Do/would you lie/fib to your toddler about what they are eating?

*Not making any judgements on parents that might do this, just interested in opinions!*

I have a couple of friends that do this...their kids might only eat certain types of meat like sausages or chicken, so when something else is offered they tell the child that they are eating sausages (when really it might be steak, or fish or something totally different). I can sort of understand if it is a last resort and you have a very fussy eater, but in general for me I think it is such a bad idea.

I want my kids to know that I am honest about what food they are being offered, and are given the opportunity to try it and either like it and eat it, or not. They need to know there are more things out there than just 'sausages' and it's only going to set them up for confusion later on when they realise that the chicken they are eating isn't a sausage at all. And what happens if they decide they don't like sausages, but since you've told them *everything* is a sausage they are going to refuse to eat anything.

Tonight we had steak, DD initially started calling it sausage but I corrected her and told her it was steak. She tried two bits, chewed a bit then spat them out but I wasn't particularly fussed, I just want her to know that what I tell her is on her plate, is actually what is on her plate. I don't agree with some of their other parenting techniques, but just didn't know if this is a common occurrence?

Edit: Hope that all makes sense...I'm a bit out of practice creating legible & understandable posts on BB! Lol

Yeah, DSS used to only eat chicken. We marinated steak and told him it was 'special chicken'.. He loved it. If he knew it wasn't chicken he never would have eaten it!

:hide: I have been known to do this.

No we tell the girls what they are eating, and we even tell them where it comes from (animal or plant) and how it gets to our plate (in a version they can understand). And none of that really seems to bother them.

my toddler doesnt believe me lol but i have tried it

i just say this is yummy :)

We've started doing this because DD was getting to the point where she wouldn't eat anything. If we told her what it was, she'd refuse to eat it. So pasta/spaghetti has suddenly been called noodles. She thinks the word is funny, pronounces it "nuddles" and what do you know -- she eats it! For us right now, its just getting her to eat, so we'll do whatever we can.

With DD I will be honest. She is an adventurous eater. With DS1, I will embellish the truth. Though he still doesn't eat much....

I just tell him the truth. Nut I do embellish the descripyion for DH....

I dont tend to tell DD things are things when they arnt. BUT... I do tell her vegetables give her super powers (depends on the veg to what super power).. lol She likes to tell other kids that brocolli makes you run faster!!

I think its completely fair and reasonable and quite a clever tactic to use to get little ones to try something new

My DS has a great diet, but red meat, he REALLY has to be in the mood to eat it, so we will tell him that beef/lamb is chicken and he eats it more willingly

The Parenting Police haven't come a'knocking yet, and I'm pretty sure the balanced diet police will give me a gold star. But yep lets face it I'll have a fail when I have to explain myself to the honesty police, but I can sleep at night :D

We still do this with my 16 year old brother :rofl:


Sent from my iPhone so forgive the speelung misstacks ;)

do it all the time...I got DS to eat pasta because I told him it was made from rice and he is 11 :rofl:

:rofl: better not tell him that teni

We don't necesarilly lie about what the food is but we'll tell ds1 that his favorite tv character (Kwazzi from the octonauts at the moment) loves the food. He will the generally try it.

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I dont tend to tell DD things are things when they arnt. BUT... I do tell her vegetables give her super powers (depends on the veg to what super power).. lol She likes to tell other kids that brocolli makes you run faster!!

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We do similar.

Have a real issue with deception in food (in fact it is a real bug bear of mine). Mostly to do with what was done with me as a kid and a teenager. Will keep quiet now :hide:

Nope, I tell our dds our food is an animal or if they want a mcdonalds ice cream which although it's rare before we stopped and changed our diet it wasn't, I tell her it actually IS bad for her, even told her about why we eat organic etc... With dd2 I've told her fish is chicken cause she's chicken obsessed and turned her nose up at the fish before trying it but after eating it we described what it was, dd1 kept telling her it was dory from nemo!


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Leah and Dan
Lucy 5
Minnie 2
Pippi due 29 sept

YOU are what YOU eat!

No, DD is told what she is eating bit i do tell her it will give her big muscles and the likes. We encourage her to try everything and them she can tell us she doesnt like it.
My parents used to lie all the to us about foods we were eating and I have issues with that still

Hmm, dont' think we do / have, but I can understand it when you have an exceptionally fussy toddler. I probably prefer the idea of being honest, I get what you are saying and I can see where it might lead to problems down the track. I guess if you are already having trouble with a fussy eater it might seem like the lesser issue.

DH's parents used to get to him to eat tripe by telling him it was chicken :lol: