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Children have a well earned reputation for being difficult diners, so I feel they deserve a page all of their own on difficultdiners.com.
Children are picky at the best of times, they are many reports that a new food has to be presented at least 20 times before your tiny tot will accept it. I find anything I have to do 20 times rather repetitive, but add into the mix each time I do offer the food that I am screamed at or have to clear up food thrown on the floor. And if I am lucky enough to persuade my 'joy' to put it in his mouth, it will be spat out. There is only so much a harassed mum can take, and if you are working, patience is probably even more limited.
Are children growing up with more restricted diets? I suspect as mothers work more and we spend less time with our children, when we do see them we want to feed them something they will like, rather than hear 'mum cooks yukky food'. Maybe we pander more to our young than in Victorian times when children did as they were told, and ate similarly; or even than one generation ago in the post war era where everything was scarce. I don't know, but it doesn't help me feed my children to know it is a generational problem.
What helps me feed my children a good variety of food, is that I eat a good variety of food. Children see you eating, and somehow whatever is on your plate seems infinitely more interesting than their plateful. Avoid cooking food that kids shouldn't eat, ie high in fat, sugar or salt, and then as they see you eating new foods they will naturally be curious and try them. One down 19 to go.
Parents of children with restricted diets through health, allergies or intolerances, should look at my information on 'difficult diners'.
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