We’re stuck in a rut eating only the meals we know our child will eat. What can we do?

Put yourself first!

By only preparing and serving the meals that you know your child will eat, you’re restricting your own diet which will make you miserable and you’re not allowing your child the opportunities to learn about and feel comfortable around new or different foods. 

What do you fancy? Make and serve that for everyone! But, to help make the meal less scary or to ensure there is something on the table that your child will eat, think about what you might need to add to the meal that is ‘safe’. 

Serving curry, for example, and your child won’t eat rice, you can easily add some chapattis into the mix. Bhajis or samosas might appeal as finger foods. Yoghurt (plain or as a raita) is great to dip into as well as too cool down any spices. Pickles are fun for children to serve themselves out of the jar as way to help the meal go down. Salad bits on the side can also be useful – kachumber is chopped up tomato, cucumber and red onion mixed together but these could all be presented separately if necessary. Serving the meat, paneer or vegetables separately to the sauce might also be helpful.