We're done with beating on the meal plan monster!

[Grainlady]

Something to consider with switching from "kid" meals to "adult" fare. If you have small (pre-school) children, they don't have the ability to chew some foods dearly loved by adults. That's why young children go for the easy-to-chew hot dog, NOT the steak - they'll pick out all the potatoes and carrots in the stew and leave the meat, they like chicken nuggets because they don't have bones like fried chicken does. Small children don't have a full set of teeth to chew large chunks of meat, so keep that in mind.

I'm also a firm believer that the sooner you get children involved in foods and food preparation, the more foods you'll see them try. Check out - Kids a Cookin - http://www.kidsacookin.ksu.edu/

My kids wouldn't eat peas until they grew them....

Our 2 children were responsible for one meal each week (consisting of a meat/meat alternative, vegetable, fruit, dairy), which helped prepare them for the task of meal planning and food preparation when they left home.

I still try to fix one new recipe each week to keep from making the same things over and over. So try putting "NEW RECIPE" night on your schedule, and make it something fun to look forward to. Get out some cookbooks with lots of pictures in them and let the kids get involved. Visit the library for some cookbooks. I just purchased one that is GREAT! "Family Fun Cooking with Kids" - a Disney book with recipes from the experts at FamilyFun magazine. Another fun book for kids, but with foods adults would like - "Just For Kids". This book uses foods from Birds Eye, Hershey's, Frenches, Oreo, Lawry's, published by Favorite Brand Name recipes at www.fbnr.com.

Follow "NEW RECIPE" night with "KIDS CHOICE" night.

I must admit, there are a lot of foods we never have now that there aren't any kids at home. I still need to remind myself it's okay to add walnuts to brownies (LOL), and my "kids" are 32 and 37.

[ShellyB]

What does a "texture" eater mean?

[MomToTwoBoys]

It means that certain foods and their textures don't settle really well with their sense of touch. Like when we started Risperidol medication with DS10, just getting him to put the pills on his tongue came with fits because the texture of the pill felt really weird to him. Some textures are calming while others can make him feel anxious.

[Radish4ever]

Sounds like a good plan!

With my kids, we rarely make meals JUST to please them (we have to love it too!) but we usually put one side item on their plates that I know they will eat (so they don't get hungry later).

Before they leave the table, I usually come up with a number of bites of each thing they have to eat before they can get up... that usually makes me feel better when their plate still looks pretty full when they get up. LOL

My son will eat ANY and EVERY thing (but has a hard time sitting still to do it), but my DD claims to hate meat (at FOUR mind you) unless it is breaded and served with ketchup She'll eat "meat bites" though if I say that she has to eat at least x bites (like 2 or 3 and I let her pick the bites)

[Mummy2]

My former nephew-in-law was a picky eater and his sister was/ is a texture kid.

I swore when I was pregnant with my first I was never going to let her become an eater like the two, this was after they both melted down at a restaruant and the parents catered to their needs so to speak.

Right from the start I made the baby food and it was pretty much what we were eating. Then when they were getting older and into finger food I would put peas on the highchair tray for them to pick up and cubed tofu. Success came when I turned my back at the sushi restaruant and DD was feeding DS a sushi roll they were 2 and 3.5yrs.!! Now dinner questions go like this, "Peas with dinner?" "Mom can we have spinach and broccoli?"

I am so thankful for this small blessing. I wouldnt know how to deal with it the other way.

I did get jinxed with a DH who refuses to eat tofu because of the "Texture"!!

[missyali]

Do you have a "sensory diet" in place for your child with asd? Maybe getting some sensory input before meal time would help resolve some of the texture issues. Otherwise, I'd say make sure you have a good mulit-vitamin and let him eat mac 'n cheese (or whatever it is he wants) and make a rule that he try each food. It's not as if he is being stubborn or non-compliant. Sensory is his disorder, mainly, and I can't imagine forcing this issue for anyone's sanity. Best of luck!

[MomToTwoBoys]

Yeah, we've been working with him on at least trying the meal before dismissing it. It's getting way better!

Over the last two weeks, we tried a brand new menu setup. The kids found that they absolutely loved some of the stuff I made (oven bbq chicken, etc.) and they didn't care for the others, but I did offer them things to put on the stuff they didn't like to see if that helped them. It did, sorta.

This new meal plan setup is pretty pricy, though. I'm hoping that I can work on reducing the budget while keeping them in the mode of trying the new things.

[jlaporte]

i agree. i have one severely picky eater but we know with him it is a control issue. so basically he can control himself to his room hungry. lately i have got my oldest to used to helpin with the cooking so lunch is basic they all pitch in and eat its supper thats harder but we r working threw it. it is hard but hey those expensive things all kids seem to want to eat all the time..well majically dont make it in my grocery cart...so the otions have become limited. but i do believe u eat what is offered or shut up and watch every one else eat a nice meal with good family convo

[Nana2two]

My son is also autistic, he also was had a textured food issue.It does get better . My son is 19 and he started getting better around the age of 10 . I started him out on a teaspoon of a certain food till he was able to handle the texture, he had a awfull gag reflux, it was nothing for everthing to come back up.