Food Fad..... and a bit of a vent lol

[Madi]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who's child wants their sandwiches cut a certain way or their drink on the left hand side instead of the right?

My mum is giving me a hard time about pandering to food fads (and also giving into the whiny voice). I just feel like it's pick your battles stuff and don't sweat the small stuff - but my mum is making me feel that it's a "concern" and that I'm going to make it hard for him to cope when he goes to school "because nobody wants to play with a demanding whiny child".

She said to him "I'm getting a sick of this whining baby voice" in quite a nasty way to him (pushed some of my buttons I guess lol) so I sent her for a time out :2lol

[Rinelle]

LOL Madi. Good on you for sending your mum for time out. :)

Ezri has more than her share of food fads. We used to have massive arguements about whether to cut the sandwiches into triangles or squares (she'd change her mind every five minutes, including one minute after you cut them the opposite way) until we devised the method of 'squares and triangles', which has persisted for, oh, a year or more now? These days though, she doesn't tantrum if they're cut another way, so they do get over them.

There are plenty of other food issues for her to tantrum over though. :) I figure she's just picky. I am too, so I can understand where she's coming from and sympathise.

[Madi]

There are plenty of other food issues for her to tantrum over though. :) I figure she's just picky. I am too, so I can understand where she's coming from and sympathise.

I am a bit picky too. I have certain things I only like a certain way - surely we all do?

I asked my mum how she would like it if I made her coffee with no milk and two tablespoons of coffee? - and whether it's indulging her to make it *exactly* the way she likes it :2lol

[Rinelle]

Exactly. We all have our things that we're picky over!

My one issue with it (which is becoming an issue now Ezri is 5), is the attitude with which she makes her displeasure known. I'm happy to perpare her food a certain way, but I don't like being yelled at if it's a little bit wrong (especially when I wasn't told how she wanted it till afterwards.)

[Joey]

Oh yeah, my son used to only eat of the lellow plate, only drink out of a lellow cup, only eat and apple if I cut it up - noone else could etc etc etc, it went on. I remember when my dss was about 3 and we went to a sandwich shop and the lady asked him how he would like it cut up, he just gave her a blank look and i kind of laughed and said does it matter? and she assured me that to some kids it does- and when my ds came along I found out just how much lol

He is the most easy going kid in every way now (and he has never had any trouble at school lol). DD has had a few phases of it too but not quite as full on or long lasting

[mrs fox]

my boys like things a certain way, so do I and so does Dh....its human....and your are right Madi, do not sweat the small stuff...its a sandwich and more effort is wasted by arguing with the kids, so I ask fist and then cut...after that they have to eat it or go hungrey.

[Nyree]

Yep - lots of it here, too......from DD & myself :)

[´*~·Meje·~*`]

Having things a certain way is fine!

But Ill always pull them up on the whinging at me! They know I don't speak whinge, so never understand what they are saying! ;) Its almost constant reminders, but the same message being instilled - always speak nicely to people, esp when you are asking them to do something for you!

[milkymumma]

yes, your mother is manipulating you... discipline her now, for her own good:2lol

the sandwich issues sound pretty normal to me :great

[Pinky]

Ah the food fad...

When I was a kid I was PICKY. I grew out of it.

When I was a kid food couldn't touch other food on the plate (I wish we had those divider plates when I was a kid)

when I was a kid I had food colour days.

Yellow was a good day.. I could eat corn, mozarella cheese, corn chips, cornflakes, rice crispies, bananas, yellow apples, butter on saltana crackers
Blue was hard.. blueberries and mom would put blue food colouring in milk and mashed potatoes so I could eat something.

Green was hard for me but mom loved it. veggies all day... still I remember green milk and potatoes.

Brown was wonderful.. steak and chocolate. and chocolate milk.. sooo good.. and potatoes (brown cover.. so they had to be baked)


When I told my husband about this stuff he said he HOPED our child wasn't like that.. so far so good.

having said that.. EVERYDAY wasn't a food colour day.. maybe one day a week. I appreciated my mom going with it and letting me be creative.

I think if you indulge the child.. it is not a bad thing.. forcing them to do something they don't want to do.. isn't great. but maybe striking a deal like.. okay we can do this at home but not at grandmas.. or making a game out of it?

I dunno.. I was a weird kid. but I grew out of it.. now I eat everything.

