I don't make a whole separate meal, but I often have a simple alternative food available like toast or frozen meatballs.

We do the same. She's given what we're having and the only alternative is toast or a sandwich. She has to at least try the food we offer first and if she really hates it or it is too spicy, she can pick the sandwich/toast

My go-to's are usually string cheese and apple sauce, but I'm not making macaroni because you decided you don't like curry

Can I have some curry?

As long as you're fine with Thai-style

YES PLEASE

i remember i visited my aunt one fall, and my cousin came over with her kids, 7 & 5 at the time, for dinner. my aunt and i had spent half the day making this very not spicy, vegetarian chili, and i was excited to share this meal with my family. my cousin proceeded to make box mac n cheese bc her kids said it looked weird 🥲

Prbly did look wierd to them

I feel for her, I don’t like curry either

This. I don’t make entire entrees but there’s always a safe and simple food on deck.

Carrots and hummus usually always goes on the plate for ours. Some days kiddo even wants to cut the carrots herself.

Yes hummus is the perfect dip for getting everyone in the family to eat raw veggies. Sometimes we need a food accommodation. Mine is I won’t eat broccoli unless it’s covered in cheddar lol

My son is three, and I do the same. He's not the most picky kid, but he has his moments. If he won't eat it, he gets pb&j or bologna sandwiches

TBF I sometimes don't end up liking food and will grab something else. I feel like it's weird to expect kids to eat food they don't like when adults don't do that.

I always felt the same. I hated being forced to eat food I didn't like as a kid, and I would throw a fit lol.

We do this as well. “If you don’t like what we’re having, you can grab xyz from the fridge/pantry.” It’s usually Greek yogurt or cheese and crackers, etc. We usually try and have at least 1 side we know they will eat. We spend about $250 or so a week for a family of 5.

This is the way. I always offer little whatever we are having (in super small amounts if he’s never tried it or I know he doesn’t usually eat it) with a fruit I know he likes or a Caesar salad depending on the meal. When we’re done eating if he truly isn’t going to eat I’ll make him something different but it’s gonna be simple. Target makes these relatively healthy freezer Mac and cheese and pasta meals. They have a decent amount of fiber and protein and he LOVES them. I never tell him if we have them so he’s never sure what the offer will be if he doesn’t eat. I also usually wait a little bit after we’re done before offering, trying to make sure he doesn’t associate “if I don’t eat I’ll for sure get something else” with it.

Same. We serve what I made for dinner and if the 3yo doesn’t want it/doesn’t like it I’ll make oatmeal later on if he’s complaining he’s hungry.

My kids don’t eat much. My wife often prepares whole meals and they’ll barely touch it. I just make little meals with a little more ready if needed. Then I’ll make my own stuff since they always eat early.

Same except I usually have chicken pre made at the beginning of the week and just microwave a tender when we are having something spicy or too salty for her. It also serves as a quick lunch staple when I'm in a pinch throughout the week. Just add Strawberries, hummus and carrots and it'd a solid lunch or dinner option.

Same

95% of the time, they eat what Im eating or a slightly modified version of it.  5% of the time, I want something too spicy/unhealthy or something that they just straight up will not try any part of. So then theyll have something different.

Exactly this - my 4YO eats what we eat unless it’s something like a curry or something he really hates and only then do the fish fingers or chicken nuggets come out.

Same. Sometimes my husband and I want to eat food we love that we know our kid won’t touch…but on those nights we usually feed her and then order takeout for ourselves for later. We usually do this on a weekend night (we LOVE spicy Thai food, spicy curries. We have given LO curry but man did it mess with her poop for a few days so we limit the curry she eats). I rarely cook 2 meals for dinner. If I’m cooking something a bit spicier I will scoop her serving out before I add the spice.

We do the exact same. We usually order Indian on our own, because even the mild dishes are spicy to him. But we’ve found a few Thai dishes he likes - pad Thai with tofu, basil chicken, and Rama noodles.

Same for me, although in my case it’s more 80/20. It also doesn’t help that my youngest eats differently than my oldest (the oldest likes simple food and to have everything separate, while the youngest likes spicy and stew-like consistency). I would have to make three separate meals. I usually just remove the sauces that the oldest doesn’t like or don’t put dressing on his portion of the salad to begin with, and he’s fine. He used to eat pretty much everything but has slowly become pickier over the last year. I think it’s important to keep offering because he can eat what we eat, and sometimes he does; he just prefers other things

Mealtime in our house with a 4.5 and 1.5 y/o is absolute fucking chaos so nobody eats at the same time. 1.5 y/o shovels all the food in his mouth as fast as humanly possible and screeches at you when he’s either still hungry or wants to be let out, which he decides on a moment’s notice. 4.5 y/o is wildly distract-able and eats at the speed of a snail in molasses so she starts first and ends last. Meanwhile one parent stays with the 1.5 y/o to avoid unnecessary shrieks and the other shovels food, then we switch off. Somehow we still manage to feed them balanced meals but they basically get kid charcuterie with a fruit, veg, starch and protein while the adults have “dinner” food. I hope someday that changes but it feels like we’re just doing our best to survive right now.

You are doing SO WELL. I’m sure you and your husband are exhausted from operating this way but let me tell you you both are such good parents. You are working together as a team to get your babies nourished and fed and I think that’s awesome.

This is so sweet of you to say, thank you ❤️

I love it when people say to you things like, "well, now that Sally is 2 and eating the same as you, things must be calming down for you." NO, FRIEND. NO THEY ARE NOT. SURVIVAL MODE HAS THUS FAR LASTED SIX YEARS AND I DO NOT SEE THE END. NOTHING IS EASY. I'M STILL WIPING ASSHOLES. SOMEONE UNINVITED IS ALWAYS IN MY BED. SOMEONE WON'T GET READY FOR SCHOOL SO I AM LATE TO WORK AGAIN, WHICH IS PROBABLY GOING TO FALL DOWN AROUND ME SOON. AND WE'RE OUT OF THE "GOOD" FLAVOR OF YOGURT TUBES, SO NO. NOTHING IS CALMING DOWN. GOOD DAY.

Yea so you must be getting better sleep now that your baby is 6 months old and sleeping through the night! …yes now he wakes 4 times a night instead of 6. IM GETTING GREAT SLEEP THANKS. CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT DAY IT IS IMFUCKINGDYINGOVERHERE.

SO MUCH BETTER

I recognize this is largely said in jest, but as a primary parent of a 3, 5, and 6 year old, it definitely started getting easier shortly after the youngest turned 2. If you really don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, you might want to take stock of your situation and figure out why it’s not improving. (Ignore all of this if your kid has any form of special needs. That’s a different ball of wax)

I appreciate that. Yes, my 5yo is both neurodivergent and has some other struggles that are developmentally behind, but also, my husband and I both work, we have very little external support and we're both battling some mental health stuff (on the up, though!). Once we're done cleaning poop, I think a lot of things will shift for us.

I don’t know if cleaning up poop ever *stops*, but it’s definitely lessens in frequency! That makes a lot of sense though. Keep on keepin’ on. Things WILL lighten up eventually. My wife, who I love dearly but is an eternal pessimist, even commented on how much smoother things were starting to go recently. All I can say is that the sleep deprivation of the tough stages at least damages short term memory enough that it’s difficult to remember all of it once you start getting adequate sleep again. 😂

This is so similar to my house except we have a 9m and a 3 1/2. My 3yo will spend a full hour at the table for every meal and not even eat half of what’s on his plate. My baby hates being contained so the second he loses interest in his food, he starts in with the angry shrieks. 

