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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Picky Eaters...Do You Make Them Something Else?
Candyland 09:27 PM 01-13-2011
SO, just what do you do with those picky eaters who ewww what's on their plate? Do you dare make them something else like you're home is a restaurant??
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laundrymom 02:28 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Candyland:
SO, just what do you do with those picky eaters who ewww what's on their plate? Do you dare make them something else like you're home is a restaurant??
Not til the next day. Lol
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MissAnn 02:49 AM 01-14-2011
If they say "eww" or "yuk" I tell them that if they don't like what is on their plate they should keep that to themselves because you might hurt the person who made the meal's feelings....it's poor manners. I just keep giving them whatever everyone else is eating......a protein, fruit, vegetable and bread......and they should find something they like. The kids here eat very well and I don't even serve chicken nuggets, hot dogs or boxed macaroni and cheese. By giving them something else to eat is only reinforcing the behavior. I also don't make them eat.....if they are hungry enough they will eat.....maybe not at that meal, but at the next....that will probably be the junk food they get at home though!
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mac60 02:53 AM 01-14-2011
Simply NO! As a little dcg said yesterday...."YOU GET WHAT YOU GET AND DON'T THROW A FIT".

I have one 2 1/2 yr old who will actually put his elebows on the table, sometimes his face......which are both quickly removed cuz that is simply rude.....and say I don't like it.....I started putting the foods on his plate that are iffy if he will eat or not, before I let him have the couple of foods that he will eat. When I would put 3 or 4 foods on his plate, he would eat maybe 1 or 2, and leave the others saying he doesn't like them. I don't play their food games.....No haste No Waste hee.
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legomom922 03:28 AM 01-14-2011
I nver had this problem since all my DCLs were little but with my own kids, if I was ever serving something they didnt like, they can always have PB & Jelly sandwhich. There are some things they will just NOT eat, even if you paid them a million dollars. Me included. I was a VERY picky eater when I was little, and I still am. If I dont like something, I am not eating it, no matter what. So if they really wont eat something, I would not "make them" Just serve 1 alternative meal like the PB & Jelly. Schools do this as well.
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nannyde 04:00 AM 01-14-2011
My kids are great eaters but now and then I will have one that doesn't like something I'm making. It's almost always when I'm trying out new spices and it's something they aren't familiar with.

I always keep four ounce containers of stews in my freezer for these times. Yesterday I slow cooked a roast, potatoes, carrots, and mixed veggie stew and when I go to divide it up for day care meals I will make three or four big baby food jars of it to pop into my freezer door.

When a kid doesn't like something new I will take it out and nuke it. It only takes a few minutes to heat and serve and I know that ALL of them will eat roast beef stew so it will be a good alternative.

Sometimes it takes five/six different attempts before they will get used to a new spice so I know I have back up food just in case. I don't have to do it very often but the way I see it is that the kid eats 19 or 20 meals for me every month so if they really don't like something then I will give an alternative I know they love and try them again on it the next time I make it.

I don't want hungry kids BUT if I had a house of junk food treat food eaters then I wouldn't be making the alternatives for them. I would only offer this to kids that have shown me they like healthy food but just not THIS healthy food.

I don't do picky kids. If they are picky they are almost always eating a junk food diet at home. I don't work for parents who do junk food meals. Everyone I work for does slow whole food so the kids know how to eat healthy from scratch food. They don't get anything else except for special special.