[emd]

I don't mind my kids making their own choices. As long as they tell me when I ask them what they want (or tell me before I give them the food), and don't whine or nag or scream at me. I am always happy to give things to kids who ask me politely for what they want. The exception is Billy, who doesn't speak (he's two and a half). His only available communication tools at the moment are pointing, grunting, and screaming. When he learns to use more words, I will be less tolerant of screams.

Is your mum's issue that you're giving your child what they want, or that you're responding to impolite communication? If her problem is with your response to the whining, I can see her point. A child will not learn to speak politely to people if they respond to whines. But if her problem is that you're giving them what they want, just ignore her. There are plenty of kids who are fussy eaters at home, but perfectly fine at childcare or school. Kids learn pretty quickly that they cannot afford to be super fussy at school, especially when they see all the other kids eating without a fuss.

[Hailstorm]

I'm still giggling at the thought of Madi's Mum sitting in the corner in 'time out' :rofl

My kids are fussy sometimes too, I tell ya cutting sandwiches into circles was tricky for awhile there but then I found an egg ring and all was good :2lol

[shaestar]

Lots of fussy little food ishews here lol.
Tannah went for about 3 months when she would only eat food if it was on bread-glad that passed:blink

[Rinelle]

LOL Kyls. We've done Christmas tree sandwiches, and dinosaur sandwiches. Cookie cutters do a pretty good job. Haven't tried round ones though!

[Kali]

They know I don't speak whinge, so never understand what they are saying! ;) !

Ohhh I like that! I am so going to use that tomorrow and forever after! What a gem!

[Mercurious]

I have told DD whinging hurts my ears and I can't listen properly too. (well it hurts my brain).

There are many different children personalities just as there are adults. There are very easy going kids that would eat a plate of spinach if someone put it in front of them because its food, and you eat it, there are those that would eat it because they know it's pointless trying to explain they don't like spinach as they have learn to shut up and comply, and there are those that would probably tell you they don't like spinach and expect you to listen and respect their point of view because they have been taught it's their right.

I'm not saying they shouldn't eat any, after a little battle of wills the third one might try a little, but I kind of like that they can go though life knowing they can speak up for themselves.

I think school is going to be a totally different kettle of fish. He will learn that what happens with Mummy doesn't happen at school. Children with two homes quickly learn what is acceptable in each (and what they can get away with). So in my mind it's more about each party being consistant.

[~kaoss~]

I also "understand" whinge, and my children (even DS#2, who is nearly 2) know that if they want something, that their best bet is to ask in a voice that I will understand. I do give them the opportunity to ask in a way that I understand.

But they all have had their little food fads, like where everyone sits at the table, what knife and fork they like to eat with, what colour plate. How they have their sandwiches cut, where the food sits on their plate etc. That I don't have a problem with. Easy to accomodate, easy to fix, doesn't bother me or affect how I am eating my food.

[cef77]

Plenty here too! DS#1 used to only eat yellow or orange vegies, so corn and carrots and potatoes were big in this house. Nowadays he asks me 'Mum, will I like this dinner?', my response is always, 'Of course you will, we've had it before'! :rofl

DS#2 will only have honey sandwiches in rectangles and jam sandwiches in triangles, must have V8 juice at brekkie and water for lunch out of the green ice age drink bottle, no drink at dinner. He must have the same placemat at the same chair at the table every meal. To be fair, DS#2 is on the spectrum, so some of his food issues are sensory :)

Luck so far with DS#3, he eats everything! Polished off butter chicken and rice for dinner, then ate half of my mushroom risotto!

I *still* will eat one food item at a time on my plate. For example, if we have roast, I will eat my potato, then pumpkin, then peas etc and leave the meat for last :) DH thinks this is really strange!

[Merlion]

Thank god my kids are not fussy but when we were away J wanted noodles and thats all she wanted... OMG we were in foreign country (Indoensia) with a buffett dinner. They had noodles at the morning buffet but not the evening buffet. so we had to get lasagne and cut it up so the resembled some kind of noddles and then she was fine and ate other stuff too... :D But i do have a cuz who will only eat from a particular plate and a use particular cuttlery and particular cup and bowl and he even takes them with him when he travels. I find this hillarious

My SIL has to have her food separated. so of instance if we have spag bolg her sauce and pasta have to be separate. if we have steamed veggies hers have to be taken out and then she will eat them individually...

[Rinelle]

I prefer my stuff separate too. I will mix some vegies myself these days (wouldn't as a kid), but wouldn't like them already mixed. I hate eating at restaurants because I nearly always dislike the food, all those sauces and extra added stuff.