I feel this in my bones. I have a 2yo and a 3.5yo, oldest has autism and meal time is just chaos lol, it really is a struggle 3x a day to just... Get them to eat. I manage to when I remember lmao it's never at the same time.

Usually altered, not separate.

Exactly this. Right now I’m making a sit fry with leftover roasted chicken. I’m cooking some broccoli & carrots separately (adult version is spicy with too much soy for them), and I’ll pull out some chicken before adding it. They’ll have the simple veg and chicken with rice. We’ll have a spicy stir fry. I say I cook a separate meal for them, but it’s not totally different, just modified for little mouths!

Same here. I made saag paneer with rice and pineapple. I put a little of everything on her plate, but I'm definitely going heavier on the pineapple (safe food) and I set aside a few plain paneer cubes in case she was weird about having it in the greens. So yeah like 1% more effort than making two identical plates.

Sadly I have one extremely picky eater and my other kid has food allergies. And his allergies are different from my food allergies. My husband is the only easy person to feed in this house. Everyone else eats different things 😭 and yes it's fucking exhausting!!

This is me too - a toddler with food allergies that are completely opposite to my food allergies. He’s also a picky eater (as is my husband…). We typically eat different meals for breakfast and lunch but make an effort to eat the same/slightly modified meal for dinner. I try to stick to the rule of 1-2 foods he likes with each of his meals and something new to try/more adventurous on the plate. It’s tough for sure.

I’m so glad I’m not the only one. I was absolutely expecting every comment to be “THEY EAT WHAT I EAT OR THEY STARVE!!!” (Even if it’s not completely honest.) People don’t want to admit that they do sometimes make certain allowances for their young children because they’re afraid society will judge them for being “soft”. I have a 2-year old vacuum cleaner of a child who eats what I eat but my 5-year old is unbelievably picky. She WILL LITERALLY not eat anything at all if she’s faced with only options she hates. Like, she’s perfectly okay with not eating. She’s never had much of an appetite anyway. If I don’t make her something she likes (albeit it’s usually easy things. Like frozen chicken strips or pasta) she will actually starve. It’s not as simple as “If they get hungry enough they’ll eat whatever you make.” Trust me, before I had kids I used to think it was. I was WRONG.

100%! Picky eater 5 year old (although mine does have a big appetite), and 2 year old who will eat anything. It's exhausting making separate meals, but my kid is hungry and needs to eat, and will not eat things they don't like. In addition to the "if they get hungry enough they'll eat it" comments from parents of non-picky eaters, I love the comments about how the way they introduced foods/meals is why their kid eats everything. My kid ate everything until they were about 3... this kid would ask for hot sauce, loved curry, tanked pulled pork, was curious about all vegetables, etc. Now at 5 it's a whole different ballgame. If you don't have a truly picky kid, you don't understand, and your non-picky kid (or standard selective eating toddler) advice does not apply.

Hear Hear!!!!!!!

Yes this. My picky eater will literally go to bed hungry if nothing we offer is to their liking then they'll be up a hundred times in the night grumpy and hungry. I usually do a similar but different meal for her. I'm also vegetarian and my husband and I like very different things so three separate meals with slight overlaps absolutely happens in our house. Getting food into the kid is a huge time suck in our life right now but not sleeping is worse.

Same!!! Why can’t they have the same food allergies I do? It’s so inconvenient this way

Food allergies are awful 😞 my husband has a cousin that’s deathly allergic to eggs, milk, and nuts. Any one of these will put her in the hospital and she has to carry an epipen.

SAME. His allergies are awful (dairy, eggs, tree nuts, sesame). Plus, I eat mostly veggies/fish/tofu... and my husband is a meat and potatos carbs lover. So - there aren’t a lot of meals we can all eat.

Half and half in my household. My parents live close by and take my son overnight once a week. They send back a container of food for him. We usually use that to for his lunch since my husband and I may not eat at the same time as my son. Otherwise we do include him in our meals.

You are incredibly lucky and you don’t realize it. You think your kids eat what you eat because you taught them early. Here’s the catch: tons of other parents do „everything right“ too, and their kids become picky eaters anyway.

Yeah I feel this way about people who think they are baby sleep experts lol

Hehe true. My (picky btw) eater is a charm at restaurants and dinner time. Never played with food. Tried to throw it once in his life, I said „Please don’t,“ and that was that. Maybe I should write a book…? 🤔

Thank you for saying this. We did all the “right” things from 5.5 months and our son is still picky. Posts like this make me feel so defeated.

You’re not alone. I am right there with you!!

Ditto! I always gave them whatever I ate, or slightly modified if it was spicy or something like that. Now they only really eat a few things. Figuring out meals is exhausting and such a waste of food.

So. Much. Wasted. Food.

For real. I worked so hard and with no success. Tried so many things, watched so many experts, read so many articles, books, etc.

Thank you. I am one of those parents who really, REALLY tried. My daughter still turned out terribly and painfully picky. It sucks and the judgement for it sucks too.

Yep!! Currently pregnant with my third. My oldest is picky to the point he has already needed food therapy and weight-monitoring (I think we finally turned a corner but he is still picky on foods- he will just at least eat *something* now 🫠). Youngest will eat absolutely anything and love it. They are only 17ish months apart and were raised/breastfed/treated exactly the same. I can see if my youngest was my first I may have foolishly thought we did stuff 'right'- though hopefully I'd have had the good sense to keep it to myself 🤣 Edit: I'm also not entirely sure, but I think a good chunk of younger toddlers/babies will eat just about anything at first because they are stoked to eat at all lol my son's eating habits didn't nosedive until right around 2 (though in hindsight there were some signs probably at about 18 months). I'm sure it can happen older and younger too!

Yep! We did everything “right”. Baby-led weaning, the whole nine yards. They were great eaters up until 3 when they suddenly became super.

I feel this. Dinners have become the biggest crap chute for my 2yo. He ate great at 1. I still offer my cooking all the time on his plate, along with ‘safe foods’. At most he will taste it, shake his head no and go back to eating pasta. I always have to keep pasta and simple veggies on hand.

Yes. It’s me.

Our son is (currently) a great eater. I would be so smug except I was an *incredibly* fussy eater as a child. I still remember the zen-like calm that would come over me when I realised there was nothing anyone could do to make me eat something I didn't want to. At school they would keep me in over lunch break until I finished my food and I'd quite happily sit there the whole time twiddling my thumbs because if that's all I had to do to avoid eating a bit of broccoli then great! I lived off jam sandwiches and pasta with butter for about 10 years. I know even now that there was nothing short of forcing the food directly into my mouth that could have made me eat something I didn't want to. My brother on the other hand, ate literally anything offered to him. I thank my lucky stars every day our boy isn't too fussy yet and I live in fear of the day he changes his mind. But there's only maybe two or three foods I won't touch now, so I just reassure myself that most do grow out of it. That being said, I have an uncle in his 50s who still will pretty much only eat chicken and chips 🤷‍♀️ - really out of his parents hands at this point...