I was talking to my Dad, my Auntie, my Uncle a few months back about their generation and how food was such a central part of their lives. They are all in their early seventies. I asked them if they had heard of or knew of the idea of a child being a picky eater. They all collectively went
It's a pretty new concept in the scheme of our history. How blessed we are to have such a huge abundance of food that a human baby could pick and choose. A picky eater is the one who gets to pick.
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momma2girls 04:46 AM 01-14-2011
I have a little 6 yr. old, good thing I only have him for before school. The other day there was a delay, and I gave the children a snack. It was fruit rollups, and right away when he got to the table, he said"I hate this!!" I took it away and didn't say a word". He was also here for dinner once, on a day he had off school, and we had our large Thanksgiving feast. He wouldn't touch anything, but wanted his pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Ha!! I told him, he will not receive dessert til he finishes his meal. In 20 min., of just sitting there, he finally took a bite of everything. Then he again, didn't eat the snack in the pm that day.
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countrymom 04:55 AM 01-14-2011
I don't do picky eaters, first its not like I serve foods the children are not familiar with. If they don't eat, oh well too bad, I'm not a short order cook ask my own children. I think this is a big problem with kids now a days, its easier to feed nuggets and junk food than feed them vegetables and cooked food. I have a child who ONLY eats finger foods and processed foods (he's 5) its a treat to have hot dogs and chicken nuggests. I also find that food has alot to do with their attitudes and behaviors.
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MyAngels 05:01 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by kareng:
If they say "eww" or "yuk" I tell them that if they don't like what is on their plate they should keep that to themselves because you might hurt the person who made the meal's feelings....it's poor manners. I just keep giving them whatever everyone else is eating......a protein, fruit, vegetable and bread......and they should find something they like. The kids here eat very well and I don't even serve chicken nuggets, hot dogs or boxed macaroni and cheese. By giving them something else to eat is only reinforcing the behavior. I also don't make them eat.....if they are hungry enough they will eat.....maybe not at that meal, but at the next....that will probably be the junk food they get at home though!
This is the way I do it, too.
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SilverSabre25 05:12 AM 01-14-2011
Mine are all very young (mostly under 2, with one very non verbal 2.5 yo and my 3 yo), so when they don't want to eat something, I just ignore them, leave it in front of them, discuss how yummy it is with the ones who are eating it, and only when everyone/mostly everyone is finished, is the non-eater allowed down from the table. Usually after several (many) exposures to something, the child will at least deign to try it. The 2.5 yo has a rule in place that he has to try everything to get more of anything, and has to take a bite of veggie in order to get down from the table.

I have found that the kids who have been with me the longest and from the youngest age will eat the most stuff. The ones who came to me older (18+ months) are VERY picky. While I'm not as awesome with food as Nannyde is () I do try to make a healthy variety of foods and we avoid HFCS, artificial colors/flavors, highly processed foods, etc. My kiddos get exposed to a larger variety of grains than most Americans as I cannot have gluten and do not always feel like preparing a separate meal for myself, so I'll use GF ingredients for everyone.
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Cat Herder 05:21 AM 01-14-2011
I have four generations of women under my roof every other Sunday, Nan, and the conversations go about the same way.

My Grandma spit out her teeth laughing and almost choked when I told her I was expected to give a 2 year old child, who threw his meal in the floor because he did not like carrots, another plate AFTER I asked him why he did it AND asked him to apologize......

She said "Do what?? He ain't sorry and I don't care why. He is telling you he ain't hungry and wants to go to bed."

My Grandma is the coolest, she can hit you with a bedroom slipper from across the house....well, it's not like she could ever catch us She had polio as a child. She cracks me up!!!! Man, I love that woman...
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Zoe 05:38 AM 01-14-2011
My rule is you need to take at least one bite of everything if you want the afternoon snack. My dck's do pretty well and pretty much eat the food I give them anyway, but my own DS who's 3 is pretty picky and will sometimes refuse. I give him a choice: take a bite or no afternoon snack. If he chooses to have no afternoon snack then I let him be excused with him having the knowledge of the consequence. It gives him some responsibility of making choices and living with them.

Now if this is their choice, it's not like I just don't feed them in the afternoon. What happens is that they get Saltine crackers instead of the vanilla wafers or graham cracker or occasional cookie. This way they still can get something in their tummies, it's just not as special as the kids who are rewarded for trying everything on their plate.

As they get older, I expect them to eat a little bit more of everything when I know they're capable of it.
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dEHmom 05:42 AM 01-14-2011
I grew up a picky eater. My parents always put things aside when they were cooking before they added onions, sauces, etc etc. I didn't grow up on junk food, I just really hated tomatoes, onions, peppers (green/red) etc etc.

I am 25 yrs old, and trying to instill in my children that they get what they get. I am just learning to like other foods now, not sure if that's me maturing, or just getting bored of the same meals. My daughter recently decided she doesn't like spaghetti sauce (just an example) anymore. My solution is she gets a little on her plate with her whole wheat spaghetti, once it's gone, if she wants another helping with no sauce then fine! But she has to eat the first little bit first.

There is no 2nds on something if they haven't had a little of everything on the plate. If they don't like something truly, then fine, but it's still going on their plate everytime, and they still have to eat a little.
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nannyde 05:46 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Catherder:
I have four generations of women under my roof every other Sunday, Nan, and the conversations go about the same way.

