Help with Sons Eating Habbits

I went through this with my kids too! I finally had to "lay down the law " :) and not let them eat anything for dinner but what we were eating and if they went to bed hungry, so be it. My girls are 4 adn 6 and I was tired of hearing "I dont like this, I dont want this...." Now they eat it all, they eat polish sausage, turkey, chicken, rice, brats, italian sausage. Sometimes we just dont give choices. But I also let them use ketchup or salad dressing whenever they want and they eat everything now!
Good luck, I know it is aggravating!

When I first met my stepdaughter her dad and others would make her whatever she wanted to eat. So if someone made food and she wanted a hot dog they'd heat up a hot dog. She also ate whenever she wanted to, often begging for food at 9:00 at night instead of going to bed.

However, in my house I don't cook separate meals for everyone. We don't have the money to buy separate food, and she certainly can't live healthily off of chips and hot dogs!

We definitely got her involved in the cooking process. She enjoys seeing everyone go "mmmm!" over the food she helped prepare, and she eats it too without complaint.

I stopped buying hot dogs and chicken nuggets and the nasty foods and only had good food in the house. If she said she wanted a hot dog I would tell her there weren't any (which there weren't). I also stopped buying pop, chips and cookies and we only have healthy foods in the house.

By simply making that stuff unavailable she quickly started eating what WAS available. We do apples and peanut butter or carrots and ranch dressing as snacks. At first she wasn't very excited about those foods, but now she LOVES them! She'll ask for carrots.

At dinner she can only eat what's on the table, and she has to have good portions. She can't just eat the rice and not eat meat or veggies. If she didn't want what was on the table we'd put it in the fridge. Later on if she was hungry we'd reheat her food.

We try to set good examples ourselves, and of course she can't have dessert if she didn't eat her food. The cutoff for food is 8pm, no dinner or snacks after that.

By just making the bad foods unavailable she lost her taste for them. Just recently we went to McDonalds and she ate one chicken nugget and said she didn't like them! She wanted steak LOL!

It's really easy to say "there aren't any hot dogs" and it also keeps YOU from giving in and making a hot dog when you can't take the whining.

Good luck!

Offer variety and don't be afraid to offer something that he doesn't like, a couple weeks later, either prepared differently or the same. Make sure that every meal he has to try, at least a small bite-size portion. And don't get in the habit of making separate meals for him because he "won't eat". Teaching children to learn to eat "what's on the menu" is so important. Otherwise you will be preparing many different meals. Don't keep offering chicken nuggets and taco meat. Try some chicken tacos, using chicken breast, seasoned and tell him he has to put at least 2 ingredients, plus the tortilla, on his taco (i.e. lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa, beans, or whatever else is being served)

Have him help you cook and prepare meals too. Try making quesadillas or fajitas w/ chicken and cheese. Those are fun for kids to make. If he doesn't like fruit, try serving it up in a smoothie w/ a little juice and yogurt, if that is something that he can eat. If he walks away hungry, don't offer a snack or dessert at a later time. He will get in that habit. I know it's hard to see your child hungry but, if he can learn not to eat between meals AND, once he learns that there won't be any more offered, you can work to break this habit.

Has he had a severe reaction to eggs, other than hives, like a breathing concern? Could food just make him nervous, thinking it might happen again?

Also, kids need to learn that the dinner table is much more than just serving food. Give them a reason to want to be there too. Make sure you are asking them about their day and they are asking you about yours. Find a funny story to share with them or ask them a thinking question, "If you could go anywhere in the world for vacation....?" "What was the BEST present you ever received...?" etc... You don't want your dinner table to ever be a battleground. Good conversation takes some of the focus off of him and spreads it around the family. I'm sure your oldest (and best eater) will become a great example of a kid who can eat....AND...share stories!

Good luck.

EDIT: I just wanted to add...once the conversation gets rolling, it's those moments that you can start telling your 4 year old, "Oh, I REALLY want to hear what you have to say, BUT you have to eat something first!"... For a kid to have the center stage in a conversation!!!! They don't want to be left out. Positive reinforcement when he does eat!

There's a great book called "Food Chaining" you add foods that are similar to the foods your child is eating, then try adding different types of dipping sauces to grow the assortment of foods.

In the meantime, don't stress about it. My 9 year old is a very sensitive eater (as in sensory issues with taste) he has never had fruits or vegetables, only protein has been hot dogs (just recently) and peanut butter, lots of peanut butter since he was 12 months old and some how survives. He's thin, but healthy, never gets sick.

I used to let it drive me crazy, but there's not much you can do to force kids to eat. Try playing games with foods, have him spit grapes out of his mouth into a garbage can (like he's playing basketball) silly stuff like that will at least get fruits in his mouth, maybe he'll even take a bite! My son has been to a few therapists over the years, this was their advice. Or give him really teeny tiny portions of new foods. Good luck! Don't fret!

Dear Mama, at 4 years old, he really doesn't have any other options, other than what you offer him. If he is only offered healthy foods, that is what he will eventually eat. If he refuses for a little while, when he is truly hungry, apples and oranges will be a welcomed treat! Resist the temptation to give in- it is for his benefit! It's okay to be the boss- not harshly or unkindly, but with calm assurance and authority.

hi Tiffani,

This has been a challenge for us too with our 5 yr old since she was around 3. I have always believed in mealtime being enjoyable and just offering a variety and not make it a food power struggle. I was an extremely picky eater as a child and remember the misery of being forced to eat.

But I recently began to worry as my daughter just will not eat any veggies or fruits anymore - all she wants are chicken nuggets, chips, meatballs and candy.

Nora P. and other mamas recently posted on this and I decided to follow their advice and was SHOCKED to find that it worked (not shocked that their advice was good - just that my picky eater actually began eating her fruit & veggies) :-D

Nora - if you see this maybe you can put the title of that book back up.

This might not be exactly right but ..

I just give her ONE bite of everything on her plate and once she eats that, two bites of everything and when she finishes all of that three bites and so on - she cannot have any additional helpings until she eats all on her plate. (I'm talking one green bean and a tiny dollop of mashed potatoes, etc) I didn't think she would go for it but she gobbles up her veggies to get more of the stuff she likes!

Of course the novelty of it might wear off, but so far so good! She actually ate several helpings of corn, green beans and apples this week along with her usual favorites as well as trying some new things!

good luck to you and thanks to the others who already posted on this,

W.