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Mum's hardline tactic with fussy toddler divides internet

A mum has shared the extreme way she deals with fussy eating. Photo: Getty Images
A mum has shared the extreme way she deals with fussy eating. Photo: Getty Images

We’ve all been on the receiving end of a fussy toddler, and every parent will know just how infuriating the process of getting a kid to eat can be.

From a distaste for peas, to a hot and cold relationship with corn, we’ve all doubtlessly been a fussy eater at some point in our lives.

It’s a slightly different story when you’re the one responsible for a tiny fussy eater, as one mum discovered recently when her hard-line approach sparked a mixed reaction from Reddit users.

The infuriated mum shared the al too common scenario, wondering whether she was doing the right thing to come down hard on fussiness.

“My four year old has decided to become a picky eater,” she bemoaned.

“Obviously I'm not going to let him only eat those two things (crackers and hot chips). I'm also not going to be bossed around by a toddler.”

The defiant attitude is matched by her chosen tactic; he doesn’t eat until he eats the food.

“If he asks for a snack, I offer him the food, and if he refuses, no snacks except for milk,” she said. “At the next meal, I'll offer it to him then if he didn't eat it before.”

She went on to clarify that he always gets hungry enough to cave in to her rules, ut that other parents often disapprove.

“My mom friends are horrified I'd do this to my kid, and tell me I'm old fashioned,” she confessed.

“I also feel like the worst mother in the world when my kid is whining about how hungry he is.”

The mother admitted she felt guilt around her child's tantrums. Photo: Getty Images
The mother admitted she felt guilt around her child's tantrums

Online users were divided on the topic, some were hesitant at applauding the hard line approach, pointing out the long term impacts they imagined the toddler would face.

“If you wouldn't force an adult to eat something that repulses them, then why force a child?” one person commented.

“There are other ways to break picky eating habits than insisting the child has no choice but eat what is offered,” another pointed out.

One woman shared her personal experience of the impact her own parent’s approach had on her.

“I have quite a messed up relationship to food... because I was forced to either go hungry or to force myself to eat food that would repulse me,” she said.

“So yeah, I obviously didn't starve to death but I got some long term damage...”

The responses to the approach varied. Photo: Getty Images
The responses to the approach varied. Photo: Getty Images

Others backed up the mum offering encouragement and validation.

“You're doing a good job Mom, don't let anyone tell you different. And hang in there, it sounds like you're got quite the handful,” one user said.

“Giving in to picky eating habits enables them and allows them to carry on into adolescence and ultimately adulthood,” another argued.

“Things like this need to be curbed as soon as humanly possible.”

One woman kept her encouragement simple; “Keep fighting the good fight..”

This comes on the back of research that suggests up to 90% of toddlers will go through a fussy eating stage at some point, but don’t fear we have some handy tips for mums and dads looking for a solution.

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