You let your kids eat what??

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Replies

  • kmorris246
    kmorris246 Posts: 312 Member
    My family gets their choice of one of two things....... either 1) what I cook for dinner OR 2) peanut butter on wheat w/ a veggie and a fruit on the side. My kids have gotten so sick of peanut butter sandwiches that they almost always choose what I cook now. LOL!
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    On rare occaison I buy my son sweet treats, like cookies or hostess cakes but 9/10 of the time we get fruit, yogurt and pretzels to keep in the house as snacks for him. He is picky sometimes with veggies but usually he will end up eating it after I force the "you have to try one bite" rule.
  • branflake6
    branflake6 Posts: 115
    yep, I eat different than the rest of my family does a lot of the time. But there are somethings I kinda snuck in on them for example a few years ago I made the switch from reg pastas to whole wheat pastas (only 1 who noticed was my fiance) also switched from gr beef to gr turkey for 90% of the recipes that called for gr beef (fiance and middle child noticed) but after a few months of the switch they re used to it. But I would not completely deprive a 5 yr old of all kid food. Just incorporate in a little of both.
  • My son gets whatever he wants as long as it's within his dietary restrictions. I'm the one that had to adapt to his diet, because we just can't have certain things in the house. He's allergic to Gluten and Dairy. I REFUSE to let him have red dye because it makes him absolutely crazy. And we limit things like yellow dye, soy, and other processed junk. Other than that, if he wants a cookie, I give him a cookie. But normally he wants "normal" foods at meal times. And the rule is, eat it or starve.
  • mandycasey
    mandycasey Posts: 274 Member
    My kids have a mixture as there is just some things they don't like, Some nights they will have what i feel kids need like pizza and chips or cheesy pasta or even chicken dippers/ nuggets. But they do also have casseroles , roast dinners , pasta and chicken and they love vegetables and salad.

    There might be a time in their lives when they need to watch what they eat a little but now they are healthy and activite kids. So can't see what the probably is, but every family is different - i say what ever works for you xx
  • blynn2708
    blynn2708 Posts: 262 Member
    My son eats what we eat for the most part. If he doesn't he knows he doesn't get anything else! That's how I was brought up and I refuse to make 2 or 3 different meals. I am very lucky though that he's not a picky eater, so I haven't had much of a problem with this, he loves his veggies and he does get his treats too! I'm not that mean:wink:
  • My kids eat what I eat. It's to the point where my nine year old refuses to eat fast food anymore -- which the exception of Subway. It's pretty cool, but didn't happen overnight. If you keep providing healthier, whole foods she'll slowly lose the taste for the crap. At least that's what happened with my guys.
  • muwchck
    muwchck Posts: 261 Member
    I let my 6 year old eat those things sometimes. But I don't make separate dinners for anyone unless I'm having leftover night. He's pretty good about at least trying everything in front of him. Even my hubby seems to have no idea that I've switched from ground beef to ground turkey...he scarfed down my turkey meat loaf yesterday.
  • AshleyRKnutson
    AshleyRKnutson Posts: 98 Member
    I have a 3 yr old and she generally eats w/e we do. If I made something she simply does not like, then I'll make her something else, but it might be something like a little frozen meal or spaghetti that I froze just for her or something. I do try to make her try everything every few months just to see how much her tastes have changed.
  • Don't get to upset at 5 they are learning finally to try new things and decide if they like something or not I love spinich & beets my hubby dose not he likes spicy food and radishes I don't there is nothing wrong with people not liking somehting. As for my kids I am happy if I can get them to eat anything. another example my 4 year old son hates green beans I mean he will try them chew them and gag trying to swallow them I do not think this is healty so I don't force the issue. good luck
  • JanineHarrison
    JanineHarrison Posts: 164 Member
    Balance, moderation. And make sure she's active.

    I also say this.

    As long as your kids are getting nutrition from "good" foods in addition to the processed items, and they aren't on their butts all day playing video games and watching tv you should be fine. Focus on portion controls and moderation. By portion control I don't mean of all food, if a kid is hungry he/she should eat. But if your kids eats a whole corn dog and wants more try for an apple instead of a second corn dog.

    I hesitate to make certain foods taboo, because kids are going to get it exposed to it somewhere (school, friends house, birthday parties, etc) and I don't want to give those moments a "once in a lifetime" type feeling and encourage binge eating when the taboo food is suddenly available.
  • nakabi
    nakabi Posts: 589 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.

    no flaming being done here :) I'm with on this one. I'm a parent of a 2.5 year old and an almost 1 year old. Both my kids eat what I put in front of them. They don't have a choice. They eat what we eat. I try to make sure I cook something that they do like on their plate so it encourages them. They are both excellent eaters. They do like some junk food, but we keep it in moderation and they know it's a treat.
  • TheNewLeslie
    TheNewLeslie Posts: 44 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.

