The most amazing thing in this thread is the fact that Liam loves salads. How on Earth do we get Samson to this stage? He loves cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes and kale – but give him a lettuce salad and he will not touch a bite.
Well, most of my sons started out liking salad because they “wanted what papa has”. Giving them the foods early on caused them to enjoy it later. They literally love all things green…brussel sprouts, green beans, cauliflower and broccoli, salads. We’ve been very lucky in that regard. It’s a great feeling to see them going for a salad for a mid-day snack instead of digging into the other not so healthy foods.
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I’m impressed, too, as we’re having similar issues with my son (who granted is only 13 months old). My daughter ate and enjoyed every green vegetable, and still prefers to eat her “salad” (usually just lettuce with veggies on the side) plain, but no go with my son. I’ve started mixing green veggies into his rice or potatoes because otherwise he won’t eat them…even if we do veggies first. He’ll just sit there and look mournfully at us eating full plates of food. 
ugh Samson hates rice and potatoes too. He really is very picky. 
Oh, no! And I thought Killi was picky. He just loves carbs too much…and I got really lazy with cooking the past few months as I wasn’t feeling well, so he got a lot more junk than normal. 
Liam would eat mashed potatoes all day, but I limit him to 1 or 2 cups whenever we make them. He would literally eat like 4 or 5 cups of them if we let him. @ErinElizabeth main staple is mashed potatoes. In Erin’s defense, she makes the BEST mashed potatoes (lots of sour cream in them…so yummy)
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My 5 year old loves cucumber, lettuce, carrots and all of the other mailings, but MIX it, or make the mistake of CALLING it a salad…
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yes! it’s so tiresome to make “salads” that are basically 15 different a la carte items, but that’s what we do to keep the peace around here. We really need to improve in this arena. Then again I was a super picky eater growing up so it’s hard for me to have a leg to stand on.
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I’m old school in that regard (maybe it’s good, maybe it’s bad, but it works for us). Here’s what my mom and dad told me when I would complain about food and/or not want what was prepared, “Then go hungry. When you’re hungry enough, you’ll eat.” I remember learning to eat whatever they put in front of me and not complaining about it because I didn’t like my stomach rumbling when I was trying to sleep at nights.
That’s the same mentality I have in my house where food is concerned, and it works for us. Even when they complain about something, they eventually eat it. In my house, if what we’ve prepared for you isn’t good enough, then you are welcome to go hungry until the next meal.
I show my kids other kids from other parts of the world who aren’t lucky enough to “choose” what they like…kids with distended stomachs and who die by the thousands because they don’t get enough nutrition. So, in my house, they’re welcome to be hungry for the evening if they choose.
Having said that, though, there are foods that each one of us doesn’t like for one reason or another (I HATE liver, a lot of my kids (and my wife) don’t like the consistency of raw tomatoes, etc.,), but these are few and far in between.
Makings… my kid doesn’t eat mailings.
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That’s the household I grew up in !!!
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No comment on the op’s question, but if anyone wants an eating strategy for picky eaters, we successfully raised two kids who will eat anything! This has been verified by repeatedly going to very expensive restaurants and eating things raw and cooked that might make some people’s stomach turn.
We went with the you must eat two Tablespoons of everything that was made. Then you can choose your favorite amongst the options to fill up on. This allowed my picky eater to only have to stomach a few bites of the things he didn’t like, but in the long run he is now 17 and will eat anything. He still prefers high carb food, but he will eat other stuff as well.
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Re: picky eating, I think it depends on what level of picky eating you’re talking about. Super-tasting runs in one side of my family, with many people on that side demonstrating very strong taste/smell aversions as kids. I was one of them—when I was younger, most foods were so beyond gross to me, and I had to retreat to my room if my mom cooked fish or braised brussels sprouts or something smelly because just the smell would be so aversively overwhelming. My mom’s attempts to make me broaden my diet tended to backfire and made eating way more stressful. That said, all of us in my family with those aversions as kids grew up into adventurous eaters as adults—I’m pretty sure it’s that all that sensitivity just starts to naturally lessen in adolescence for many. I still am very sensitive to tastes/smells (I’m good at picking out subtle ingredients in dishes and I smell things most people can’t detect), but now I tend to enjoy that in my food vs being overwhelmed by it. I’m now one of the most adventurous eaters I know who loves vegetables, despite my mom never having been successful whatsoever in getting me to eat them as a kid. So I guess I’m saying, it’s worth trying to get your kids to eat broadly, and strategies like the ones mentioned on this thread can make sense, but if your kid is just ultra sensitive and attempts to make them diversify cause stress without gains, then they still may grow out of it eventually on their own.
I usually eat and then take my insulin, as opposed to pre-bolusing. I might take a little less insulin, depending, but it’s more often a slight delay off whatever my usual timing would be. I’m comfortable taking insulin when outright low though if I know it’s warranted (like if I’m 55 and just way over treated), since I know now that even rapid acting insulin takes a lot longer to work than I’d like it to.
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I have a 13 year old who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at 2, and we tried the 1 bite rule for YEARS. Obviously we had our work cut out for us, but he basically owned us in the eating department.
He also eats very well now… I wouldn’t call him “adventurous”, but I’d say he is as reasonable as one could hope for and understands the value in good food, preferred or not. I do agree that SOME of the food drama passes with age, but I’m 41 and still can’t be paid to eat a brussel sprout so not ALL of it. 
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I do this with my 3 yo, and it works well. There were some exceptions we made as she had some sensory/textural issues with some foods, but they were easy to avoid anyway. Problem is my picky 1 yo is still on formula, so he’ll just get a bottle later. 
And unfortunately he still legitimately needs the calories of the formula, even when he does eat all of his food, so we’re kind of stuck a bit.
And @Chris, IMO oven roasted brussel sprouts are the only way to go. 
Back on topic…if I notice I’m dropping low right before a meal, I do as @bkh does and just eat a couple jelly beans or a glucose tab just to halt the drop/raise it slightly (depending on how low), then bolus and eat my meal as usual. Now if the meal has something I hadn’t planned on eating due to the carbs, I will take advantage of the low and use my meal to treat, dosing more insulin then to cover whatever carby indulgence I’m eating. But usually that doesn’t happen, as I eat fairly large carb amounts anyway, at least compared to most here.
Our general rule is that if they don’t eat dinner then they don’t get anything else that night – but we will serve them breakfast the next morning.
We have a rule that if they don’t eat a decent amount of each item on their plate (not all but a reasonable portion), they won’t get dessert… and Samson was very motivated to eat those bites for dessert, but he projectile vomited while trying to swallow an omelette the other day.
Anyways, I don’t know if my kids are pickier than normal l or if we’re just not firm enough, but there is definitely a huge list of foods they won’t eat. Even when they’re super hungry.
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My oldest was very picky as a small child. There were many many nights where we sat and watched him cry over having to eat two bites of something he didn’t like. Despite us putting an amazing ice cream sundae in his brothers hand, who had finished everything…So I don’t think it is about how firm you are.
when did it get better? Right now there’s a Venn diagram of what my two kids eat and zero overlap. It’s a recipe for stressful dinners.
For God’s sake, put it in front of them and tell them to eat it or else. They are children and if you treat them like snowflakes then that’s what you’ll get.
My parents did not let me get away with that crap sixty years ago. I ate whatever was put in front of me, or I suffered worse. Today I’ll eat anything (except boiled okra).
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I mean…we do that sometimes and then they projectile vomit, like I said.