I put put other, because they eat it anyway!

If my kids don't like what I'm making, they are welcome to make themselves a peanut butter sandwich.

Well, my son is 18 years old now. He wasn't too picky & would try everything. But occasionally we would have something that obviously most kids aren't going to like (grilled salmon or salad as the entree) I'd make him something else. In time he grew to love the salmon (he's been grilling since he was 12, I'm not kidding) & grills it wonderfully. Salad, he'll eat it but it's not his favorite thing.

My kids are preschoolers and toddlers so I do make them something else. However they must at least try what is made and if they don't want it the alternative is a bowl of cereal. There is always something made at dinner that everyone likes to. Whether they are in the 'mood' to eat it is up to them.

My son was pretty good. He would try just about anything we gave him. He's 15 now and will eat the plate if we don't take it away from him. So picky is no longer a problem.

lupinspirit wrote:If my kids don't like what I'm making, they are welcome to make themselves a peanut butter sandwich.

This is the rule at my house as well.

crystalrose629 wrote:My kids are preschoolers and toddlers so I do make them something else. However they must at least try what is made and if they don't want it the alternative is a bowl of cereal. There is always something made at dinner that everyone likes to. Whether they are in the 'mood' to eat it is up to them.

Yeah, we offer other things when our 2 1/2 year old flat out refuses, but if she continues to refuse anything we offer, she can just go hungry. Although she usually will end up eating something once she realizes after dinner is over and we refuse to give her the snacks she keeps asking for that she really isn't going to get anything else.

k4th3r1n3 wrote:I put put other, because they eat it anyway!

Got that right, but I have to say that if the meal really and truly sucks and that is agreed by the entire family we will make or buy something else.

My oldest has ASD; consultation with doctors & other experts suggest more flexibility with menus (among many other things). There is truly high sensitivity to certain flavors & smells.

We make variations available: sauce on the side, alfredo instead of marinara, ranch instead of ketchup, etc. We make individual pizzas to allow personalizing.

My son isn't a picky eater, but there are just some things he doesn't like that everyone else does - like cooked onions. So, if I know I am making something he doesn't like, I will offer to make something for him or, since he is nearly 16, he can make his own food. But if he just doesn't like what I made because he doesn't, he can make his own food. My toddler daughter however, is the pickiest eater EVER. I will make a small/quick something for her just to get some food in her while we all eat a real meal. Often, her whole day consists of nothing but baked potatoes (no skin, mashed, butter and sour cream) and cheesy hot dogs with a piece of bread. I am constantly trying to get her to eat something new but she has gone two days before without anything more than a piece of bread because she hates pretty much all food. As she ages, I hope she will be more open to foods. She hates most textures though.

Seeing how my kid is my CAT he gets whatever he wants. Can't let tha lil' feller go to bed a crabby silver tabby!!
Meow ^,.,^

Since I refused pretty much everything except plain cheese pizza and french fries until I was nearly 20 years old, and my husband is a horribly picky eater, our daughters eat everything we eat. They're only 10 months, so I'll give them a small helping of something on the side that I'll know they'll eat (a couple Cheerios, an apple wedge, that sort of thing) because they don't really understand the concept of "if you don't eat you'll go hungry" yet.

they eat it anyway

They have to eat it anyway but I promise to never make it for them again.

The rule was you must taste everything at least once (and if I didn't remember you already tasting it, then you had to taste it again). On many occasions, after a taste, they ate it willingly. The was always enough variety multiple courses or leftovers in the fridge) that nutrition was never a problem, even if something was not liked very much.

Also, my kids generally were involved in the shopping for and choosing of the sides (vegetables and starch) for meals and several times a month they got to pick the entire menu (multiple choice, with fill ins).

Now (ages 17 and 19) they will eat just about anything and enjoy almost everything. They are also quite good cooks themselves.

I'd just leave it there till they eat it.

If they don't eat it we save it for the next meal. They hate that.

k4th3r1n3 wrote:I put other, because they eat it anyway!