    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
    Liver and onions nights would find me still at the table when the news came on (10:00). Then it was off to bed with no dinner. I was the youngest of 3, so there was no pandering because if 1 of us got our way, then all of us would want something different. Not to say that my mom didn't also make our "favorites", but we also had to eat our share of the "yuckies". I specifically remember having to eat "no-thank-you-helpings" of things that I'm sure I would love now, but just don't work for a child's palate.
  • p0pr0cksnc0ke
    p0pr0cksnc0ke Posts: 1,283 Member
    I skimmed the replies... but. I have two kiddos. My daughter is almost 4 and stick thin naturally... my boy is 1 and a solid 100% boy.

    My daughter will pick and eat three-four bites and wouldn't care if I took the food away or not.
    My son will eat everything except vegetables.

    We all eat the same thing for dinner (minus my son getting the vegetables served) I will give him the fruitables (100% fruit and veggie mixture that he can squeeze and eat) But other than that, no special dishes per person. Eat what's served or don't eat at all.

    I will give my daughter options for breakfast or lunch. Two choices that I am ok with either one. If she chooses not to eat, that's on her. I gave up fighting and screaming and making special foods. Forget it! I already have enough things to deal with! I will say, sometimes it helps my daughter eat more if she helps me make the dinners... not always but sometimes.

    Oh, and I am not ashamed to say I will serve *gasp* processed, non-organic, prepackaged foods on more than one occasion. Bite me. :smile:
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
    We usually either eat chicken or tilapia. We aren't huge beef eaters. So I always eat what I cook for the family. Just have a smaller portion of mashed potatoes..etc. but my children always eat the dinners I make.
  • jocelynna
    jocelynna Posts: 137 Member
    I try to get my 2 year old to eat that way that his dad and I do. It's usually kinda tough though. I make the usual steak, pork chops, etc. with sides of some kind of starch and a veggie, and I just adjust my portions as needed. While he loves fruits and a variety of veggies (even salad), he has to eat at least an hour sooner than us. We don't get home until around 6:30pm during the week, so I don't always have time to make a meal when it's his dinner time. His tastes also seem to change daily. Some days he likes chicken or broccoli, and the next day, he doesn't. I have tried to push the "you eat what I make you or you go hungry" approach, but he doesn't quite grasp it yet, and it just makes for a very fussy toddler. Once he begins to better understand, I feel like it will be easier to enforce healthier eating.
  • 967_1111
    967_1111 Posts: 221 Member
    We had a real struggle with our then 9 year old to get him to try anything new. Like pulling teeth. At the beginning of last year, we told him the new rule was he had to try a new thing once a week. He could not like it, but he had to try it. That's been working so far, but he still won't eat a lot of stuff I'd eat.

    Our rule at dinner is he eats what we eat. Some days, he just won't eat, or will eat very little. That's fine, but if you don't eat dinner, no snacks or treats either. He's learned to try new things, and eats more than he used to, but still won't touch stuff I think is fantastic.

    He'll grow into it, and we don't make a federal case out of eating. He's healthy, and we find other ways to get fruit and veggies into him. Each child is different, and as a parent, only you know what works for your child. My only advise is try different things to see what works!
  • bltrexler
    bltrexler Posts: 180 Member
    I ask my 4 year old daughter to try everything, if she doesn't like it then she doesn't have to eat it. But she does need to try it. My stand by is veggies with hummus, deli meat, or homemade meat balls if she is not digging what I originally put infront of her. I am pretty lucky that she loves veggies, salads, veggie burgers.

    My husband on the other hand will eat anything I put infront of him :-P
  • anolan807
    anolan807 Posts: 273 Member
    My own personal thought is that it's not my son's fault I am fat and it's not his fault I shouldn't eat the treats and/or unhealthy foods. He is at a good weight and as long as he is eating good foods, I do let him eat the not great foods once in awhile. I am not going to force him to eat what I'm eating since I want to lose weight.. He is not the one that has to lose weight I am...
  • DiannaMoorer
    DiannaMoorer Posts: 783 Member
    My kids have always eaten whatever I fixed or they didn't eat. No picky eaters in my house. We didn't allow it. They are mostly grown now and very healthy and are not afraid to try new things.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    My older kids are 3 1/2 and almost 2. They eat what I make or they don't eat. They may not always eat everything on their plates and I'm fine if they pick out what they like. If they only eat the carrots out of the chicken gumbo, that's ok. Carrots are healthy and they get introduced to the other flavors and spices, which makes it more likely that they'll eat the whole dish the next time I make it. The only time I make my kids a special meal is when the "big" meal is too spicy for them (meaning it contains green chile, hot andouille sausage, etc, not because it contains lots of regular spices).
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 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.

