h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Start early. Don't offer alternatives to healthy eating - make the kid see that unhealthy things are a treat - not to be avoided, but to be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet. Don't 'ban' foods because they're unhealthy - go for a sensible quantity and don't keep loads in the house in a known location.

Whoami?

Hear, hear. Start as you mean to go on, expose babies (over the age of 6 months) to as many different tastes & textures you can. Don't go for fish finger & chips every night just because they're easy for the child to feed themselves, so are carrots, broccoli, bananas, and all the expensive baby vegetables you find in the shops . A lot of fun can be had with pasta shapes (please not tinned....). I've got three kids who will eat almost anything, although one will only eat veggies raw, and all the grandkids love their food.

'Fast Food' is a treat for them amd until they started nursery school, they all thought that grapes were sweeties.

Youngest granddaughter (2) recently caused much amusement in the local green grocers, she was determined to 'help' Granny & was sent to get a bunch of broccoli and walked up to the till eating it like an ice cream.

You can also encourage children to 'help' prepare food, it can be messy when a 2 year old washes veg & 'pods' peas but soon dried & cleared up.

Tried it, and it didn't work. At the age when babies eat anything, I did all the right things, and I still have a son who lives on dry toast, chicken nuggets, green apples, cucumber, carrot, pizzas, honey sandwiches and chocolate - that is about the total range of foods that he eats. On the other hand he is packed with energy and is growing in that weed like way that only teenage boys can manage.

My advice is to try to feed them the right things, but don't let food fads rule your life

You said the words there Minerva - T******r. They can be much worse than toddlers, but don't worry, they DO grow out of it

I must admit I find it quite amusing to watch as his grwoing hunger fights with his fussy eating habits. His body is demanding FOOD and he is beginning to try more things. I keep carefully low key and just make sure there is plenty of variety of foods available.

One food I used to give my kids when they were young was a sliced apple with a small pot of honey to dip the slices in. Very popular as a dessert, if a bit sticky.

The grandkids like chopped raw veg with Marmite to dip!

Keep exposing kids to new tastes and things. Eventually, they'll find something they like. Children won't starve - offer them different things. If they refuse to eat them, then don't offer an alternative. You'll find they won't go without food for long - eventually they'll either eat it or learn to make sandwiches.

See if you can't get them to behave well enough that they can go on family meals out at different places - for special occasions.

Trust me, I've never done this, I've been through it! (I'm 16 and not a hugely fussy eater)

Whoami?

My wee boy's 5 and he's quite a good eater. He eats loads of fresh fruit and veg. The secret to this success was easy. He eats spinach cos Popeye does it. He eats carrots to make him see in the dark. He'll eat peas cos they "make him do rude noises" (he calls peas "marrowfarts" and he's only allowed to do this one in the house, not in public!) Apples to keep the doctor away. Milk & cheese to keep his bones strong. Bananas so he can look like a monkey.
There are lots more, all wee daft stories which go along with the foods, he loves the ideas, so therefore eats all his food! Everytime I introduce a new food, I just have to tell a story about it (the more bizarre the better!) and he'll scoff the lot! Bingo!

Very simple - Just cook for them. Instead of using pre-packaged food which is rarely balenced, make somthing yourself.
It's normally possible to disguise food by mixing it or under a sauce.
Also - stick to your guns - make it quite clear if they don't eat mosst of whats on their plates they aren't getting anything else - almost anytjing can be an aquired taste.
God I sound like a parent (and I'm a t***ager)
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Must find cliff to jump off!

Do beware of them getting a tad older and developing real dislikes/hatreds. Eldest grandson (10 1/2) can't stand broad beans or fish fingers, but will happily eat butter beans & fish cooked in any other way.

I sympathise with Minerva!
I was a fussy eater as a child - nearly everything with chocolate spread (especially burnt toast and lots of butter for breakfast). But I did drink lots of milk & would eat some meat & veg, just a very small range of foods. I used to think my Mum should have forced me - until I had my own children! My Mum says I was sick if forced or happily went without. Now I'm still quite fussy, but eat a lot more things.
Both my two had a good varied diet as babies but my younger son as a toddler started refusing things & for years has existed largely on marmite sandwiches and yogurt. No tactics worked - he would just go hungry until the next meal & never wanted anything enough to be a reward! We felt it was best to make as little fuss as possible and restricted consumption of less desirable things such as biscuits that he would eat. But he was a very healthy child & now he's a teenager & growing he's beginning to extend his diet. The texture seems to be all important for him.
It's worrying that fussy eaters may be storing up problems for later life, but at least if they end up on a healthy diet it can't be too bad.
We all have different tastes so I don't see anything wrong in having a few fads & fancies if overall you eat a balanced diet. I think there are far too many conflicting opinions about what is safe/healthy etc. I don't feel we can trust the government.
What I do hate to see is young children being given crisps & sweets as snacks and unhealthy foods (too much sugar/colourings etc)deliberately aimed at appealling to children. Parents do need good impartial advice - look at the case where a baby was given weetabix instead of a baby cereal & died because it was too salty.

Mine was a veggie baby. The midwives said a breastfed veggie baby has less stinky poo than ones whose mothers eat meat.

I wasn't a fussy eater as a child. My son wasn't keen on solid food to start with, so I soft pedalled. He now eats most things and has few dislikes (celery, mangoes and anything even vaguely spicy). The secret was to feed him a wide range of food, not to make a fuss and to be pleased with him when he finished a meal.

He loves broccoli, peanut butter and surprisingly, chick peas. He sometimes pinches things from the pan before they'e cooked (which I don't like - he could scald himself).

He does however like McNasty food, but I think only because they give grotty toys with them. Giving bribes or gifts obviously does work!

I once remember my mother putting him off eating something which he hadn't tasted, and I had to try the 'putting it on a spoon and waving it round in front of his mouth until he opened it' trick. He then discovered that he actually liked the food! I wasn't at all happy about that.

McNasty food, eh? Well, it's passable *in moderation*, but I've never been a big fan - I always lost the toys!