YUP!! When it comes to dinner, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit in this house. Also, when a guest at someone's dinner table, you eat it and smile. That being said, I ask the kids and hubby what they think of the meals I make and adjust the menu within reason. The kids do NOT like mushrooms, so when I use them I cut them big enough for the kids to pick them out. I also make notes on my recipes about what the family thinks to determine if I should alter or 86 the recipe.

it depends on hold old the child is and i always like to give at least two options for what they want to eat. but yes otherwise they would go hungry.... im not their servant....

crystalrose629 wrote:My kids are preschoolers and toddlers so I do make them something else. However they must at least try what is made and if they don't want it the alternative is a bowl of cereal. There is always something made at dinner that everyone likes to. Whether they are in the 'mood' to eat it is up to them.

If you feed your children what you eat from the time they are small, it never occurs to them to NOT eat what you do! My 15 month old grandaughter eats Greek, indian, mexican, whatever we eat.

We have six kids.The choice is take it or leave it. We have several recipes they all like. The other nights, they have to try it.(Adventure bites) Usually it's the main dish they dislike, so they just eat the side dishes.
They know we have snack in two hours.

I put other because my toddler isn't picky... she typically eats at least some of what we have for dinner. I always make sure that one of the veggies or sides is something that I know she'll like. I shiver me timbers! to ever get into the habit of making her something else!

amack wrote:If you feed your children what you eat from the time they are small, it never occurs to them to NOT eat what you do! My 15 month old grandaughter eats Greek, indian, mexican, whatever we eat.

Until they do develop their own taste buds. All of my 4 children(yes 4 CHILDREN ages 4 to 6 months) ate what was put in front of them until they reach around the age of 2 because we have allowed our children to express to us that they do not like something. I am not a short order chef; it is take it or leave. I do give them an option when everyone is done for a bowl cereal if they truly do not like what was made. I want my children to develop a healthy relationship with food not mindless eating because that was what put in front of them.

My kids, adults now, ate what I fixed for dinner. My mother-in-law thought they were picky eaters because she would ask what they wanted for dinner and each would say something different. Occasionally I would threaten to make split pea soup for dinner, and they would stop whining.

He can make something else if he doesn't like what his mother made.

There is only ONE exception to eating what is made. Every once in a while my husband will experiment and if what he makes is really really different (I think the two times we've done this were once when he made really spicy Indian food, and when a friend brought over Ethiopian). If it's super spicy, then we make something milder (and any time that meal is made again it is in a milder variation). If it's really different then they usually try it, but if they just can't get around the new textures they can have leftovers. This has only happened a couple times. My kids are great eaters and other then a couple allergies are really a lot of fun in the kitchen!

kutiel wrote:If they don't eat it we save it for the next meal. They hate that.

been there done that! Usually it's not that they don't like the food, it's a you can't really make me eat this issue. Each kid so far has only had to do it once. With my two most stubborn ones being the most difficult about it.

Ironically, it's usually a food they profess to love either a few weeks before or after the event.

crystalrose629 wrote:Until they do develop their own taste buds. All of my 4 children(yes 4 CHILDREN ages 4 to 6 months) ate what was put in front of them until they reach around the age of 2 because we have allowed our children to express to us that they do not like something. I am not a short order chef; it is take it or leave. I do give them an option when everyone is done for a bowl cereal if they truly do not like what was made. I want my children to develop a healthy relationship with food not mindless eating because that was what put in front of them.

I really hope you meant 4 years to 6 months. Otherwise you are a very VERY busy person!

I'll have to remember the shopping technique for my kids!

baqui63 wrote:The rule was you must taste everything at least once (and if I didn't remember you already tasting it, then you had to taste it again). On many occasions, after a taste, they ate it willingly. The was always enough variety multiple courses or leftovers in the fridge) that nutrition was never a problem, even if something was not liked very much.

Also, my kids generally were involved in the shopping for and choosing of the sides (vegetables and starch) for meals and several times a month they got to pick the entire menu (multiple choice, with fill ins).

Now (ages 17 and 19) they will eat just about anything and enjoy almost everything. They are also quite good cooks themselves.