My Grandma spit out her teeth laughing and almost choked when I told her I was expected to give a 2 year old child, who threw his meal in the floor because he did not like carrots, another plate AFTER I asked him why he did it AND asked him to apologize......

She said "Do what?? He ain't sorry and I don't care why. He is telling you he ain't hungry and wants to go to bed."

My Grandma is the coolest, she can hit you with a bedroom slipper from across the house....well, it's not like she could ever catch us She had polio as a child. She cracks me up!!!! Man, I love that woman...
I want to come and eat at your house on Sunday. I want to stay at your house and eat your food for a week ... at least. I'll even take some of your hubby's special beans and grilled ______ (insert anything with a beating heart).

Granny and I got some talkin to do.
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Zoe 05:49 AM 01-14-2011
[/quote]There is no 2nds on something if they haven't had a little of everything on the plate. If they don't like something truly, then fine, but it's still going on their plate everytime, and they still have to eat a little.[/quote]

I do that too with 2nds. You have to have your "firsts" before you have "seconds". Of course only my 4-5 year olds really know what that means, but the younger ones get the idea (just not the saying )

As for my rude little DD who says from the beginning of lunch "I don't like that" in a whiny voice, I use the "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" I heard that from a former student of mine and I loved it so much I use with my daycare. I see others here use it too. Too cute!
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dEHmom 06:03 AM 01-14-2011
No Idea where my 2 yr old got it, but his new thing is "this is yucky" it's really cute in the voice but really annoying.

Because my family is so large (4 sets of grandparents for my kids, tons of aunts/uncles, and then great grandparents) my husband and I are often defeated with things when with the grandparents. And they do it on purpose which really bothers us!

When kids were babies, they'd stuff their cheeks and hold the food. Once my daughter held the food ALL DAY in her cheek. It was disgusting and if I chew something for more than a few minutes, I would actually chuck because it would be warm and tasteless and ewww, i'm actually gagging thinking about it. Anyway, grandparents would tell them to spit the food out into a napkin, then started the holding the food until someone lets me spit it out routine. Now I'm dealing with the "this is yucky" I'm assuming somewhere along the line, someone said "you don't like it? is it yucky?" or maybe because he dropped food and went to eat it and someone said no thats yucky? no idea, but he got it from somewhere and it drives me bonkers! He often goes with barely eating lately. He's still growing healthy, but he is CONSTANTLY not eating what I give him, and then wanting snacks all day long. I don't give it to him, and I've actually started skipping his snacks because he doesn't eat what I give him for breakfast, lunch or dinner, but always wants granola bars, applesauce (which he doesn't eat), cookies, etc etc.
So my new household rule is, IF YOU DON'T EAT YOUR BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER YOU GET NOTHING ELSE ALL DAY.
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Cat Herder 06:14 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I want to come and eat at your house on Sunday. I want to stay at your house and eat your food for a week ... at least. I'll even take some of your hubby's special beans and grilled ______ (insert anything with a beating heart).

Granny and I got some talkin to do.
Well, come on!!! This Sunday is "grilled" BBQ pork loin, baby limas, sweet potatoes, cornbread and key lime pie.....
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KEG123 06:24 AM 01-14-2011
I probably will not make a new food for picky ones. My son is picky, so I have to disagree with the above statement that if they are picky that means they're eating junk at home.
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dEHmom 06:28 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by KEG123:
I probably will not make a new food for picky ones. My son is picky, so I have to disagree with the above statement that if they are picky that means they're eating junk at home.
Sometimes it is likely that that is why, but not always. Usually just means they are spoiled enough that parents give in when they don't want to eat something. But not always the case. I'm not making something different for my picky kids, and sometimes by giving it a new name or changing how it looks, they discover they like it!

My daughter refused to eat sloppy joes (they are disgusting and I hate them too) but hubby cooked for once and I wasn't going to complain, lol, she wouldn't eat it. Next time we told her it was tacos or something and she ate it and loved it.
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SandeeAR 06:30 AM 01-14-2011
I only have one old enough to be picky. She is 2.5 y/o. She is semi picky, her sister whom I have on closed school days, is VERY Picky. My rule is you must try 2 bites of anything on your plate. That is how I get the 2.5 to learn to eat new things. Since I rarely have the older one, I usually just plan meals on those days, that I know she will eat.
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nannyde 08:16 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Catherder:
Well, come on!!! This Sunday is "grilled" BBQ pork loin, baby limas, sweet potatoes, cornbread and key lime pie.....
Ohhhhhhhhh yummy.

