Very Fussy Eater

[LouiseKavanagh]

I really need some advice, I have a 2.5 yr old son who won't eat anyting apart from processed toddler meals. When i was weaning him he was the same, he would never try vegetables or anyting i prepared for him. He won't eat anything unless it's red in colour. Has anyone got any tips on how to get him onto different foods.

[noababy]

Hi and welcome to the site!

First of all do a search on here for fussy eater, lots of threads should come up cause lots of discussions about this in the past few months.

I would say try getting him involved in the food preparation. There is a veggie cutter he can help you cut veggies with http://www.thekitchenoutlet.com/prod...1&cat=0&page=1

Let him stand up on a little stepstool or ladder and help you out.

You can try positive reinforcement. MAke a chart and every day he trys a new food, he gets a star and after 5 stars he gets a little present.

Also do not show him you are stressed out or try to force, just offer. At this age they are trying to assert their independence and don't like to be told what to do.

Lots of luck and welcome again!

[noababy]

Also there was a pasta sauce that had lots of hidden veggies in it-maybe one of you guys can find the link as I can't seem to???Maybe it was on old site?

[Rachael1]

Red is actually a useful colour - at least would be for me cos I make everything with canned tomatoes!

What processed meals does he enjoy and I'll see if I can think of anything similar that you could try.

For a start, a couple of things with often do with canned tomatoes...

Pasta Sauce - simmer a can of tomatoes (I like the ones with garlic) with a squirt of tomato puree. You could add loads of veggies, like grate a carrot straight into the pan, add chopped red pepper etc. Whiz it with a hand blender if you need to.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Heat through cooked chicken (either cook there and then in a pan, or we use a 250g pack of ready cooked pieces) with a 200g can of tomatoes (again, Ilike the garlic ones but plain is fine), a 200ml carton of coconut cream (or even Greek yoghurt or creme fraiche). Add a spoonful of curry paste too if you think he will like it.

Tropical Beans - Heat through a can of kidney beans (or others, like butter beans, if he prefers) with a 400g can of tomatoes (again - with garlic!), a squeeze of tomato puree, and a 225g can of pineapple chunks, drained.

[LouiseKavanagh]

Thanks a mill for the advice.. He would usually have either chicken, pork or beef. Everytime I try something different he says I don't like that without even trying.

[Rachael1]

You could start by offering foods that are red with the meats as a side vegetable - like cherry tomatoes or roasted red pepper (you can get them ready roasted/peeled in jars, just preserved in olive oil). Kidney beans might be a good idea too.

HTH