My daughter has a funny attitude when it comes to food. She used to try things, but then discovered the words “I don’t like it” and decided she didn’t like anything that basically wasn’t boring.
She also decided she only liked certain things dependent on what age she was. For example, she didn’t like ham sandwiches when she was 3 but liked them now because she’s 4. She isn’t too sure if she’ll still like them when she’s 5.
Her refusal to try things has really begun to grate on me. Granted there are foods that you don’t want to try based on the way they look, or that you think it’s inappropriate to eat them, but it’s not like I try to get her to eat brain or anything like that. (I think the most pointless thing I’ve eaten is chicken feet. I was essentially just munching on metatarsals, or that’s what it felt like. I can take or leave eating feet.)
I try to get her to help with tea if it is a meal that won’t involve her burning herself or chopping fingers off, in the hope that if she helps prepare it then she’ll be more open to trying it. Nope, doesn’t work. She loves helping make it, but then hands it to you to eat.
The last two evenings though we have had a major break through. We explained that as she is getting older and we have a new baby on the way who will want to be like his big sister, then she needs to try new foods because that way the baby will copy her and try new foods when he can eat. A bit like emotional blackmail, but it worked so I don’t care. She had spinach & ricotta pasta yesterday with some chilli olive oil dressing on (that she made). Then tonight she had lamb samosas, tomato bhajis (we told her it was carrot though), chicken satays and olives. And, shockingly, she discovered she liked them – not the olives though.
I was very proud of her. She then informed me that it was important to try new food – like I’d not mentioned it to her before.
Hopefully this will continue (not the patronising me part). Fingers crossed.
Seaside, hills and the family 