I love me some grilled piggy.

What do you do with the lima beans? I'm not a fan of the green ones... I like the white ones in stew with ham and carrots.
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DBug 08:40 AM 01-14-2011
My 8-year-old DS is SOOO picky, he'll just not eat for the day. I try to make sure there's at least one thing he'll eat in his school lunch and at supper, but honestly, it's his choice not to eat. I have no patience with pickiness, and it's not hurting me if he doesn't eat! (FTR - he's quite healthy, got lots of energy, etc., etc.) I do the same with the dc kids -- everyone gets the same very small portions of food on their plates. They have to eat all of their firsts before they get seconds. If they don't eat, that's fine. That's their choice, and who am I to take away their free will . They can wash up and go play. It's just not a hill I'm willing to die on.

I'm also not about to become a short-order cook for everyone. If kids are hungry when they go home, they can eat there. I have my menus posted so parents can see exactly what we're eating and when, and I also fill in how much each kid ate for each meal and snack on their communication log. I make sure all of the parents are okay with that during our interview, so there are no surprises .
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Cat Herder 08:53 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
Ohhhhhhhhh yummy.

I love me some grilled piggy.

What do you do with the lima beans? I'm not a fan of the green ones... I like the white ones in stew with ham and carrots.
I usually just cook them down really slowly with a bit of olive oil, a cutting of the pork and pepper. It forms a gravy as it cools and is usually served over the cornbread here. "AKA "Butter beans 'n cornbread"

The really h a r d c o r e (why is that word banned?) southerners , like my Grandma, crumble their cornbread into a glass of butter milk as desert, instead.

I do have to say that the tiny greens ones cooked down with old fashioned "fat back" or bacon grease were the ones I was raised on, though.....

Sorry OP, I seemed to have hijacked. Here, if I know they REALLY don't like a certain food, I just prepare an alternate similar to Nan. I was raised in the early 70's where they forced us to stay at the table until we ate eveything on the plate. I missed my bus once because a teacher with psychological issues made it a personal battle with me to eat this horrible/toxic mold called "veg-all". I would still be sitting there today if it werent for Mom showing up.
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dEHmom 08:55 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Catherder:
I missed my bus once because a teacher with psychological issues made it a personal battle with me to eat this horrible/toxic mold called "veg-all". I would still be sitting there today if it werent for Mom showing up.

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nannyde 09:02 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Catherder:
I usually just cook them down really slowly with a bit of olive oil, a cutting of the pork and pepper. It forms a gravy as it cools and is usually served over the cornbread here. "AKA "Butter beans 'n cornbread"

The really h a r d c o r e (why is that word banned?) southerners , like my Grandma, crumble their cornbread into a glass of butter milk as desert, instead.

I do have to say that the tiny greens ones cooked down with old fashioned "fat back" or bacon grease were the ones I was raised on, though.....

Sorry OP, I seemed to have hijacked. Here, if I know they REALLY don't like a certain food, I just prepare an alternate similar to Nan. I was raised in the early 70's where they forced us to stay at the table until we ate eveything on the plate. I missed my bus once because a teacher with psychological issues made it a personal battle with me to eat this horrible/toxic mold called "veg-all". I would still be sitting there today if it werent for Mom showing up.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm to the fat back not to the veg all

I got a whole free range piggy this year and have been saving off all the fat to add to some of my no fat meats. Good with venison and elk. Makes it super soft and smooth........ yum
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Cat Herder 09:10 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm to the fat back not to the veg all

I got a whole free range piggy this year and have been saving off all the fat to add to some of my no fat meats. Good with venison and elk. Makes it super soft and smooth........ yum
Have not had elk, of course have never seen one in their natural environment, either... Is it gamey?

Venison, catfish, trout, wild hog, turkey and crappy (fish) are all the local game meats around here. The older kids always loved the crappy, but I think it was mostly because they liked to tell everyone that I fed them "dam crappy fish".... (My boat dock is close by the dam. I used to take school agers fishing alot.)
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dEHmom 09:14 AM 01-14-2011
CATFISH?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING?

