Dinner

My son is the same way. Last night he wouldn't eat his dinner. So I didn't give him anything else. He needs to learn to eat what he's given or he doesn't eat. Honestly, the more you give in the more you reinforce this behavior. He knows that I don't have to eat because mommy will give me what I want soon. Stop giving in. He will eat.

Give him a variety of healthy finger foods. He eventually will eat and does not much to sustain right now and this is very normal.

By making good foods available at times thru the day he will be able to nibble here and there. This will also encourage him trying new things and expanding his diet.

Does he drink a lot of milk throughout the day? My son is pretty tough to eat too but we found if we don't give him a cup when he first sits down, he eats better. Otherwise he would drink all his milk first and fills himself up. Also, if he drinks a lot of juice, try to replace it with water or milk. Juice will give him a lot of calories but it is a lot of sugar too. You could try picking up a kid cooking book which has a lot of creative food presentation ideas. He can help pick out dinner and then he might be more willing to try things.

the average child only eats in a day an amount (total) roughly the size of three of his/her fists. that's how big their stomachs are. you may want to cut any snack he may be having between lunch and dinner. Also explore spaghetti o's. I know it sounds odd, but even though each type is similar, they are actually very healthy meals when combined with a healthy glass of water or milk. I wouldn't be too worried at how much he eats now. My 3 year old picks at his food and sometimes refuses to eat dinner at all. His pediatrician said to cut down on portions for his lunches and cut out his afternoon snack. He's been doing alot better. As long as he's getting the nutrients he needs (a really good multivitamin can help there if you're worried).

~C.~

Hello L.,
I found this little tid bit online about eating. I thought it might be helpful. I found it at healtykids.com.
Your child may have certain foods that he'll eat for months or years then refuse for no particular reason. Children may eat very well for a few days and then just pick for a week. Children rarely eat a wide variety of foods in consistent quantities day in and day out.
A. M

I have a picky four year old as well. Check out my website for some great menu ideas that your kids are sure to love.

It Takes a Village...
Where Dallas Moms go for Family, Food and Fun

http://www.ittakesavillagedallas.com/It_takes_a_village/M...

I have the same problem with my 3 yr old son, so reading the responses that other women gave you was helpful to me. I find that my son eats more at lunch time, which is fine with me. My husband is hispanic, and the 5 years I lived abroad with him, I never felt healthier than when I had lunch as my big meal. So I figure, as long as he eats one good meal, he's fine. If he were hungry, he'd eat.
But, he is VERY stubborn about what he eats. He eats NO veggies and has quite a sweet tooth. So, I have to use the threat of no desert to get him to eat sometimes. I really have to stick to my guns when I say that if he doesn't eat some of what I made him, then he won't have anything else all night. It's hard as a mom to do that, but otherwise he'll keep playing the game that he's gotten pretty good at. He used to eat more of the foods that we ate, but lately wants only certain things (like mac n cheese and PB & J) Hopefully it's just as phase, but, at the same time, I'm a 4th grade teacher, so I see daily the effects of poor diet and I don't want to create that kind of diet for my son (don't ask me how skittles ever became considered a healthy snack... but parents send them right along side the cupcakes, chips, and orange soda). So anyway, I guess we just have to keep being creative and persistent. Goodluck!!

I have a now 6 year old son and when he was about 4 he only ate chicken and Mac and Cheese. What I did was make him try everything. I invested in alot of M&M's and for every bite he took he got a M&M in a bowl. Sometimes he only had 2 and sometimes he had a whole bunch. It did take a while but when he finally got it he is eating alot more.

Good Luck

Hi L. my name is M.. I have a similar situation and think I can help. My 3 year old daughter ate everything up until she hit 3 years old...lol...and for a while didn't eat much of anything. But my fiance and I started to MAKE her at least try everything we put on the table till westarted finding things she liked. Most children go through this as a phase, but the important thing to remember is this is also a control issue. He is probably trying to prove he can control what he eats...it is the same thing with potty training too.
My advice to you is make dinner and other meals like you normally would...and DO NOT make special meals just for him. (trust me I went there and it was not easy to get her back to the normal way...lol) Try making eating time fun for him,like play a game or something so he'll eat it, but MAKE him take at least one bite of everything so he'll try it. And if things get hard like it did for me...you can try things like no Tv till he eats...or he can't get up from the table till he eats a certain amount...or like for my daughter (which this works great) no dessert till she eats what I feel is enough. Most of all though I would not stress yourself over this...it is just a phase and he will grow out of it...just stay on top of it. Good luck and if you ever need to talk feel free to email me at ____@____.com