    That's how it goes in our house with fish. My son will not touch it (after I have made him try it several times) and since we typically have about an hour to get dinner eaten, bath time, and bedtime done (I work full time, plus the gym or his t-ball practice/games in the evenings), I'd rather have a back up plan like some chicken breast tenders (not breaded) I can pop in the microwave for him so we can all eat dinner in timely fashion. When we do enforce the "you eat what's on your plate or you can just not eat" rule, he typically sits at the dinner table for about an hour and a half slowly picking at whatever it is he doesn't want to eat. I wouldn't like it if somebody forced something I don't like down my throat (so help me if you try to make me eat anything involving peanut butter, I would rather starve), so I'm not going to do it to my son.
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
    My kids (2 and 1) eat some foods the same and some different. Fir breakfast they usually eat something like pancakes or toast I eat cereal. Lunch we eat at different times usually they like grilled sandwhiches, pasta, mac and cheese ect.. I usually eat a sandwhich. Dinner we eat the same and snacks are usuually the same (fruit, yogurt, crackers ect)

    My kids eat a lot more offten then I do and the have days where they only want a certain thing. But they eat fruit and veggies and whole grains and are healthy and active so I dont worry.
  • Cindym82
    Cindym82 Posts: 1,245 Member
    my boyfriend and I eat different sides with our meats every night......you can make homemade chicken nuggets and stuff and at least than you know whats in them. skinnytaste.com is great for recipes
  • hudnharsmom
    hudnharsmom Posts: 252 Member
    i have 5 and 7 yr old boys. if they dont like what i make then they stare untill the next meal. saying that i try and make things i know the whole family likes. they are pretty healthy eaters. (but i dont make them eat their dinner for breakfast )
  • jeepwidow01
    jeepwidow01 Posts: 173
    I'll do the occassional boxed mac & cheese, chicken nuggets, etc at lunch time. Being a SAH mom, I try to keep those meals more "relaxed"; however, fruit & veggies are always served. At dinner time, my family eats what I do. I'm not going to make a separate meal for them. If they are hesitant on something, our rule is they must eat the number of bites their age is. Of course, if it is something I can tell they REALLY don't like, I don't push it, BUT they are not allowed to spit ANY food out. One night I made roasted asparagus (something I LOVE but my family not so much) plus I made another veggie that my kids like. They each had to have just one stalk of asparagus. If they don't keep trying things, they won't learn to like them. I have also told my kids they get new taste buds every few weeks so if they didn't like something last time, these new taste buds may like it so they should again. There have been several times when my oldest ( 5 yo) has told me "These taste buds like this!!"

    As another poster also stated - Moderation and balance. That is the key for all of us! :smile:
  • stellcorb
    stellcorb Posts: 294 Member
    I have an interesting food/ eating debacle in my house as well. My husband is not nearly as picky as he used to be, but is not a very good cook and has to cook dinner for myself and my 2 year old during the week, so options are limited. My son is hitting the picky/ finicky stage so some nights he doesn't eat anything except for fruit and string cheese as much as we try to get him to eat more. He likes things randomly... like he LOVEs quinoa but only likes spaghetti once and a while... yesterday, he kept on asking for more "leaves" (raw spinach I was packing for my lunch) but if I put them on his plate, there's no interest... he just wants fruit leathers...
    The weekend is another ball game b/c most weekends we have my 7 year old stepson who doesn't like ANYTHING... except fried chicken (preferred in nugget or finger form). Getting him to eat what's in front of him is a trial of time, frustration and is typically unsuccessful in the end. His mom feeds him only canned spaghetti, so our spaghetti "tastes funny" and he only like Little Ceasars or Dominos pizza not Papa John's. There's only so much accomidating you can do for one family member. This is how my husband was when he was his age also b/c he grew up on McDonalds and pre-packaged meals.
    Basically, I try to have everyone eat one meal and if not, the other option is something like PB&J (w/ wheat bread, reduced sugar jam and natural peaunut butter) but I can't say it's as successful as I'd like it to be.
  • oldmanstauf
    oldmanstauf Posts: 202 Member
    My son is almost 5 and he basically eats whatever we are eating. On those days where it might be a "find whatever you want" days, he might have boxed mac and cheese, regular or grilled chicken nuggets, PB and J. Maybe some leftovers from the previous day. He's big into fruits too, so sometimes it's a snacky type lunch with fruit and a little of something else.
  • tephey
    tephey Posts: 44 Member
    Since i am not a short order cook, nor do i buy the other stuff, yep, they eat what i eat and they like it.

    Same here. But then, I don't cook a lot of food they don't like. If they want something on the unhealthly side for dinner, I cook it, but watch my portion size. However, I need to get their snacking under control.
  • lalarox
    lalarox Posts: 37
    I am a single mom and it would be crazy if I made 2 different meals for me and my son. He has been exposed to alot of different foods since he was a baby and isn't really afraid to try something new because he has always been exposed to a wide array of different ethnic foods which he seems to love (thai and indian are his favorite). But there are always those days where he says he doesn't like something or he thinks he hates vegetables. So when we go to the market I let him pick out what veggies we will have with our meals, or he can pick if we're having chicken or tilapia. He then is more excited and seems to like it more because we are eating what he picked out. Try and make it fun and then maybe they can appreciate what they think is icky. Oh and I do stick to the "if you don't eat your dinner you don't get dessert" rule. That seems to work for him too :tongue:
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