Catfish we fish for only because of the fight they put up. Would never dare eat one. *gagging from the thought

I'm assuming you have a magic way to flavor them.
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Cat Herder 09:18 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Baybee0585:
CATFISH?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING?

Catfish we fish for only because of the fight they put up. Would never dare eat one. *gagging from the thought

I'm assuming you have a magic way to flavor them.

Seriously??? We have whole restaurants that serve nothing but fried catfish 'n hash browns or fried chicken 'n waffles.... I guess I probably should not mention the frog legs 'n fried dill pickle chips.....

And, yes, I love them all......
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nannyde 09:19 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Catherder:
Have not had elk, of course have never seen one in their natural environment, either... Is it gamey?

Venison, catfish, trout, wild hog, turkey and crappy (fish) are all the local game meats around here. The older kids always loved the crappy, but I think it was mostly because they liked to tell everyone that I fed them "dam crappy fish".... (My boat dock is close by the dam. I used to take school agers fishing alot.)
Elk is DELICIOIUS and if you like venison and beef you would most likely like it if it were properly cooked. LOW... SLOW...

Wild hog.... I'm crazy jealous.

We love the fish but we don't get it so much. My Dad is a big fisherman so twice a year he cleans his freezer out and donates his catches to us. We thank him kindly.
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nannyde 09:21 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Catherder:
:eek Seriously??? We have whole restaurants that serve nothing but fried catfish 'n hash browns or fried chicken 'n waffles.... I guess I probably should not mention the frog legs 'n fried dill pickle chips.....

And, yes, I love them all......


You obviously haven't had Nans catfish. My day care kids will eat a plate of catfish so fast I couldn't even keep up with them. We've been known to splat the table with fish and fries now and then...... all you can eat horkfest

Froggie is yummy too.. tastes like chicken.
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nannyde 09:24 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:


You obviously haven't had Nans catfish. My day care kids will eat a plate of catfish so fast I couldn't even keep up with them. We've been known to splat the table with fish and fries now and then...... all you can eat horkfest

Froggie is yummy too.. tastes like chicken.
woooppps that was for the post before you.
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dEHmom 09:25 AM 01-14-2011
lol. well than i've been told.

froggy! i just raised a batch of ADF tadpoles into frogs. They only are about the size of the a pencil eraser as froglets and adults are only an inch to an inch and a half long.
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nannyde 09:26 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Catherder:
Seriously??? We have whole restaurants that serve nothing but fried catfish 'n hash browns or fried chicken 'n waffles.... I guess I probably should not mention the frog legs 'n fried dill pickle chips.....

And, yes, I love them all......
Cathearder: have you seen the monster catfish catching shows where the guys stand in mud water and dig down and grab the ginormous catfish?

Do they eat them? The really big ones?
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dEHmom 09:28 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
Cathearder: have you seen the monster catfish catching shows where the guys stand in mud water and dig down and grab the ginormous catfish?

Do they eat them? The really big ones?
That's Noodling! People die doing that!
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Cat Herder 09:30 AM 01-14-2011
This is where I got to go for my birthday when I was a kid. I loved it!!!! You can't make this stuff up....
Attached: frogleg3_prefRes.jpg (44.5 KB) 
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Blackcat31 09:31 AM 01-14-2011
We used to eat snapping turtle when I was a kid....wasn't too bad. It tastes like chicken too but all I can remember about it is driving down the road and my dad slamming on the brakes because he spotted a snapper and him flinging it into the trunk and then me and my siblings being scared to death of all the scatching going on in the trunk that we could hear through the backseat...freaked me out so maybe that is why I was never hot on snapping turtle.
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Cat Herder 09:33 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Baybee0585:
That's Noodling! People die doing that!
Yeah, it is kind of an extreme sport for men who have nothing left to do after high school football At least that is my theory.