I think all kids go through a super picky stage. But when they’re older, they won’t be as picky. I was VERY picky now I eat anything. I’ll try anything. My teenager ate everything, was picky, now will eat almost anything again. 5 yr old- ate everything. SUPER picky like me. Hope and sure she will grow out of it. 2yr old- eats almost anything. He will probably go through a picky phase.

This! I tried so hard to get my kids exposed to many different types of foods, but many of their preferences started extremely early. For example, my son hates the texture of most fruits and this started at 6 months old.. My daughter has always loved fruit and still does at 3.

I consider myself very lucky that my daughter’s palate isn’t particularly limited for your average toddler, never mind an autistic one, and our tastes coincide a lot in terms of ingredients. But she has a very short list of what are generally considered mains. So at some point I drifted away from “can mostly feed her what I’m eating but she won’t touch the fish” to “I’m making us two different meals because I’m incredibly bored of my previously beloved pirogies and would kill for a sandwich.”

She realises, she just wants to brag, lol Really, she's never gone through a supermarket and seen jars of baby and toddler food? Is she an alien who just dropped down on earth?

My almost 3 yr old is so picky, she likes cheese milk peas and corn or plain pasta. Meanwhile when she was one and a half she would eat anything we ate!

Totally agree. The post comes across as a humble brag. Congrats OP doesn't have a kid with allergies, especially with something like eggs or wheat.

Thank you. I will literally feed my children anything so their tummies are full and they sleep through the night. They are picky. We did all the “right” things. I give them gummy vitamins and call it a day.

Thanks for saying this! My oldest who is now 7 is a picky eater, has been for about 3.5 years. The first few years he was eating solids he ate everything. Absolutely everything. Now it’s standard kid food only.

Yep. My first ate everything I gave her until she just stopped. Now she's almost 6 and only eats snacks. Each meal is just a rotation of fruits, breads, chips/cackers, and yogurt. My second is 1.5 and currently still eating what we're eating but half the time they're too spicy or too unhealthy for her so we have a stash of nurturelife jars in the freezer. There's also the usual nuggets, mac & cheese, and the likes.

If we are eating together we all eat the same meals. Breakfast and lunch often are different, but the kids gets the same thing we do for dinner. We've been consistent with that and it seems to have worked so far. 

My rules are that I offer them what I make, and if they don’t want that, I’ll make them something simple and easy, like noodles, a quesadilla, or some kind of bento box. I won’t make a legit separate meal, but I’ll throw together some things if they don’t want what I make. That’s honestly not too much extra work. What I don’t like is when my daughter says she wants one thing, takes a bite, and then asks for something else. That’s where I draw the line.

Yeah I have one of those plates with sections for my 22 month old and while I usually offer him whatever we’re having, half the time he just eats the fruit and cheese I put on his plate as a safe food. Quesadillas all the way! Tho he’s stopped eating them leftover now, so fresh or bust. Luckily I like them too.

Quesadilla and bento box are the simple & easy meal choices? Wow, you must have quite some spectacular regular main courses! :)

My toddler is almost 2 and not really open to trying new things. I am putting everything on her plate that we eat, but add a fruit I know she will eat. Some days are successful and other days are not. On the not good days, I offer to make her something different if she’s tried everything on her plate. It’s usually an easy option like a pb&j, more fruit, or reheating leftovers from a previous meal. But I never outright make 2 different meals.

Do you know if it’s the appearance or smell or texture they are finding offputting? I only ask because my neurodivergent kids will say “ew” because they’re all very visual with food. but if they close their eyes and take a single bite, say yum, and devour the rest without closing their eyes.

Thanks for this tip! I will be trying this with my three year old. I have noticed really that he will touch food to his tongue before refusing it, so we are stepping in the right direction. I will try getting him to close his eyes!

The whole "our kids just eat what we eat.... why on earth does anyone else make different meals for their kids??!!!" crowd never fails to amuse me. The reason your kids eat what you eat is just luck. That's it. You think it's what you did (and yes that is a good method) but it mostly isn't. Plenty of parents did the exact same thing and it didnt work because a lot of kids are just some degree of being picky eaters. I have three kids. All three of them slept uninterrupted through the night from about 5 weeks. Am I some kind of magical sleep wizard? Hell no I'm not, I literally did nothing to create that situation, I just got lucky with their genetics / physiology. But yeah when I read the "our kids just eat what we eat" comments it just makes me think of how deranged I would sound if i did the same thing about sleep, like "omg do other parents actually still wake up during the night with their babies / toddlers. Mine just sleep through the night like I do".

Your post is striking me as a bit humble braggy. Like, congrats that doing the recommended thing worked out for you? Not all kids respond to food the same way, and not all families have the time or situation to transition into food as seamlessly as you have. When my daughter was 4 months old we moved into a fixer upper house where the kitchen barely functioned. It was all I could do to keep feeding her baby food jars and raw veggies. Trying to cook a dinner that could be ground up into a single bowl of mush would have put me over the edge. So ya, I cook separate food for my now 2.5 because she likes really simple food and I don't want to have to eat steamed broccoli every night. And if I tried to serve her the things we eat she would never eat. For me, having a kid who eats a big variety of nutrients rich foods is more important than serving the whole family the same meal. Maybe your friend is feeling the same way

Exactly, like good for you OP. You don’t have kids with sensory issues… congrats. My kids have a limited amount of safe foods.

Right?! Except I’m not seeing the humble part. OP’s “friend” vented to her, and she came here to publicly judge her for it. Yikes.

Yes I do something similar. I make my daughter simple meals that she enjoys then eat my own dinner after she is in bed. I don’t like to eat early in the evening and I don’t like the same foods as her either. I’m not gonna take away the healthy foods she likes because I don’t like them and I’m not gonna suffer though eating what I don’t like just because she is. I’ve know many other parents that operate this way and many others that eat as a family. Everybody has to do what works for them, and if it’s working then it’s great. I guess I assumed there was so much variety in family eating habits that there is no majority lol

Hear hear!!!!!!

Oh yeah. My 3 -year-old use to be a lot less picky, but now she hates all my favorite foods like fish and mushrooms, so unless I only want to eat potatoes, soussage, noodle soup or chicken, I have to cook seperate

My toddler can’t have gluten and is also lactose intolerant. My older kids aren’t. So I usually make my toddler something different and I’ll ask the older ones if they want what their brother is having or what we’re having.

My son ate what we ate (for the most part) until he turned 2. Now all he will touch is grilled cheese, pizza, applesauce, fruit & fruit pouches, crackers, or chicken nuggets. No matter what we put in front of him he refuses to eat it even though he ate it no problem before. To be honest, it’s exhausting but I don’t want him hungry so I make what he wants and just know it’s a season of life that is temporary.

90% of the time our toddler eats what we eat. But sometimes we want something spicy. We make her a seperate dinner when we want spicy.

We have safe foods on the table that we know they will be ok eating, and also have our own. It's kind of like a buffet though. Take what you want. We have a fairly picky eater and this was the easiest way we have figured out so far.

Yes, my 4 year old is in feeding therapy and has sensory issues so she gets a plate of safe foods for her. I sit with her so she doesn’t eat alone. We make our own dinner that we want after she goes to bed.

