The family meal.

I know in England this past time has become just that. A family meal is a rare thing. I understand that times have been difficult so in a lot of families parents are working much later and the children are generally eating with the child minders or other carers who do not actually sit down with them.
For me its not a problem that its not family, its a problem that they are not sitting down all together.
In France people have a two hour lunch break, this is generally spent with the family (unless the children are at the canteen due to distance etc). The children in the evning after school will be given a gouter, this has two purposes 1. to keeptheir energy levels up 2. to keep them going until about 7/8pm when bothe parents are there to sit down for a meal as a family.
I have to say I like this idea, real quality time which is so important we miss out on so much so why not sit down and talk with our children to find out whats going on at school and find out if they are having any difficulties. I also feel that if everyone is sitting together the children will eventually pick up on expected behaviours, for example how to use cutlery properly, how to sit properly and how to conduct themselves in the right manner. They will also pick up good eating habits such as eating up their greens. I am sure if your child is eating at a friends per-say you want to know that they are conducting themselves properly.
As I stated its not a question of who it is grandparents, friends, child minders, or even the next door neighbour, the important thing is that everyone sit together and eats as a "family". Whoever it is could also involve them in the process of cooking if they so wish or just getting them to set the table.
The most important thing for me is that it is a time to talk so NO TELLY, maybe a bit of music, radio, CD or ipod. But nothing too distracting, especially if you have children who are easily distracted.

Grow your own.

This year my kids have grown their own vegetables in my fathers garden, they haven't grown much just some runner beans and some carrots but you should see how proud it makes them that for dinner they are eating the things that they grew in the garden!

I feel that this has helped with getting them to eat more veggies, seeing the whole process through. Planting the seeds themselves, looking after the plant, watering it etc and then finally being asked to go out into the garden and pick the vegetables and then helping to prepare them and cook them for that evenings dinner.

You do not need to have huge amounts of space. http://www.squarefootgardening.org/ this is a website for gardening in a small area.

Getting children involved in the whole process be it growing the food or going out and choosing it at the shops really helps them feel responsible so therefore they are more likely to eat it.

Try it and see what results you get!

Using food as a reward.

I think we have all used food, such as desert or sweets as reward before now, apprently to studies about 80% of us do it.

So what's wrong with this approach? When food is used as a  reward we encourage eating regardless of hunger for example finish your plate and you get dessert.We are placing a greater value on the reward than on what we want them eat. for example chocolate cake appears greater than the vegetables we want them to eat.
 
Try these ideas instead:

• Pair new foods with liked foods.
• Don't give up...it make take 10-15 times before your child develops a taste for a healthier food.
• Try cooking vegetables different ways. Steamed, raw, grilled, sauteed and roasted veggies are all simple and easy ways to cook your vegetables.
• Serve fruits and vegetables first. Research shows kids eat 45% more when this approach is used.
• Kids want a say in their food choice. Let them help with dinner and dessert menu planning.
• Eat together as a family. Kids learn by watching us. What if you're the picky eater? Put on your game face and take a bite. Remember, you're the role model!

We have all been taught at some point in our life to use food as a reward. This isn't an easy habit to kick, but the benefits are worth it. Good Luck!

The importance of support.

It is very important that when you have a fussy eater you have a good support network around you and that you are all working off the same page. If you decide to tackle the issue of fussy eating you should sit down with all the childs caregivers and lay out exactly what you want to achieve and how that is going to happen and how they can help you. If even just one person is not on board then it will not work.

My ex husband was not at all helpful, if he came home and Aby was screaming blue murder because there was something other than chicken nuggets and chips on her plate then he would automatically go and make her what she wanted, completely undermining me and what I was trying to do.

Also a support network will make you feel less alone, you can talk to those around you if times get tough or if you make a big break through (even if it is "xxx ate a mouthful of brocolli!"). It is important to choose carefully those you trust to help you achieve your goal, if you are in any doubt as to wether a person will really help you or not, don't use them for meal times, just send the child to them at other times during the day and when the goal is reached they can go back to that person. If not the whole "operation" will not succeed because the child will know that they can always get their own way else where.

Good luck and remember get a support network, talk to them, and then act!

Importance of support.