We seem to have had a great vegetable turn around.
From being a weaning baby that loved his veggies, that progressed to the restrictive, obsessive child, that refused most foods, we have now completed a full cirlce, and are back to a veggie loving 10 year old!
I still lay all thanks on that one dinner lady at his school, who, in her own way, got him to taste new veg, and learn to enjoy it.
She used the principal of holding his lunch in front of him, and holding a small amount of peas on a plate, also in front of him, and telling him - " if you eat these (the peas), you can have these". It worked straightaway. She got him into sweetcorn and carrots too.
I had exhausted all avenues myself, trying to get him to eat veg, and it seems this new person in his life had the magic way.
Since then, I have introduced runner beans and broccoli. He eats them too with no fuss.
And now he wants to fill his plate up with veg! He helps to put the veg in the steamer, and always adds more and more! Then, when I serve the food up, he takes more for himself, and will request from our plates with his hand, trying to take off of them.
But he now will try to over eat them. I had some frozen carrots in a 1kg bag, and discovered that he had been helping himself to them every time I unlocked the utility room to load washing or drying on.
I will be asking for her help again with fruit. I know he likes the taste of fruit as he loves the pureed pots of them, but he still refuses to try them in their natural state.
I remember how stressed I used to be, trying to get him to eat. I used to cook up huge batches of stews, with either meat or fish in, and add around seven different veggies to it, and then whizz it down to a puree, and freeze in pots. This was for a 3 year old, not a weaning baby.
He would gag, spit out each mouthfull, scream, run around, and make me exhausted. The carpet got fed more than he did.
I gave up when my middle son was born, and just accepted J's food issues.
I ensured he got his five fruit a day, via the puree pots, and after a few years he accepted the 'kids' range from Marks and Spencer in the spaghetti bolognaise, which meant he was eating hidden carrot and tomato, which was something I suppose. Even today, he still loves the M&S kids bolognaise. He refuses to eat my own, which my other two boys love, so it's a bit fiddly, but at least they all eat the same meal together, albeit his is from a shop. I will add that M&S kids range is not loaded with rubbish or additives. It is healthy and tasty.
