I just keep serving veggies up, if they don’t eat, I don’t make a big deal of it. Try, try and try again.

I’ve tried all of these tricks but none have worked

If it helps fussy kids who just eat one thing and that’s that, need some change to their routine.
I find that when I babysit hundred’s of kids I make a meal and that’s what we are going to eat.
I make it fun we may take our meal to the park and have a picnic. I invite another child similar age to my place and serve the dinner up. You would be very surprised what kids will eat in others company. When I tell parents we had a Chinese Dish or a Indian Curry or Salad with fresh stripped Chicken Breast… they raise their eyebrows. Did he/her eat it? Yes and no complaints. I just did not make fuss. Served the food on a plate and sat it in front of the child said when they are done we we play or go somewhere etc… Nikki has some great points here!

OMG my little man will not eat anything apart from toasties if it done wrong he wont eat it if he smells a different smell eg butter he wont eat it he was doing the same with spag bog but now it is just toasties I have tried everything no we have to see a dietitian have a fussy eater is like living in hell

We’ve found that perseverance is the key for ours, we have one fussy twin and one non-fussy but Miss Fussy will eventually come around if we persist! Miss Non-Fussy is happy as long as she’s eating and would happily eat double what her sister does if I’d let her….

My daughter is on what she calls the Mackenzie diet (her daughter’s name). By eating better to be a good role model she has lost over a kilo in a week.

Love the role model tip, ‘can’t expect your child to snack on fruit when you are snacking on chips,’ so true. Thanks for the article.

My kids are very fussy will have to try this

Yes, one super fussy eater here, thanks for your article.

Yes I have 3 fussy eaters so good to have a read about this

Thanks for these very useful tips!!

Many children do mimic what they see, so if we, as adults, are seen to eat a balance of foods, then by & large most children will do the same. There will always be exceptions to this rule, with fussy kids who won’t even try new foods, but you just have to hope that they will change as they get older.

My child would vegetables for lunch and dinner no worries until he turned about 2 and a half and LOVED THEM. He then seem to stop over night.

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  • • cloverstorm replied
    • 23 Jul 2014 , 3:25 pm

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  I’m having the same issue with mine too.

I love your point
Offer foods of a variety of different texture and encourage them to become familiar with them the best way kids know how
this has really worked in our family
I let our son, lick it, squish it, taste it and spit it out … now he eats over 20 vegies…and he’s only 6

Its a funny thing this fussy eater I have 3 kids all brought up the same way with the same foods yet I have one that is so fussy it is not funny

I can remember my Mum getting so annoyed when she would hear someone say that their child was going to bed without dinner because they had been naughty. Mum used to say “Why would someone starve their child”

This is great advice but with some kids no matter what you do they will be fussy. My daughter was presented to a wide variety of foods, offered healthy foods when solids presented (such a puree vegetables) over and over and sees the rest of us eat every food imaginable (we have a minimum of 5 vegetables with every meal). Still she has a limited diet and dislikes the taste of many vegetables. She often asks to try a new vegetable etc but just can’t cope with the taste. She is now five and we have made it to 4 vegetables (she eats every fruit). I’ve just accepted this knowing I was the same (and now eat every vegetable and suffer withdrawals without them). She gets offered vegetables everyday and we just keep trying without being pushy. I don’t cook separate meals. If we are having stirfry, she will just have plain rice with avocado and cherry tomatoes and cheese etc. If we have Mexican wraps she has one with avocado, cheese and tomatoes. It’s easy and I know she will get there

Some great tips there. Time is precious enough without getting into a situation where you have to prepare separate meals because the kids don’t eat what you do. Although best of intentions go out the window if they suddenly up & refuse, I had this happen with one of mine & thought I’d go crazy but she eventually got interested again and now eats a wider variety of foods than I do.

Gee I have so much trouble with my daughter. I also have 2 sons who are great eaters and they will at least try new foods before deciding they dont like it, my daughter however refuses to even try it. I feel like I have tried everything and yet she blatantly refuses. I have tried all the suggestions above but still nothing. I worry about her health but it causes so may dramas in our house.