My DS has recently become a very picky eater. I can't help but feel it is possibly my fault, and I'm wondering what I can do to help. Due to a combination of the fact that I am not a very good cook, I do not like to cook, I do not have a lot of time to cook, and he has food allergies which make eating out of the house difficult, we have fallen into a routine where he eats the same foods over and over again. I hadn't realized until these problems popped up what a limited number of foods we eat on a regular basis. I also hadn't realized just how "set in his ways" he was. Two things happened last week that prompted this post. 1) Butter noodles are a staple that we have weekly, but last week he had a "fit" when we served spiral noodles instead of spaghetti noodles saying the noodles tasted "yucky". 2) We eat a lot of boxed mac and cheese. We went to a friend's house where they served delicious homemade mac and cheese. Again, he barely tasted it before saying he didn't like it.
Obviously (especially in the case of the butter noodles) since noodles all taste the same, it isn't a taste thing as much as it is just that it was something different. He knows the rules and doesn't fight me over them - he knows that doesn't get desert or snacks when he doesn't eat diner. We don't make him anything else to eat. We talk about being open minded and trying new things. I've tried introducing new foods and tried allowing him to help cook them. Nothing seems to help - if anything its making it worse as it has become a "battle". What can I do to help this situation? Thanks.