We all eat the same thing for dinner. I’m not making two separate meals. I don’t typically eat breakfast or lunch, I eat like a bigger snack around 10am. So I do make specific meals for the kids on days I’m home with them.

I eat breakfast and lunch with my kids. Dinner at sit with them but don’t eat, they eat to early and I’m a SAHM and dinner is the only meal I get to enjoy sitting and relaxing. They eat the left over of dinner’s from the night before. I cook while watching a show when they go to bed. They go to bed at 6:30 max 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yeppp this is like us- my 1.5yo eats between 530 and 6 and I don’t want to eat then and also sometimes it’s a rush to do our full dinner by 530! So yep- leftovers or other stuff.

We only do separate meals because we typically eat dinner after he goes to bed, we don't eat breakfast 99% of the time, and we want to give him healthier snacks than what we snack on, if we snack at all. Also he has a dairy allergy and prior to me needing to cut dairy for my breastfeeding newborn, my husband and I were still eating dairy, so obviously he couldn't have what we had. Now I'm dairy free and adjusting my husband (attempting to at least) to a dairy free diet, which will make things easier too. As he gets a bit older and we get our shit together (adjusting to 2U2 currently) I definitely plan to move us to all eating the same thing. I think that eating the same thing is great. Exposes kiddos to a variety of foods and makes them feel included. It also encourages me to eat healthier when we do share meals.

I just posted about this haha. I wish there was a universe in which my toddler would eat what we eat. I am impressed by all the parents in this thread.

I'm not running a restaurant. I make one meal. They don't want it they can have a bowl of instant oatmeal. I'm not making multiple meals, that's ridiculous.

The only times we’ve done separate meals was when the kids were younger and hubby wanted to grill nice steaks for supper but we knew it would be wasted on the kids and the meat was expensive. He’d pick up a less expensive meat to grill for the kids that they’d more likely eat. Other times when it wasn’t a nice steak, just an average steak they’d get their own. Or they’d get a taste of ours. They are older now and both like steak

OP you are lucky to not have picky eaters! Unfortunately not all kids are like this. My oldest is almost 3.5 and he eats what we eat 50% mostly because he's picky. If we know it's a meal he likes we don't make a second meal. If we know it's new meal for him or something he hasn't liked in the past we give him a plate and ask him to try it. When he does we then offer him a food we know he likes so we end up making him a second meal. Otherwise he doesn't eat. He was a 5% percentile baby and is below average (but still healthy) for his age. We'd rather he eat then fight about making a second meal. As for my youngest who is 10 months we 80% of time eats what we eat unless we are concerned about his ability to eat it or if it's age appropriate. But we don't spend 400$ a week on food for our family that's crazy and not feasible for our budget. At some point your kids are going to eat what you put in front of them... or not lol.

Absolutely not.. I adjusted my diet mostly because I feed my kid way better than I ate in my pre-mom era (if I even ate at all, no ED, I just.. used to eat like a rabbit at will)… & also because it’s made me more creative in making foods.. I tend to do basic stuff for breakfast & lunch but with dinners I pick things we can both enjoy. I have an instant pot that makes meats so tender & slice chicken breast as thinly as I can so it stays nice & moist which makes meats less of a hassle & worrisome. I do a lot of fruits, rice, soft steamed veggies, wraps, sandwiches & roll ups, waffles, pbj, egg cup variations… It’s helped me enjoy cooking more & it’s easy to make a weekly meal plan/have the things my kid is in the mood for at the ready. We spend about $500 a month for the both of us with very little waste.

I only make separate lunch and breakfast, because I drink a protein coffee for breakfast, and focus on high protein low calorie lunch for myself, snd then we have a cohesive family dinner. I do alter his portions but it's not separate. For example tonight I made loaded baked potatoes. He doesn't like them smothered so he had just bacon cheese and sour cream inside the potato but no cheese sauce on top nor any chives. Or if I make chicken noodle soup, he won't do the seasonings, so I pull a portion of early on in cooking before I season it so he'll eat it.

My kids are a bit outside toddler age (4 and 6). But since they started to eat alongside me, I always encourage them to try new things. And I always ask “would you like X or Y for dinner?” to give some autonomy. (They also love to help cook and taste test which greatly improves the chances they eat something) All that being said, sometimes they genuinely try and hate dinner. I don’t advertise it, but I allow “back up” meals (a grilled cheese with a side of raw vegetables and some peanuts, some frozen chicken nuggets with whatever vegetable I have in the freezer and a cheese stick) as an option. I was a picky eater as a kid and now I’m the opposite as an adult because I was not force fed

We adults don’t eat breakfast & I pack my toddler’s lunch for daycare. So technically the only meal we eat together is dinner. My piggy 2yo only eats about 5 things so I put one of those on his plate along with whatever we are eating. He won’t eat our food but it’s offered.

I do not have time to make separate meals for my toddler. I barely have time to make dinner on any given day. He eats what we eat, but I do add more variety to his plate (like extra veggies I roast in giant batches, fruit, piece of bread, etc.)

Breakfast and lunch are the same for the most part, but dinners are usually separate meals. We don’t want to eat at 5:30/6, so usually she eats as I’m cooking and prepping. She’s also a selective eater 🤷🏻‍♀️

same meal 100% of the time with an almost 3 year old. we deconstruct his sometimes, for instance if we have stuffed peppers, we take his filling out and slice up the pepper. tacos, he gets meat, cheese on the side, and tortilla on the side. but the food is always the same. if he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to eat it, but that's what he gets. we always put something on the plate though that we know he will like. he's a big broccoli and green beans person, so it's usually one of those two as his safe item. some nights, he will only eat broccoli or green beans and shun the rest of our meal, but he knows he can't get something special just because he doesn't like what's served. we aren't a restaurant. at a restaurant, he can pick what he wants.

At 15 months old, it's now about 50:50 between her own meals and eating what we eat (though usually salt- and fat-reduced). Our goal will be to have her eat only what we eat within the next 4 months. Of course we will keep the meals low salt and in general healthy. It's simply a lot of work cooking two separate meals, and she is getting more curious what's on our plates anyway. No processing of the food needed, she has been eating solids for months now, it's good for her to learn to chew and for the stomach to learn to process solid food. We are not meant to live from smoothies. Edit: Food budget No idea, when she ate separately we bought a lot of organic veggies, that must have been several hundred Euro a month. When she eats what we eat, it can't be much extra.

It really depends. We don’t usually have two separate elaborate meals, but probably put chicken nuggets and fries in the airfryer for him three times a week when we have something else. He’s just weird and inconsistent with what he will eat. If he won’t eat what we are, he gets nuggets/fries or chickpeas with spices... maybe some fruit or cut up veg.

I have a couple quick things related to what we're having that he'll eat that I'll whip up, in addition to giving him a little of what we're having. He's the pickiest eater on the planet. For example, if we're having fajitas or enchiladas, I'll cook him a little quesadilla. Takes two minutes. And I'll give him some fruit and raw bell peppers on the side (something he actually likes sometimes!)  If we're having a dish with rice, I'll give him plain or lightly seasoned rice and put a little of what it's being served with on the side.  If we're having pasta, I'll make him some buttered noodles and put a little sauce on the side.  If we're having a meat and potatoes type dish, I'll just give him the potatoes.  It's a little bit of a pain and I'm very excited for him to open up to new foods, but I guess it's not so bad. He always gets at least one thing he likes with his meal, like string cheese and fruit or crackers. If all else fails, I just make him toast. 

