Picky 5 Year Old Boy

This is what I use for my husband and son...neither one will touch veggies to save there life ;)
Little do they know its in everything they eat!

http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com/site/

I had a picky one, and one that was a very healthy eater. They are both adults now and the picky one is eating better, partly due to his wife's healthier influence.One thing I did to get him to eat veggies as a child was to offer low fat ranch dressing with baby carrots and broccoli. He liked the dressing so he ate the dipped veggies. I discovered he didn't like them cooked; just raw. (The fat-free ranch dressing just doesn't have the same taste as low fat so that didn't fly.) He would also eat the unbreaded chicken strips with some seasoning, such as Mrs. Dash or Montreal Chicken Seasoning. Keep trying; it will get better!

When you say "it doesn't seem to work," what does that mean? If you stick to it, it will work. Don't make meals a battle. Give him two choices for breakfast and lunch, and then he needs to eat at least two bites of what you made (and he picked!). Then make dinner. It is what it is. He has to eat two bites. Don't argue with him or get angry. Don't beg him. He simply has to eat two bites. He sits there until he does. If it takes too long, then he has the same thing at the next meal until he eats two bites. That way you know he won't starve. If you give in, he will take advantage, obviously.

i agree, i think it's just a phase we have to wait out...my tactic is i really don't respond. i will put what we're all having in front of him (keeping in mind that he's a part of the family too, so i try to have healthy choices that i know he likes, green beans, etc) and if he doesn't eat it, no dessert- but other than that, not a big deal. it's his choice to go to bed hungry. but no snacks later, and like i said, no dessert. just stick to the rules. they'll probably get less picky eventually, and if they never try some things, it won't hurt them. good luck!

just wanted to warn you that he might not grow out of it! my aunt had the same problem and still does and her son is now 12 and barely eats anything other than PB&J cheese tortias and once in awhile bacon and pork chops. hardly eats any veggies or fruit or beans. so kick the habit now before its to late.

Honestly let him go hungry for awhile. simply say to him if he doesn't eat what you give him then he won't eat until the next meal keep it up and eventually he will eat once he is hungry enough.

This really worked for my picky eater!

He's 3 1/2. He was that same way but hasn't been for months ever since I read him Green Eggs and Ham. I think Dr. Sues made that book just for little picky eaters.

After I read that to him before bed time one night, I talked a lot about it to him. Then the next few days every time he wouldn't try something, I would make up my own spin on the Dr.Sues book but use my sons name and replace green eggs and ham with whatever I was trying to get him to eat. I made it fun and he liked it and so he tried it. If he really didn't like something I wasn't going to make him try any more until the next time I served it, but he never ONCE snubbed his nose after trying it. He actually liked everything after trying.

I think it works well to have 3-4 types of food on the plate. That way if they don't eat something they are fine til morning. I also will not make something special for them. I do also feed the kids a small bed time snack. They know if they are not picked up before snack time they will be here.

One problem I have is that I love making one dish meals. There are many times when a soup or a casserole has all the food groups in it. Or maybe it has 3 and the other is provided in drink form. If the child doesn't want to eat then they are out of luck. My daycare children have learned that I simply don't want to hear that they don't like this or that. I consider it rude to say they don't like food no matter if they have ate a bite or not. I don't want to say they need to finish it if I gave them too much. If I am not sure if they will eat it, I'll give them a smaller amount. If it's way out there and really different, I'll make sure they have something else on their plate too.

The thing is, my kids eat really well. If they start with me early and stay with me until they don't need daycare anymore, they eat well. It's the older kids that come to me after school or nights and weekends. This STAGE is really not necessary. My girls didn't go through it at all. I have 4 daughters and they ate because they knew it was expected of them. They did go through a picky stage as teens. But that's because once I could trust them to make their own meal and clean up after it, I allowed them to assert their independence.

Do you all realize that in another time period it was eat or starve? We are in the most spoiled time of history EVER! We could be starving even now in other parts of the world. It's really a bad thing and very immoral to allow a child to take for granted the food on their plate.