Right up there with those who go in the 'glades alone at night frog-gigging.
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dEHmom 09:34 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
my dad slamming on the brakes because he spotted a snapper and him flinging it into the trunk and then me and my siblings being scared to death of all the scatching going on
HAHA I've learned a lot of strange things on here today. My goodness.

sweet I just won 4 dollars on a scratch ticket. Today is my day.
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AnythingsPossible 09:38 AM 01-14-2011
Nope, you get the meal you are served. The only time I didn't do this is when I fixed chili and something went wrong somewhere. I served it up and they all started complaining. Now I know chili isn't their favorite, but I thought they were going a bit overboard, so I tried it and wholly hot! So, we had PB&J that day. I have one little girl who will never eat the main dish and one who will never eat her fruits and veggies. Oh, and one time I accidentally bought hot and spicy pickles and didn't realize till I served them, and they were all insisting the pickles were spicy. I argued with them and told them to either eat them or not, but they most certainly weren't spicy they're just pickles for heaven's sake...need to read labels more carefully I guess! But we are definately a "you get what you get" household.
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nannyde 10:11 AM 01-14-2011
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
We used to eat snapping turtle when I was a kid....wasn't too bad. It tastes like chicken too but all I can remember about it is driving down the road and my dad slamming on the brakes because he spotted a snapper and him flinging it into the trunk and then me and my siblings being scared to death of all the scatching going on in the trunk that we could hear through the backseat...freaked me out so maybe that is why I was never hot on snapping turtle.
Turtle is SO yummy.

I would definitely serve that if I could get it.

It's a bunch of work though. You gotta know what you are doing to get to the meat.
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E Daycare 05:55 PM 01-14-2011
I serve the same thing to both bigger kids and thats it. My son is pretty good at eating anything so Im lucky thus far. This new dcb seems to really love his snacks and trying to get him to eat lunch has been an ordeal. Today it was grilled turkey and cheese, corn and red peppers and a pear. He stuck his fingers in all the pieces of his turkey and cheese and pushed everything else around with his fork. My son was "mmm mmm" so I knew it wasnt gross lol. Ive said this before: I think its because I dont serve Mac and Cheese and spaghettio Os though.

Come snack time he was a happy camper with his yogurt melts and dried straweberries though. Im making sure his snacks are worth it snacks since he pushes at his lunch. Surprise kiddo, those dried strawberries are good for you. LOL
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nannyde 05:32 AM 01-15-2011
Originally Posted by Erin's Daycare:
I serve the same thing to both bigger kids and thats it. My son is pretty good at eating anything so Im lucky thus far. This new dcb seems to really love his snacks and trying to get him to eat lunch has been an ordeal. Today it was grilled turkey and cheese, corn and red peppers and a pear. He stuck his fingers in all the pieces of his turkey and cheese and pushed everything else around with his fork. My son was "mmm mmm" so I knew it wasnt gross lol. Ive said this before: I think its because I dont serve Mac and Cheese and spaghettio Os though.

Come snack time he was a happy camper with his yogurt melts and dried straweberries though. Im making sure his snacks are worth it snacks since he pushes at his lunch. Surprise kiddo, those dried strawberries are good for you. LOL
Be beware with commercial yougurt. It has a TON of sugar in it. The reason kids like it is because it can be horked down quickly and has sugar, fat, and often a lot of salt.
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E Daycare 05:42 AM 01-15-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
Be beware with commercial yougurt. It has a TON of sugar in it. The reason kids like it is because it can be horked down quickly and has sugar, fat, and often a lot of salt.
Yeah when I feed them yogurt I give them plain and mix it with berries or freeze it. The yogurt melts are by Gerber and one of those snacks I keep on hand when the fuss butt wont eat anything else.
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Luna 01:55 PM 01-15-2011
My very first dck was beyond fussy, as well as having a peanut allergy. Best of all, just because he liked something yesterday doesn't mean he'll like it today. I used to lay awake at night trying to think of stuff to feed this kid...ridiculous, I know. I totally threw in the towel and stopped stressing about it. Since then, my attitude is - Here's your food, eat it or don't eat it. See you at the table for the next meal. I never fix something else. I offer good healthy food, and it's up to them whether they eat it or not.