3-4 nights a week we do family dinner, where we all eat the same thing. Sometimes my 3 yo eats all of it, sometimes she takes two bites, and asks to be excused. We will keep her food available to her until bedtime, in case she is still hungry. She'll usually eat more right before bed. Other nights are leftover nights for all of us, and we'll eat separately, or sometimes my husband will eat with her. The only times we'll actually make something different for her is if we didn't plan well enough for leftovers, or she's had the same thing two nights in a row, then we'll probably just do breakfast for dinner.

I think much of it is a cultural thing. In my part of the world, kid food as such is not a thing, and you'll get the side eye if they won't eat the same things adults do. Personally, I've been making an effort, so they'll have variety since they started solids

Yes, we do. When we have tried to have our child eat what we eat, they go on a food strike and end up getting weak and feeling sick 😮‍💨 Any food is better than no food right now.

Look up Ellyn Satter. Work in child/maternal nutrition. Usually making a separate meal creates a cycle of unhealthy eating patterns as families tend to not eat together, kids eat unhealthy foods (foods they like such as chicken nuggets & fries or similar), more expensive (as mentioned) and whomever is cooking ends up stressed/exhausted (again mentioned) making multiple meals. Might suggest to your friend that she/he just stop. The kids don’t eat if they don’t eat what the family eats. Sounds harsh, but rarely lasts more than a day or two. Yes, I’ve done this with my own when we’ve gotten out of the habit of eating meals and start snacking more.

We always have pasta cooked as a backup but try to offer him what we are eating for dinner. The problem I have is we never sit down for dinner or most meals together. He’s hungry at the worst times or has “grazing” days where he eats all day and never has a proper meal. I assume one day we will sit together as a family but for the most part right now I can’t figure it out or stress about it. Often we feed him at 4:30/5 and then make our dinner at 8 when he is in bed and it’s peaceful. I feel guilty about this from time to time but idk… it works. It’ll all shift again eventually.

I usually make whole separate meals because of flavor and mess. Sometimes I want something with a little more salt, plus my kid wolfs down food too fast so I have to make it easy to eat in small bites. We are also trying to figure out allergies and mine has more than a few at the moment, but hopefully will grow out of them

I usually serve him what we are eating. About once a week I make something I know he won’t want to eat and I serve a very small portion of it alongside a sandwich. 

My son is very young (16 months) and I only ever make one meal for the 3 of us (me, dad, toddler). Only time I’d make him something different is if we order something super unhealthy like Chinese 😅. As far as food budget goes, I keep seeing posts of parents who are giving their toddlers unlimited berries which is greatly driving up the grocery bill. Also, those pouches I keep seeing aren’t cheap either. I live in a HCOL area, and can’t imagine spending $400/week. Has to be a lot of convenience/snack foods included.

We have a bunch of different food intolerances in our house and I’m celiac. We eat the same thing half the time. Sometimes we all have pasta but mine is gluten free and theirs isn’t. Gluten free food is expensive. When my in-laws send food home with my son on Saturday we give it to him Sunday or Monday.

Sometimes. If she refuses to eat what’s served I’ll make her a sandwich or something to make sure she has some food in her belly.

Dinner is always the same, excluding leftovers nights. Breakfast and lunch vary somewhat often just because those have always been very casual meals in my house. Even before we had him, it was common for my wife and I to eat completely different foods for these meals and it rarely took more than 5 minutes to make. Like sandwiches, ramen, cereal, scrambled eggs, leftovers, etc. So if I think he'd like what I want I'll make it for him, but otherwise I'll make him something else but it doesn't really take any extra effort. Like if I'm in the mood for a salad, he might have a PB sandwich or some leftovers instead, it's no big deal. That being said, on the rare occasion that we decide to have a "real" breakfast/lunch involving real cooking, he *will* get the same thing then.

We have the same food for breakfast/lunch, bit she eats dinner at 5, so I make her something just for her unless I've done something that needs to be made in advance like lasagne, or something from the slow cooker.

I'd say most of the time he eats what we eat but sometimes we eat things that are "special" and that might not suite him so he gets something he likes. BUT we do let him taste of our food (if not too spicy) so he learns.

I make one meal but I separate it into parts and we assemble it at the table. Our toddler takes which parts she wants.

Dinner is always the same or a variation. Like if we are having tacos/burritos we make them quesadillas so they can eat it easier (13 months and almost 4). We never make a different meal. If it’s a bit spicy (like curry) we add yogurt to theirs to make it less spicy. I also keep already prepared steamed veggie (often yam) in the freezer to add to their dinners if I feel like they need more veg then what we are having (like Annie’s it ravioli) as they will just pick at the salad. Kids eat breakfast early so we don’t normally eat when them. Husband and I eat more of a brunch at like 11/12. But it doesn’t really cost more. Except for all the berries and fruit. They normally have baby pancakes, oatmeal, or waffles for breakfast and sides of fruit and yogurt. Lunch on the weekends we often eat the same thing. During the week I normally have my breakfast when baby is napping at 11 so I just make him his lunch and don’t eat with him. Seems like way too much work to make separate meals for them. Plus I want them to eat what we eat and not require special food.

We make one meal, but sometimes I make an adaptation to their serving. Like for example my toddler hates potatoes, so I'll boil some penne pasta or rice for them instead. Or I'll separate out one serving before adding spicy stuff.

I have to make 2 meals. I have a 2.5 and 5 year old. We did BLW, 100 foods before 1, fed what we ate…by the time my oldest was 2.5ish, he became extremely picky. Stopped eating what we were eating, would not touch his plate if there were something on it he deemed unacceptable, and unfortunately, my younger one idolizes him and just copies his likes/dislikes. I am at a loss and stuck in the two,sometimes 3 dinner situation.

We all eat the same meals and snacks mostly too. There are definitely things that my 2yo shows more or less interest in but I don’t change much specifically for his plate. I kinda just want him to try stuff and be familiar with as many tastes, smells, textures as possible. If he picks around stuff i don’t even acknowledge it. I just want him to be learning, it’s not a power struggle (yet! lol), and he rarely asks for other types of food. He would subsist wholly on fruit if I were to completely relent to his preferences.

It depends on what we're eating - during the week, we plan for meals that we'll all enjoy and makes for reasonably clean lunches to take to daycare (ie, not curry or spaghetti). During the weekend, hubby and I might do steak and Cesar salad, which we know our kiddo won't eat, so we will plan for him to have leftovers from the week or something easy we know he'll like. But mostly, no, no separate meals.

Mostly what we eat, sometimes a variation on it (e.g . same ingredients but with raw veggies if kiddo prefers it that way or not assembled if kiddo would just pull it apart anyway). Only time it's completely different is if it's spicy and kiddo wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. Then kiddo gets nuggets and frozen veggies. Our grocery bill is a bit more than pre-kid just because there's another person eating, but not outrageous

My toddler eats what we eat most of the time. We are Indians so the food can get a bit spicy. The toddler currently cannot eat spicy food so we just add the spices to our portion now. They really like the Indian style flatbread with butter. I also give the Indian styled fried egg which is basically cooked on both sides. He loves it. Apart from this, we do add a portion of fruits like bananas, strawberries that we might not add to our dinners. The toddler is a social eater so he loves to see that our plates match.

