My girls are very fussy eaters. I have tried to expose them to all sorts of food, however I feel we are in a rut currently and sticking to the foods that I know my girls will eat. This is due to the fact that on top of being fussy eaters they of course are small for their age group in weight and cannot afford to not be eating, hence me making sure what I give them something they will eat.

I do try to introduce new things alongside the standard foods that I know they will eat. However this has been met with anger, throwing the food to the floor or even across the room. When this naughtiness occurs of course I dish out the punishment, of picking up the food that has been thrown and then of course the child that has done this is put in time out (time out consists of sititng in the hall way out of the way of the television and if they don’t behave there, they go to their room for 4mins)

In the past I have tried to cook wonderful meals with different ingredients to expose the twins to new and interesting food but it all ended in tears, mainly mine when it never got eaten. I even took to freezing batches of these marvels meals to have the same outcome – no one eats it and it ends up going in the garbage.

One of my girls is eating capsicum and strawberries where the other hates it. The same child that likes this is also eating honey on her sandwiches rather than the constant vegemite, so that is good and a change. I wish I could put peanut butter on their sandwiches for school but with nut allergies this is a big no no. I think if I did that I would get a swift talking to by the teachers at the pre-school or at the worst cause a poor child to have an emergency visit to the hospital. My girls I know are not allergic but also don’t like peanut butter to eat it at home, so another lost food to serve.  When I was little I loved peanut butter squished in the gap of celery or cream cheese – this has also been tried and been handed or thrown back at me.

I have grated vegetables in bolognese and the kids have not been the wiser but lately one is not wanting the meat or the sauce just the spaghetti and some cheese. All very frustrating to say the least. The other day we were at one of their friends from pre-school and we were lucky enough to be invited for dinner. The daddy of their friend made hamburgers, which I must say was delicious and wonderful. However my girls did not eat any of it or very little. They only had the meat, cheese and tomato sauce and this was still a no go. I felt very embarrassed and upset that it was so simple and my girls still turned up their noses at it. (I did warn the family that the girls were fussy so set the bar very low)

So I am appealing for all you clever people out there for suggestions on how to integrate more food into the twins diet and make them experience more food. I know that you need to expose kids to the same food many times for them to finally eat it. I have done that with some things and they are not eating it at all. Maybe it is just my kids, maybe it will grow on them? Maybe they will see other kids at school eat more food and copy them? They do eat oranges where they did not before, this only happened due to peer pressure at school.

Here are some links that might help us understand about fussy eaters:

• Why Kids Won’t Try New Foods (I was not a fussy eater and I am sure I am not giving icky vibes for food…. could I be?)
• Your picky eater: Ten tips for the science-minded parent
• Picky Eaters Prone to Child Allergies (The twins have not had an allergic reaction to anything yet. Not saying it will not happen but think that they have been exposed to a number of foods that they don’t eat now but they have had in the past)
• Picky Eater Problems: Nine Tactics That’ll Tempt Your Toddler  (I am sure I do this and it has not worked. Maybe I need to get tougher)

I do give them vitamins to make sure that they are not missing out on anything essential. This also to helps with growth spurts. Do you have this issue with your kids? Were they a fussy eater? Are they still fussy eaters? I was not a fussy eater as a child and not sure where it is coming from? Send in your comments.