What WILL your preschooler eat?

[RubLINester]

Another pizza hater here, freak!
There are so many things that DD1 has stopped liking like peppers, mushrooms, frittata/tortilla, paella, risotto...The only sandwich she'd eat is with cream cheese and grated cheese or cream cheese and fruit spread.
But she loves chicken roast and chicken casserole type and mince based dishes- for now. It can all change tomorrow. Fickle.

But I think that since she's started going to school the list of things she DOESN'T like has got longer unfortunately, as they talk about their likes and don't likes amongst themselves at lunchtime. Like "Yuk" things...All of a sudden olives get uneaten in her lunchbox, which is just unheard of for R, she absolutely loves them and I have to stop her from eating a whole jar at home!
But school dinner wise, I sometimes sneakily put her down for things I know she wouldn't eat at home or that she used to like, and voila she eats them, under peer pressure and says that she liked them. And there's the lure of a "pudding" when she has a school dinner, healthy though, apple flapjacks and shortbread with fruit and yoghurt...
DD2 is another story, she just CAN'T stop eating everything and anything and 3 times more than DD1.

On the up side she is so ravenous after school that she'll have couple of dinners, something as soon as we get back or on the way home plus dinner dinner around 5 pm...
Sorry not much help here... Oh and she used to do that thing like M, "Oh that looks yummy" and "It's delicious" and then not eat it...It used to annoy the hell out of me. But she's stopped doing that fortunately!
Hang in there

[babydsmummy]

We had cottage pie and brocolli for tea. As I was dishing up, D said he didn't want brocolli - a common occurance. I said I'd put a bit on his plate but he could leave it if he didn't want it - cue hissy fit. DH was feeing rather short tempered and snapped at him - cue wailing. Anyway, we got sat down and the first thing D put in his mouth? The f-ing brocolli! And asked DH for some of his, which he ate. He then ate the cottage pie but picked out all the carrots, which he loves. 3 year old are just weird!! Oh, and J pulled a serious 'WTF are you trying to poison me?!' face when he tried his cottage pie, bashed his brocolli then cried till I got him a yoghurt. Nothing crunchy you see!

[weasley]

:He's ridiculously tall and never stops running/jumping/being mental so he's obviously getting enough nutrients...

I think they actually need far less than we think so can afford to be fickle as they probably get most of their energy from snacks etc. Scoot is finally learning to say 'I'm not hungry' rather than 'I don't like it'. He knows that the food will be available until bed time and often goes to bed without dinner. I have cut down on afternoon snacks though as he'd happily fill up on bits and pieces rather than a meal.

He ate three sticks of pepper for dinner tonight and was 'full'. Yesterday he ate his body weight in chilli and rice, asked for thirds, wanted a second yogurt and said he was hungry at bedtime - definately fickle!

[Joandruby]

This is all reassuring stuff to read ... I thought it was just my dd who liked frozen peas!!
I seem to be surrounded by kids that will eat anything including sushi wasabi and all!

Mine hates: carrots, avocado, mango, pineapple, banana (recent thing), and basically anything we're eating apart from chips (she says Yuk! At the top of her voice!)

Mine loves: shreddies, pasta, anything small and round like peas soya beans etc, sausages, salmon, pears ... She does eat a lot more stuff that this but this is her fav

Why is it that kids always like chips? We never ever give her chips and she has only had them a few times in restaurants yet she loves them. And don't get me started on icecream.

We had such good intentions ... Where did it all go wrong?

[skip]

From what I can see it's definitely an age thing, Joadnruby. Some more than others, but I think most kids become a bit more selective at this age.

Hmm, can't decide what to cook tonight. Now I'm rather tempted by poached eggs and homemade chips.

[FlossiesMum]

I find mine have never been particularly keen on 'sloppy' meals - they have always preferred things they can pick up in individual chunks. I always assumed it was down to BLWing

My two are so-so on risotto, but absolutely love arancini or whatever those risotto balls are called. Dead easy to make - I make extra risotto on a previous day, then take a blob and flatten it in your hand, put a lump of mozarella on top, then more leftover risotto. Squish it in your hand to get something inbetween a hamburger and ball shape. When you've made them all, dip in flour, then milk, then breadcrumbs. Shallow fry in plenty of oil turning them til they are crisp and golden on the outsides.