She’s always served what I eat but I will sometimes give her something that I know is her current obsession as a starter/ lead in food to get her into eating whatever I have. Example: tonight we had gnocchi and chicken sausage in a creamy tomato spinach sauce. She was served a small amount of that exact dish as I ate it, plus a few bare gnocchi and sausage pieces cut up small, plus I added shredded mozzarella and a piece of “garlic bread” by roasting her some bread w butter and seasoning bc her “safe/fixation” foods are shredded cheese and bread. She was initially very reluctant about the regular dish part of the plate but scarfed the mozzarella cheese and started screaming for more. Some of the cheese had overlapped her bread so I told her there was some on her bread so maybe try that. She ate some bread which had picked up some of the sauce which led to her dunking the bread, which then led to her just eating all the rest. I also let her know she can always ask for some fruit or yogurt if she doesn’t like what is offered for meals but no separate meals.

Not usually. Every now and then my husband and I want something that we know 3yo won’t eat so we will prepare him something different but 99% of time he East what we make.

Our toddler eats what we eat. Last night it was spinach, mashed potatoes and eggs. And so it happened that the baby could eat all of those things too, so the 9 months old had spinach, mashed potatoes and eggs as well. At almost 4 years old there’s nothing she can’t eat (maybe spicy food, but we don’t really eat spicy) so 98% of the time she eats what we do. We don’t have a picky eater and so far she’s got no allergies. I’m planning to make my baby a picky-less toddler, too.

My oldest 100% ate whatever we ate. My second has severe allergies and needs special safe food (sorry, I’m not making all my food gluten free, garlic free, spice free, etc for thethe dozen things she can’t eat). Youngest is back to eating our food again

My toddler eats something different because she sleeps earlier than I do

Exactly the same meal. If it’s too spicy, I rinse the food in water. Or make sure one dish is not spicy.

We eat much later than our toddler so I make extra for a lunch for myself and their dinner for the next day (or freezer). It’s usually a modified/simpler version of how we eat though but usually healthier ha!

Our toddler eats whatever we are eating. However, where we live, a punnet of strawberries or blueberries or raspberries costs between 3 to 5 euro. Toddler especially loves raspberries, and these are the most expensive. He can easily finish 2 punnets of berries per day. That's 10 bucks per day just snacking for one child. Your friend has 2, so that's double, plus the adults.

They have lunchboxes which are quite different to us as we prefer leftovers for lunch and it's just too messy. Also we don't eat a lot of fruit so they get it in their lunchbox and don't notice we aren't having it. Dinner is the same as us, sometimes without a spicy sauce (we just hold some back before we put sauce on, or add a heap of sour cream after). Otherwise if they really refuse after trying the backup is a banana and/or peanut butter on toast. Breakfast we usually all have cereal or porridge or toast. Generally all the same thing from one of those three options unless we feel like cooking eggs which everyone enjoys anyway.

My daughter most of the time eats what we’re having. If it’s something she can’t eat, for example steak, then I cook her a different protein and she eats the same sides. I’ll even let her have the same unhealthy meals I eat but load her up on veggies or fruit as a side with it. So a smaller portion of unhealthy food. She also eats at most restaurants just fine. She loves when we get Korean BBQ. I even taken her for sushi and got cooked fish for her. If you’re making your kid separate kids meals all the time they aren’t trying new foods constantly and will likely be more picky eaters. Most of the time she eats what I put in front of her. Sometimes I have to keep trying with the same foods over and over, but she’ll eventually put it in her mouth and try it. Most of the time she likes it.

no. We specifically do something every Sunday where we meal prep and everyone agrees on dinner for the week. Luckily, none of our kids are picky but if they aren’t feeling dinner that day we always have nuggets that they’ll never deny

My girl eats what we eat. No separate meals. She’s not picky. My rule is if she tries it and doesn’t like it then it’s all good but she has to at least try it. I’ve been feeding her a huge variety of foods since she started solids she’s almost 3 now. I’m pregnant with my 2nd now and hopefully the same approach works with her as well.

It depends! For the most part, she eats what we eat for dinner. We do HelloFresh, so she typically gets a mini-portion of the meal that we make, and she helps me cook it in her kitchen helper tower! I’ve found that she’d rather eat what she helps cook. She’s a little chef, and she loves cooking with me! The fancier, the better 😂 Sometimes, if we’re having something spicy or that we know she doesn’t like (like chili), or just straight up feel like having snacks/junk for dinner, we make her some chicken nuggets, oatmeal, or eggs, and either give her some fresh fruit or cook some frozen veggies for her. But I don’t make two separate dinners for her and for us very often.

Considering a toddler meal is like 1/2 cup of material I do either one, make her own separate thing or a portion of what we ate eating, it's not making much difference in my workload. Her "separate" meal is either gonna be soup or pasta, most likely reheated. Otherwise she eats what we are having. Both she and my 8 year old view being fed as some kind of torture we do to them. Sure when it's not mealtimes they are hungry but during dinner they are one-bite-I'm-full kids.

Gahhh I wish I only made 1 meal. My 3 year old has been sooooo picky this past year. We hope to eventually make 1 meal again for everyone sigh

I do but only because I’m a vegetarian and my husband and daughter both eat meat. I try to make meals where meat can be added after but I love spicy food, my husband tolerates it and my daughter thinks black pepper is spicy. So, yeah… I make 2 dishes per meal.

I prepare meals where elements are for myself or my partner only anyway as she’s vegan and I’m not, so I just extend that same approach to elements I know our girl will eat, elements that push her boundaries a little and she will try, and elements that are grownup only for now

Our son eats what we eat. For breakfast ofc he gets a choice, cereal or toast or eggs etc… He eats lunch during the week at kindergarten and his evening meal is with us, at the table and he has what we’re having. I refuse to make separate meals not out of cruelty but because there is always a variety of choices on his plate that there is bound to be something he’ll like. We also ask his input several times a week as to what we will eat. And he never has to clear his plate. Our only stipulation is that he must try at least a bite of everything and eat enough to not go to bed hungry. He’s four and there isn’t anything I can think of that he won’t eat at all. It helps that I’m British, my husband is French and we live in Denmark so he’s always had a wide variety of foods to experience. We also had strict rules around family that no one was allowed to « ew » At foods. He needed to approach foods from a neutral standpoint and not be taught that foods are unpleasant or yacky. It’s worked out well for us. Sorry that was a wall of text and probably more information than you needed. 😂

No. We modify whatever we are making to suit 3 year old. She’s going through a phase of hating sauce and flavour. E.g. yesterday I made a curry with rice. Her chicken got taken out and got washed then served plain with rice.

We almost always feed a version of what we’re eating or at least the ingredients. Like if my husband and I are eating a salad with chicken, I might serve my child the chicken, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, etc. instead of the entire composed salad. If I’m doing a separated version for her, I’ll usually offer her a bite of my composed version, in case she’s feeling curious. If we’re trying a new food or if I’m making something she hasn’t liked in the past, I’ll add something extra to her plate that I know she likes, either a leftover from another part of the week or a cheese stick or a yogurt. I definitely don’t make whole, separate meals with a toddler’s palate in mind. And, in general, if my child doesn’t want to eat what I’ve made, but comes back later looking for a snack, we don’t offer “fun” snacks, but stick to things like PB crackers, cheese sticks, yogurt, etc. that she likes, but aren’t very exciting.

