My kids just won't eat the meals I cook!

[avribr]

My DS1 who is now 6 went off my cooking around the 3 year old mark, he will eat spag bol till it comes out of his ears but he pretty much eats everything we eat now and if he doesnt he will at least try the food. Before he would only eat fish fingers, chicken nuggets and spag bol, that was his diet and no matter what I did, I never won the battle with him. DS1 eats different food now like paw paw salad, laska soup and the hotter the better, he loves chilli, he will also eat a salad sandwich with the lot, onion, tomato and all. DS1 will only eat apples and grapes though wont eat any other fruit. I am currently dealing with my DS2 who will only eat fruit and yoghurt for dinner he is 3 1/2 I figure DS1 came around so I'm hoping DS2 will aswell. Good Luck.

[Early Kids]

Not sure if I can be of any help because Brendan (3) has never been a big eater. He will eat just about everything just not a lot of it.

[indie24]

My DD who is 18 months is the same. She will eat Spag Bog, most pasta meals I make, anything with mince and nuggets. She doesn't eat anything else I cook. I always offer what we are having.

[MrsFabuloso]

Thanks everyone, seems like it might be fairly normal then!

We don't give them snacks after about 3.30/4.00 because we eat early, at about 5.30ish. Then it's the bath, books and bed routine. Between 6.30 and 7.30 they are in bed and asleep. They do eat all day, particularly DD who is a mega grazer. I guess in the grand scheme she is eating well. It's just that she won't eat veggies, the only veggies she will eat is raw carrot, occaisionally lettuce and potato. I make potato and pumpkin or sweet potato mash and she will eat that. I sneak grated veggies into everything I can, like grated carrots, zuccihni, mushies, pumpkin, onions...anything I can grate really!! Salads are very unpopular inour house, lol! Except if it's my potato salads with tuna, which DD will eat (also has grated carrot and corn niblets in it). I make sure I put in bits they can see too though so that they can get to know what tastes like what. I hate that I'm making a nice meal every night and having to throw half of it out because they just don't eat. I feel so 'Why bother' most nights. Especially when DH is on arvo/night shift, which is half of the time he's working. And especially if it's something I know they just won't even try, like a baked dinner.

Kris, thanks for that recipe I will have to give it a try!

[mbear]

Mmm i dont know any kids that like lettuce (i.e salads), so i wouldnt worry about that.

Great idea with the grated veges...zucchini slice is my secret for that. They just think the 'pie' has egg in it...little do they know its full of carrot, zucchini, and potato...LOL...

TBH....i wouldnt get too hung up about them not eating an array of veges...my DD#1 only eats corn and carrot....and sometimes snow peas. Thats it. So if we're having them, i serve them. If not, she just has a plate of pasta for dinner. Im like you, my DH does night shift, and im not cooking 4 different meals at night. So if we're having spag bol...she just has pasta. If we're having stir fry...she just has rice. I got over the 'OMG your not having 5 veges a day' thing. She eats fruit, she drinks water, she's generally a a healthy girl....youve got a lot of years up your sleeve to try out the veges...if i were you...i would stick with what they like......introduce other things slowly....like really slowly.
GL!!!!

[anney]

Lilias, I agree with mbear. but would go a bit further and a few nights a week forget about figuring our what the kids might like and just make stuff that you and DH like and work around that for them. It will be less frustrating for you and you might be surprised at what they will try.
We have never made different meals to us, for our DD. she is not great with veges but we persist and she is getting better.

[MrsFabuloso]

Lilias, I agree with mbear. but would go a bit further and a few nights a week forget about figuring our what the kids might like and just make stuff that you and DH like and work around that for them. It will be less frustrating for you and you might be surprised at what they will try.
We have never made different meals to us, for our DD. she is not great with veges but we persist and she is getting better.

I do regularly cook meals just for DH and I when I get bored of the basic meals. I made some yummy lamb shanks the other night in the slow cooker. Naturally the kids had nothing to do with it! DH isn't fussed with what he gets to eat though, so he's pretty easy to please! I usually cook meals I feel like when DH isn't home unless DD asks for something which she is occaisionally starting to do.
I don't cook meals especially for the kids either. They get what I cook. I do try to make at least one thing each night they will eat, like we had sausages pumpkin/potato mash and corn on the cob yesterday (sausages and mash at DD's request!). DD ended up only eating the snags, mind you she had 2! DS ate a small cob of fresh corn and 2 bits of sausage. That was it though. But better than usual! Tonight I thought they'd at least eat the pasta, but no luck
Tonight I caved and gave DD some apple and carrot before bed becasue she was crying she was hungry. I tried to convince her to eat her dinner but she was adamant she didn't like it. I try not to make it a regular thing to give them more food every night, but DD went to preschool today and she's often more hungry after that. And when she ate her apple and carrot peices, she told me 'Mmm, mmm, mummy, deeeelicious, all in my tummy!! Now my tummy is happy!' so I think she was pretty geniuine in saying she was hungry!

[sneakysparkle]

Mmm i dont know any kids that like lettuce (i.e salads), so i wouldnt worry about that.
GL!!!!

haha well my 3 yr old DD LOVES salad! Before her birthday I asked her what sort of cake she wanted and she said that she didn't want cake. I said "But what will we put your candles on?" Her reply - "A salad!"

both my girls are fairly good eaters, but they don't eat everything, so I just work with what they like. One thing they both love is sushi - great for lunch - and full of veg!

[Nelle]

Ahh it's a pain hey! I was going to suggest limiting snacks and eating early, but 5:30 isn't that late really!

Some of my other tricks are to eat the dinner meal at lunch time, or (probably a bad habit in the long run) to sit them in front of a movie/tv while eating (I set up little ikea stools as tables and have little chairs) - then they're not focussed on the food and it gets eaten while they're entranced. That's usually a trick for if they haven't eaten much all day.

But yeah really, mine tend to eat the most at breakfast, moderately at lunch, and then seem least hungry at dinner time. Crazy kids!

[sirenz]

I think everyone has pretty much covered everything.

Just wanted to say, have you thought of keeping a food diary? I think you might be quite surprised as to how much healthy stuff your kids actually eat.

You did mention they like sweet potato mash, carrots, lettuce potatoes, cutlets, chops, spag bog etc.. well IMO i think this is pretty good for kids their age and you do grate veggies into most things so i really don't think you have anything to worry about, sounds like they are a couple of healthy normal children

Just keep cooking meals you and dh like and the kids will eventually begin to learn to taste new things. The worse thing you can do is stress about it and make a big deal over them not trying things, cause this will prob make them less inclined to try things etc.

Your doing a great job