I also find they are rather partial to things-on-sticks-that-would-be-less-popular-not-on-sticks. So - kebabs of anything on the bbq or under the grill, chicken drumsticks picked up in their hands, homemade shish kebab type things etc.

[skip]

Nom risotto balls......

Having watched me chop up potatoes for dinner, M just informed me he doesn't like chips.

[LucyL]

I also find they are rather partial to things-on-sticks-that-would-be-less-popular-not-on-sticks. So - kebabs of anything on the bbq or under the grill, chicken drumsticks picked up in their hands, homemade shish kebab type things etc.

I find the same - even something like a banana if it's cut up and presented with a toothpick to stab it with will be eaten a lot more surely than if it were just a plain old banana!

[Rose Bud]

Rose will eat plain pasta with cheese or tomato sauce (no bolognaise or bits), but will eat meat and 3 veg and fish fingers so I am happy. Some of her nursery friends won't eat brocolli or any veg apart from sweetcorn, she'll also eat eggs in any format, rice, porridge and plums by the fruit bowl. She won't eat any bits, and won't eat sandwiches either really, but she eats well at nursery and at home so I am happy. I think you're right when you say that he M doesn't have the patience, I think that's it, they want to be fed and on their way, no mess no fuss.

[skip]

He tried a 'chip' (potato wedges, really, which is what the problem was) and claimed he didn't like it. Ate the egg, some yogurt, satsuma. Then just before bed dh was snacking on a few leftover wedges in the kitchen and M joined in and ate two. Fickle with a capital f%@#.

[ariom2]

I hear you! B is on a 'plain' crusade - plain pasta, plain rice & quinoa, plain mash/potatoes. will occasionally eat carrot or peas or sweetcorn but quite fussy on other veg. we get a lot of 'I don't like ...' when it's never been tried - I wind him up by telling him 'green eggs and ham' but inserting whatever he has refused - 'I do not like green leeks and sweet potatoes' (not successful but satisfying!). used to eat loads at breakfast but now eats cereal or toast rather than both. Not bad on fruit. and the excuses - I can't eat parsnips because my knee is sore, I don't like kiwis because once I burt my finger - I won't have sauce on my pasta because I have a cough cuff, cuff. *rolls eyes*

[ToothFairy]

Pasta with pesto or tomato sauce, pizza, dhal, soup (tomato, lentil, chickpea, sweet potato), cheese and marmite sandwiches. Bananas, strawberries, apples (sometimes), carrots. He will not touch potato in any form other than crisps!

Martha was very fussy, now. 13 she eats (almost) everything. This too shall pass, it just might take a few years

[Sandytoes]

I hear your pain - it's much the same here - but as others have said I don't think it's a bad list. Plenty of variety across the food groups, and he's getting all he needs.

We are having some success with presenting food in an interesting way - inspired by this blog: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/0 ... 99s-lunch/ (there are a load of other useful child-related posts on here too). Today T had cream cheese sandwiches cut into heart and star shapes with the cookie cutters. I was amazed - normally she'd eat half a slice, but she had two slices, including all the offcut bits, because every time she asked for more I gave her another scrap and said "It's a slide... it's a dog... it's Father Christmas's sleigh!" Then she ate an applesauce ice lolly, which she loved. I really like the idea of presenting things as mini kebabs - fruit and veggie slices, including a few bits she might not normally eat - so might try that tomorrow. Presentation goes a long way!

[skip]

He is HUNGRY at the moment, but still pretty selective. I made chicken sausages (chicken breast, grated apple, sage and garlic) last night, thinking he'd love them but he tried and moaned and refused. Meh. Then today he grabbed a whole melon from the kitchen and asked me to cut it up but then just as I was about to stick the knife in, he decided, actually, he HATES melon. Meh.

Ho hum. It's a nursery day so I've done quick pasta to save the meltdowns.