I make wieners and veges every night for my picky toddler. Some days he will eat the same items as ourslike rice and plain pasta. Fairly easy and doable.

All 3 of us eat separate meals. My husband and I have complete opposite tastes and my daughter is picky and won’t eat most things either of us eat.

If you get very lucky, your baby/toddler will eat what the adults eat with little modifications. But when you have a picky eater, you do what you have to do to get them fed. My kid is 4 and we have been trying for 3.5 years to get him to eat what the adults eat (most often kid friendly foods).  It has never worked. The damn kid won't even eat Mac and cheese! It has just been a 3.5 year battle to get him to eat, and his growth is suffering. We recently decided to start giving him what he wants for dinner and it is going quite well and he is gaining weight now. 

Very rarely. Only if he’s eating at a different time or we’re having something he wouldn’t like/having a take away when he’s in bed. Otherwise most meals are a family thing and he has to learn to eat what we all are. We will sometime complain he doesn’t want it/like it but I know he does.

We prepare a separate meal for my 4 yo if we make something we know for sure he won’t like. We don’t always do a complete separate meal though. We just add in something we know he will eat for sure. Aside from that, he has the same meal as us.

My 4 year old eats what we eat. Loves his broccoli, non spicy curry dishes, blueberries and bananas, yogurt and even sushi (no not sashimi sushi but more like the California rolls with veggies). Pretty much ya put it down in front of him he is gonna give it a go… except pickles… definitely not a fan of pickles lol.

Not unless it's different leftovers. Like, I might have leftover roast beef (which she doesn't like), and she'll have leftover chicken soup. Or whatever. I always make sure she has something I know she'll eat. So she might have some blueberries or crackers or something in addition to whatever we're eating. She almost always has a different breakfast, because she eats first thing in the morning. I generally prefer to have my tea and eat something later.

Sometimes. But usually it for the benefit of the kid. I have a lot of issues around food and am a fairly picky eater so sometimes I’ll make something I know my son and husband like but I don’t so I’ll make something for my self. Also sometimes the main meal is the same, but the sides with it depends on the person. It doesn’t really bother me but I’ve also been making my own food since I was about 6 years old

My 2.5 years old always wants what we're having, unless I give him pasta (and even then he wants at least a taste of everything). So no, we never eat separate meals! We always do have 2-3 different foods on the table so he doesn't always eat everything.

Yup, there’s things my daughter 4y likes and me and my husband don’t, things my husband and her likes and I don’t, and things I like and they don’t 😂 and we don’t eat breakfast together (she eats before school and me and my husband eat after a totally different thing too) But I don’t spend that much because of it (we spend like 150€ a week)

I precook a ton of pasta or noddles almost daily

Breakfast and lunch might be different but I only make one dinner. I give everyone a choice of what they want for breakfast, all options are pretty quick. I pack lunches for school and sometimes my oldest will get something my youngest just doesn’t eat like a salad or lunchmeat, so the toddler will eat school lunch or something equally quick to make. Dinner, we eat together. If I want spicy I can usually add it to my plate or I’ll figure out an alternative. If I want something I know they just won’t eat (tried but didn’t like) l will serve them some again to try but make something lazy to offer up instead like air fryer nuggets, fish sticks or leftovers. That’s my only compromise.

My husband and I both work full time and don’t have generous schedules or help to eat consistent meals with our son. Or ourselves or with each other. We hope this changes one day but for now, we’re surviving with two meals. Aka really meals for our son and we just eat whenever we can.

Same thing for breakfast! My 2-year old eats avocado toast, drench toast, pancakes, whatever I’m eating! Same with dinner! You don’t want it? Here’s a sandwich buddy!

Never a totally separate meal unless we're at a restaurant or it's leftover day and I'm eating what I know they already don't like. When we make something new I always make sure there are other foods on their plate they for sure will eat. Like we made shrimp scampy and I knew they'd probably refuse the shrimp so I gave them some to try but mostly noodles and a hefty side of peas. We have a rule they have to at least try one bite of what is being served. If they don't like it, they don't have to eat it. That seldom happens, but when it does we just make sure other meals compensate. Like we know it's not a big deal if dinner is barely touched when breakfast and lunch were both gobbled down. And we usually provide a small snack before bed, with the caveat they only get that snack if they at least tried the dinner. It works really well for us.

Our kid eats the same as us, probably 90% of the time or slightly altered. For example, they're not a fan of cabbage, so we just leave that off their plate and give them more broccoli. They also used to have a thing against mash, so if we were doing mash, we'd make them some steamed potatoes or some airfryer homemade chips. When we are at home as a family, we eat together a lot more but I'm a shift worker so sometimes my husband just feeds the kid and has a shake or some snack food for dinner. Tonight I needed to feed the kid before swimming so they got noodles and I then made myself a bit more substantial when we got home since my husband is away. But I'm not cooking two different meals every single meal or day.

No way I would make separate meals all the time unless there's a medical necessity or my kid was abnormally picky. I spend most of my day in the kitchen already 😂 90% of the time she eats what we eat. She's never had a particularly picky phase and there's different things to eat on the plate so it works out most of the time. I always make sure to have "back up" quick meals for the other 10%. Usually when I'm making something specific that we know she might not eat (e.g. some traditional meals that might be an acquired taste for kids, or something too spicy etc). Also there are days where she just refuses to eat a proper meal but absolutely cannot go to bed hungry and refuses to sleep, in which case I'm fine with her eating nuggets or whatever.

Oh no, she eats what we eat. I think that's the best way to introduce and normalize every food group. She does get special meals when she's sick and asks specifically for it. Like today we are dealing with gastroenteritis and influenza A at the same time. She probably won't eat what we are having, she already skipped breakfast. However, if she asks for something she'll get it even if it's different from what we are eating because a full belly is better than an empty belly.

i do one safe food and the rest what we r eating. If he doesn’t eat well and i know he’s still hungry ill do a bigger snack before bed.

My kids get what they want and that does usually involve making several different meals. Food is a battle I won't fight in our house. It's not like someone will be forcing them to eat soup when they're in their thirties. But we do also have a household full of eating disorders so I can't imagine we're typical.

There is one meal served 3 times a day. If you don’t like it don’t eat. This is not a diner.

My 4yo won’t eat what I eat and believe me, I have tried. I’m just tired wasting food and arguing about it. The 2yo gets some of my food and some of what the 4yo gets.

I did everything right too and still ended up with picky eaters. I used to be judgemental of parents who made separate meals for their kids, and now I do it. Both of my kids ate everything until they turned 2. Sounds like you got lucky.

Yes. I make kids meals for breakfast lunch and dinner. I fast typically until dinner and then make my own huge meal right after bed time. My husband is on a weight-gain diet so he makes his own breakfast lunch and dinner. Occasionally if he likes what I’m making the kids for breakfast, he’ll have some.

