Fussiness Be Gone!

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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:

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.

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3 Responses
  • Melanie
    November 22, 2012

    Hey, I found your blog looking up something to do with Katoomba. I figured I’d respond to this, but it’s a familiar subject.

    Have you tried juicing? My son (almost 3) won’t eat vegetables for the most part, so I’ve taken to juicing carrots/parsley/spinach and then finishing it with a sweet juice that overpowers the ‘goodness’ flavour (pineapple, orange etc). I know it isn’t ideal, but it ensures they get some vitamins into them. I also heard from a friend of mine that allowing kids to play with fruits/vegetables etc encourages them to eat them more (it didn’t work with mine, he just hides them under the furniture -_-)

    I share your frustration. My son is anti-anything that isn’t in nugget form.

    • Suzanne
      November 22, 2012

      Hi Melanie, I did try that a while ago when the twins were younger and they turned their noses up at it. Will try again and see what happens. It is very frustrating trying to feed a fussy eater. I have the other added problem of if one likes it and then the other decides they don’t then the one that liked it stops eating it and copies her sister. Yes my kids like the chips and things, but I try and stear away and see if I can make some at home and we do have them as a treat every now and then. Thanks for your advice and will let you know how it works out. Glad that you found the site and hope you keep on following Mummy to Twins.

  • Leanne
    November 23, 2012

    I have a very skinny very fussy almost 4yr old who eats only her favourite things. I try so many different things but she basically sticks to cucumber, cheese, sandwiches, pasta with cheese and occasionally will eat a chicken sausage. She barely touches meat unless she is at daycare which she eats anything she is given- rice and chicken or beef, carrots- anything they give her, she eats. I have been told to give her Sustagen as she is so skinny- you can now see her ribs, so horrible. The Sustagen will help with fussy eaters giving them the nutrients they need.

    My 2 yr old was the best eater till about 18mths and now is super fussy also but he eats meatballs and sausages but will not touch a vegetable unless its hidden somewhowHowever, at daycare he eats anything they give him.

    So I give each child different foods for dinner but also put new things on their plates which they never try but hopefully one day will. Both of mine eat potato fries and fish fingers and both love bananas, watermelon and grapes but that’s all they like the same. My son has never eaten cheese- he just won’t touch it but it’s one of my daughters favourite things.

    We have homemade pizzas every Friday night and my son loves them- he eats them with ham and grated vegetables like zucchini and carrot and mushrooms on them but my daughter pulls everything off and just eats the base!

    My kids never eat things they are given of we are out at someone’s place or anywhere do we always make sure we take sandwiches for them in case.

    It is very frustrating and worrying when your child is very skinny but I figure you just need to keep on persevering and when they are older they will eat more variety.

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