He told me once "I don't want this, I want <insert deep-fried-garbage-he-gets-at-home here>, so I told him he needed to go to a different restaurant. He said "This isn't a restaurant!!!"
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dEHmom 02:11 PM 01-15-2011
Originally Posted by Erin's Daycare:
Yeah when I feed them yogurt I give them plain and mix it with berries or freeze it. The yogurt melts are by Gerber and one of those snacks I keep on hand when the fuss butt wont eat anything else.
DCG gets plain yogurt, with granola bits in it. Sooo good. I'm sure you can drop just about anything in the yogurt though. sweet stuff if it's a treat, cereal, granola, bran, fruit, chocolate (mmmmm chocolate, DON'T TOUCH MY CHOCOLATE) p.s. I am very protective over my daily indulgence of chocolate. I've since switched to dark over milk chocolate but either way, chocolate in my house is for me only. NO ONE TOUCHES IT!
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Kaddidle Care 02:24 PM 01-15-2011
My very first DCG was a fussy eater - her parents thought corn was the only vegetable. I had good luck with naming them funny things like Trees (Broccoli) and Brains (Cauliflower). Also I tend to ask them to take a tiny mouse sized bite before they refuse all together and then quote "Try it and you may I say!" Dr. Seuss can be your friend.

Oh.. and I say "You get what you get and you don't get upset!"
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QualiTcare 03:21 PM 01-15-2011
Originally Posted by legomom922:
I nver had this problem since all my DCLs were little but with my own kids, if I was ever serving something they didnt like, they can always have PB & Jelly sandwhich. There are some things they will just NOT eat, even if you paid them a million dollars. Me included. I was a VERY picky eater when I was little, and I still am. If I dont like something, I am not eating it, no matter what. So if they really wont eat something, I would not "make them" Just serve 1 alternative meal like the PB & Jelly. Schools do this as well.
my daughter's school does this - offers PB&J every day if they don't want what's on the menu. i was surprised.

i'm weird about it. i stayed with my "mammaw" a lot when i was a kid and she was one of those who wouldn't let you have ANYTHING to drink until you ate all your food and you had to sit at the table until you ate WHATEVER it was she made. i fell asleep at the table sometimes or got my "legs striped" cus i got caught feeding the dog. i thought she was distracted by soap operas

i usually just made stuff the kids did like (no food program) and i still ask my own kids what they want usually. i eat lots of tuna or salmon and i don't expect them to eat that very often. if i'm making separate food, why not make them what they want? then again, i was scarred as a child.
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My4SunshineGirlsNY 05:31 PM 01-15-2011
Originally Posted by legomom922:
I nver had this problem since all my DCLs were little but with my own kids, if I was ever serving something they didnt like, they can always have PB & Jelly sandwhich. There are some things they will just NOT eat, even if you paid them a million dollars. Me included. I was a VERY picky eater when I was little, and I still am. If I dont like something, I am not eating it, no matter what. So if they really wont eat something, I would not "make them" Just serve 1 alternative meal like the PB & Jelly. Schools do this as well.
This is exactly as I do. I have one daycare girl (age 10) that dislike EVERYTHING I make...it gets rather annoying but I have always offered the kids PB&J if they didn't like my main meal.
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graxpress 03:03 AM 01-19-2011
Originally Posted by :
My kids are great eaters but now and then I will have one that doesn't like something I'm making. It's almost always when I'm trying out new spices and it's something they aren't familiar with. I always keep four ounce containers of stews in my freezer for these times. Yesterday I slow cooked a roast, potatoes, carrots, and mixed veggie stew and when I go to divide it up for day care meals I will make three or four big baby food jars of it to pop into my freezer door. When a kid doesn't like something new I will take it out and nuke it. It only takes a few minutes to heat and serve and I know that ALL of them will eat roast beef stew so it will be a good alternative. Sometimes it takes five/six different attempts before they will get used to a new spice so I know I have back up food just in case. I don't have to do it very often but the way I see it is that the kid eats 19 or 20 meals for me every month so if they really don't like something then I will give an alternative I know they love and try them again on it the next time I make it. I don't want hungry kids BUT if I had a house of junk food treat food eaters then I wouldn't be making the alternatives for them. I would only offer this to kids that have shown me they like healthy food but just not THIS healthy food. I don't do picky kids. If they are picky they are almost always eating a junk food diet at home. I don't work for parents who do junk food meals. Everyone I work for does slow whole food so the kids know how to eat healthy from scratch food. They don't get anything else except for special special. I was talking to my Dad, my Auntie, my Uncle a few months back about their generation and how food was such a central part of their lives. They are all in their early seventies. I asked them if they had heard of or knew of the idea of a child being a picky eater. They all collectively went It's a pretty new concept in the scheme of our history. How blessed we are to have such a huge abundance of food that a human baby could pick and choose. A picky eater is the one who gets to pick.
I think you are right
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