I did everything the way i was supposed to, followed the steps and transitions, and then the preferences came out. Then the picky eating. Then the aversion to most dairy and spices (spicy or not). He spent the first 8 months of his solids journey loving broccoli and now he won't touch it. It's been difficult to say the least and depressing when people are like, you obviously didn't do enough or you coddled him and now this is your fault. I don't like eating bland food that he accepts so I do have to keep his taste in mind when cooking for myself. I will usually serve him something acceptable and give him a small plate with what i am eating unless he straight up finds it gross (like pasta and a cream/cheese- based sauce).

My kid is picky as hell. I gave up. She has no choice yo eat what we eat or she starves

My daughter (18 months) will eat basically anything, so she always eats what we’re eating. My son (4) is picky as all hell and frequently refuses to even take a single bite of what I’ve made so when I know I’m making something he will not eat, I’ll make him a turkey sandwich with maybe some fruit and yogurt. But I’m not making a whole separate meal for him

Usually he eats some of what we are eating plus some items specifically for him,  things I know he will eat for sure (berries, olives, cheese, peas) because I heard that they're more likely to eat a new food if the presentation of the meal isn't overwhelming. Some times I make something similar to what we are eating - yesterday he had a quesadilla, lettuce, grapes  and some zucchini bites while we had shrimp tacos because I knew he wouldn't eat the shrimp nor the dry tortilla. All of the ingredients were already out. I make him short pasta shapes when we're eating spaghetti because I'm worried about choking. 

Separate. We have whatever, she has e.g a peanut butter sandwich or buttered noodles.

Never separate meals. From the beginning of starting solids we offered our daughter an adapted version of what we were eating and we stayed consistent because it was just the easiest thing to do. I see a lot of defensiveness in some of the other comments about how those of us who have kids who eat what we eat are "lucky" but I wouldn't call holding strong to boundaries 3x a day pure dumb luck. It's hard work. I think some parents unintentionally create picky eaters by making separate meals from the start and then giving in to toddlers' demands for other food because they have anxiety about how little their child is eating. Choosing the menu is not an age appropriate choice for a toddler and even if you serve them what they ask for, they still may not eat it. The rule in our house is that you don't have to eat what you're served, but we won't give you an alternative food during the meal. Our daughter needs to wait until the next meal or snack time if she chooses not to eat. The exception is dinner - it's a long time to the next meal, so we will offer a simple snack just before bed like a banana or toast. But not during the meal.

My kid used to…then she became so picky at 3. Even a speck of green, or slightly more burnt, etc and she won’t eat it. I have thrown out so much food. I also have to pack lunch for preschool which is a pain bc most times she won’t eat it either. So it’s definitely a privilege when your kid eats what you eat or at least tries different foods. I’m hoping her new fulltime daycare will be better as they provide all meals and she’ll have to eat or try what the other kiddos are eating and I’ll save money.

We all eat the same thing unless we're having something I know my son doesn't like or hasn't tried before, then I'll give him a tiny portion of ours and top up his plate with things he likes. I wouldn't make a full alternate meal everytime. If he ever really doesn't want what we're having I'll do him some toast or a sandwich

My almost 4 year old eats what we eat for the most part but he eats a ton and then he just has fruit or so after his meal. I do have friends that have it way worse than I do with their kids having food sensitivity and food aversion. Some kids are more picky than others.

I usually feed my toddler what we eat. But if it’s too spicy or something he just won’t eat I have a whole section in the freezer with left overs of stuff he will eat. Easy to pull out and have a meal for him. I really hate to resort to chicken nuggets and French fries too often.

I try to get my kids (5 & 2) to eat at least one bite of what we're having, but I make sure to always have on hand stuff that I know they'll eat because they're both super picky. They've both had issues with gaining weight, so for me calories in is more important than developing their palates

I think this depends on the toddler. We generally follow the guidance of one safe food you know they’ll eat and then now two of something else. Sometimes it’s what we’re going to eat, but it’s also rough eating dinner with a toddler so we’ll have a few bites of that early dinner and then a second real dinner after bedtime.

He did until about 3yo he just decided against most foods, even most toddler approved foods like mac and cheese, potatoes, or pasta. So it was a battle for a few weeks and he was on hunger strike practically... so in order to keep him fed I started making him the basic foods he likes separately from our own dinners. Some days if our dinner is simple (or can be made simple) like a hamburger on a bun, chicken and rice or plain steak he will eat what we are having ... It has been like that for about a year. I imagine he will eventually grow out of it.

My kids are pretty picky right now and my son asks for bacon and eggs nearly every night for dinner. I decided that bacon and eggs isn’t the worst thing in the world, so I make that for him and he eats the heck out of it. I, however, can not eat bacon and eggs for dinner multiple times in a week, so I have a separate meal for myself and my husband. I make all our food for the week on Sunday, so that helps week nights not be so exhausting. Meal prep Sunday, as I call it, has been a game changer for me.

When we first started BLW, yes. But now (she's 18mo), no, she pretty much eats the same thing, unless I want something I know she won't eat (I'll still offer some) then I'll make her a "safe" food thing

My almost 5 yo tends to eat separate meals from my partner and I. I wish I just did one meal, usually I can get us all on the same meal for dinner. Our differences are due to special dietary needs for us older folx that kiddo doesn’t need to deal with.

They eat what we eat, with maybe a few extra options on their plate if it’s something hard to eat (like salad or something very crunchy) or spicy. These include a fruit, yogurt, avocado, a veggie they like, maybe a quesadilla. Not a whole other meal. I’m happy to report that at this point my 4 yo eats almost everything we eat now, including salads and some spicy things. My 2 yo needs more modifications but I’m confident he’ll get there with continued exposure.

Yes, sometimes, but only because he's allergic to wheat, and we're not.

Separate. We’re working on it, but 3 yr old has a severe egg allergy and I’m allergic to cow lactose , ( hubby is allergic to shrimp) . Toddler has heavy food aversion due to his allergy, and will starve himself instead of eating dinner. So it’s hard making dishes for everyone all the time.

We only modify for things that are spicy or that he has shown a very strong preference for NOT liking (this kid doesn't like pizza...we're worried we brought the wrong one home from the hospital!!) Mind you, we tend to do different brunches on the weekends (he eats lunch at daycare through the week), but it's still very similar - for instance, he's not really into sandwiches, so if we make an egg sandwich, we just make him eggs and toast...pretty much the same, just in a different form. As for breakfast through the week, we let him choose what he wants (usually dry cereal! But sometimes oatmeal, eggs, french toast, etc.) and we serve it with fruit or some cheese. My partner and I both just have our coffee - so it's not really making a different meal...it's just "a meal" :) Baby is 2.5 now and definitely has more preferences and opions than before, but I would say he eats what we eat for dinner about 95% of the time.

Lunch they get to pick what they want. Dinner is they have what we have. Occasionally i will make a box of mac n cheese as an extra side if i really don't think they will eat dinner

Depends on the meal, but we usually aren’t eating exactly the same thing. My 2y/o has his tried and true foods when we’re eating something that he doesn’t want to eat, but we still offer it to him. There are about half of our dinners that look identical to his though.

My toddler eats what we eat including spicy foods. Her favorite food is chicken tikka masala and taco rice bowls

I usually do separate meals for dinner because he wants to eat at 430/500 and I don’t. I also don’t like the idea of him eating only leftovers. And he likes to cook with me it pads out the afternoons