: they got to try them once and didn't like them - they preferred the ones I made.

    They also know to "talk to their tummy's" to see if they are still hungry or, in fact, full. I wish I had known that as a kid (now too, sometimes). We eat processed foods and fast foods sometimes, but not everyday.

    They are also very active, which helps. With their growth spurts, some days they eat very little and others I can't fill them up.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    my kids eat what i give them, or they dont eat. some nights its quinoa, other nights its home made mac n cheese. i rarely buy boxed/packaged meals, and my kids have never had brand name store bought lunchables (have you seen the ingredient list?!) but i will gladly make it at home with some healthy crackers, lunch meat, and cheese.
    they dont always have to clear their plate, but even if i made something they dont like, they have to take a few bites. theyre 5 and 6 as well.
  • jessicae1aine
    jessicae1aine Posts: 885
    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 inclined to agree here. I have 2 kids and spent a lot of time raising my younger brothers, too. If you know there are things your children won't eat, make sure other elements of the meal are things they WILL eat. If you know they absolutely love something, find a way to make it healthy enough for everyone. There's no reason at all to be making more than one meal for dinner simply because your kids prefer processed foods. There's almost always a way to make something healthier, but if you tout it at healthy, then they're less inclined to eat it.
  • aljeca
    aljeca Posts: 83
    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.


    SAME HERE.... If I didn't eat it, I didn't eat. When I got hungry, my mom would say my dinner was waiting for me in the fridge whenever I wanted to eat it. My parents NEVER would have given in to my whining about wanting a different food, nevermind whether it was more or less healthy. I'm also not yet a parent, but I also have no intention of catering to my child in that way. Choices, sure - Like hey do you want peas or green beans for dinner - but cooking an entirely separate meal for them? Never.
  • PepeGreggerton
    PepeGreggerton Posts: 986 Member
    I don't have my kids all the time, so I usually let them have some input on whats for dinner. But they NEVER agree. So usually I cook what I want and either they eat it or they don't.
  • Snow__White
    Snow__White Posts: 1,650 Member
    my family eats what i cook and my son doesn't complain about veggies and healthy food cause i have never fed him processed crap from a box.
    and he prefers steak over hot dogs...he's a smart kid!
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