Becoming a Picky Eater

Children's taste buds are changing weekly.... so their food preferences change weekly most often.... This is nature's way of ensuring they get a variety of foods in their fast growing bodies. Problem is, sugar and fried starchy foods are addictive to the body and the tastebuds become "corrupted" when they become accustomed to these sorts of foods. As hard as it is, I'd stay away from those foods you mentioned up there and give him lots of healthy options. Make it fun... serve it on fun plates and bowls with fun spoons and forks so he can feed himself... Set out colorful fruits and veggies cut into little cubes and make sandwiches with whole grain bread with food processed chicken/turkey and a little organic butter or flavored mayo.... Be aware too that children are often senstive to texture more than the taste so blending and food processing can often help with that.... Good luck!

Don't worry. All kids go through this stage. Light Ranch salad dressing used for dipping got us through a lot of meals. As long as she could dip it then it was all good. I won't mention how many times I almost gagged at what she would dip into her dressing.

I did try making healthier versions of the same foods she liked to eat and sometimes that worked other times it didn't. Here are some of the things that did work: homemade baked chicken nuggets using breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, chicken alfredo (or use elbow macaroni like mac n cheese) mixed with creamed spinach, turkey sausage instead of hot dogs and the sneaky spaghetti with pureed(sp?) vegetables added to the sauce and I would also use ground turkey instead of ground beef.

If all else fails, I always requied my daughter take 2 bites of something with daddy & I. We all would imate an animal or make a funny face when taking a bite. She was too busy laughing at us and wanting to do it herself because it was funny. Sometimes she ate more than 2 bites just to see daddy & I act out more animals or silly faces.

Good Luck!

We initiated the "2" bite rule. Our daughter had to try 2 bites of whatever I fixed. The first one to say yuck and make faces, and the 2nd one to actually taste the food and determine if she liked it. It worked great for us.

K.
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Hey I have a three year old that is the same way, I even took him to the doctor to see what I could do to get him to start eating. The doctor told me to just give him the chicken nuggets. He told me that my son would start eating whenever he wanted too, and he has started eating a little bit better now. Just give him time.

There are a lot of things going on at this stage that are contributing to your child's increasing selectivity. The most important thing you can do is give him control over choosing from a few healthy foods at each meal. Your son wants some power over what goes in his mouth, and ultimately he does control it. If you put 2-4 nutritious whole foods in front of him at every meal and trust him to eat what he needs, you'll find not only that he will try more things, but that over the course of a week, he will eat a balanced diet. He may only want potatoes at one meal and no protein or vegetables. The important thing is never to force him to eat anything. This is counterintuitive to most parents because so many of us were raised by parents who made us clean our plate, and we think we know better than our children what they should eat. The truth is that studies show that children will eat the right foods when given good choices, and that children whose parents make eating a power struggle end up with picky eaters who insist on junk food. Just try it for two weeks and don't worry - he won't starve himself.
C. at Loving Hands Family Child Care

When did he start becoming picky, was it after he started getting teeth? My son is 23 mths old and he never gave me a problem with eating before he got teeth, he eat every Gerber food known to man with no qualms. Once he started getting teeth he wasnt eating so much and gradually it has gotten to the point where he hardly ever eats. His weight at 18 mths was 26 lbs and now hes back down to 22, the same weight he was at one year of age. He wont touch baby food anymore. For awhile there i thought i had gotten back on track, he would eat waffles in the morning, eat spaghettioes for luch, etc. he nevers wants to eat in the morning now. The only food he will eat is chips, crackers, pop tarts, cereal with mil, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob. I gave him pizza for dinner, he picked it up and put it in his mouth and started to chew but backed off like he didnt like the way it felt, he never would eat it though. His ped thinks he needs some sort of oral sensory fix or may have another reason for eating the way he does, we just dont know yet. I have ended up catering to him because i dont want him to be hungry when he goes to bed, sometimes it takes seeral tried before i finally gt him to eat, whatever he doesnt eat I put in the frig to try for the next day

I am there with you girl. My almost 3 year old just all the sudden decided he didnt want to eat what he used to. It seems to me that he would get hungry, he drinks and I guess that is enough for him. I offer him everything under the sun. Everyone keeps telling me that he will come around. It's just a faze. He's testing boarders. You know typical toddler behavior. I guess we will see. Good luck to the both of us.

I had the same thing happen (mine is 16 mos). It ended up that he wanted to eat like a "big boy" (i.e. his brother). I learned that if I gave him a fork or spoon, and helped him put food on it, he will eat anything and everything...I also gave him the kids water bottles (with the sport cap opened a little for slow flow) instead of his sippy cup. Everything happens in phases...he'll eat again...just give him time! :)