When I was a child, there was not restaurants on every corner. We didn't go out to eat more than a few times per year. We didn't have 20 brands of everything on the store shelves. Variety is nice. But variety is not a need. Variety is a luxury. Pizza was something that was such a rare treat. We LOVED pizza. Now we are so used to eating it we don't get all excited when we see it. We don't anticipate it like we would if it was still special. That's so sad.

If you want this period to end, you have to end it. Don't allow him to assert this independence. Tell him straight up. He doesn't buy the food. He doesn't cook the food. He doesn't clean up after the meal. Until then he will eat what's in front of him or starve.

Suzi

I think you just have to wait for them to grow out of it. I have 4 1/2 year old twin boys and a 3 year old boy. All three are the same way. However all 3 are growing great and healthy. I have also read some articles that say there is not difference later in life between kids who were picky eaters and kids who eat everything. There is also genetics envolved. My husband and I were both picky eaters so I expected it with my kids. A few times a week I cook something new for all of us and the rest of the week i cook things that i know they will eat. The rule at our house is that you can't say you don't like something until you taste it. If you taste it and don't like it you don't have to eat anymore. If you taste it and you like it you can eat as much as you want. I think it is important to leave it up to the kids how much they want to eat. I do not advocate making a special meal for each kid separate from the rest of the family. My kids still don't eat a lot but they do eat more than they used to.

I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone! I have a 5 year old boy who is exactly the same way! It was like reading about my own son. We have been battling with his picky eating for years! We have tried everything! Right now we are having him sit at the table until he has at least tried everything on his plate. The first two nights he sat there for an hour before trying the different things on his plate. Now he is starting to eat much better, faster and with very little complaining! This is just a suggestion. We have just started implementing this so I am still waiting to see how much better he gets. Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone!

One thing that has worked fairly well with my picky eater was to let him help me in the kitchen. He is older now, but at that age, he loved to sprinkle cheese on top or toss ingredients into a salad, and he was much more likely to eat it if he helped. I let him look through kids' cookbooks, pick a meal, then help me buy the ingredients at the store and help me cook. He didn't always pick the healthiest meal, but it certainly got him to try new things! He still loves to help me in the kitchen. He still doesn't love trying new things, but he will, and he'll even admit it when he likes it!

simple solution: stop buying & providing his fav foods.

My daughter went through this this year at school all she would take for her lunch was the pizza lunchables. However at home she will try new foods sometimes. We tell her that she has to take a "No thank you bite". This started with her daycare doing that and we just followed suit. If she does not like it then she does not have to eat it. However when I know that we are having something that she does not care for I will try to fix a veggie or something that I know she likes.
I can say that I was a very picky eater at a young age and my husband says that I still am a picky eater. There are some foods that I will not take a no thank you bite of and it makes him mad but when I do not do it the kids are not around to see not do it.
Good luck.

I wish I had some miraculous piece of advice for you, but I don't...out of 3 kids I have two that eat great and will try new foods and one ( who is 8 ) who is also in the worlds pickiest eater category. I have tried everything and also thought some day she would out grow it. What it boils down to is what you can live with, make the rules and have everyone be on the same page and stick to it. If you want to make it a rule that he tries one bite each meal then make sure you stick with it. I really resent feeling like a short order cook, it gets OLD fast. I have buckled and now I am happy as long as I feel like I am getting a balanced diet into her. She has added new foods over the years to her "list" Some kids do have sensory issues, I just can't personally handle letting a child go hungry, but I think its a personal decision. Lots of luck to you = )
B.

First make sure all is well health wise. If it is, then just make sure he takes vitamins daily over the counter is fine, better would be juice plus gummies available through a distributor named Carol Bastien. If interested I can give you her phone number. Sometimes kids are picky especially now days with fast food so convienent, but don't worry. If health is fine (meaning no serious illnesses) he will be fine. I do though strongly recommend those gummies, they are full of all the veggies and fruits that are needed. Have a wonderful day!
Lots of Love & Laughter,
Suzie

ANY food is delicious when STARVING! It is summer time, a great time to go swimming, play physically outside, really really get them hungry, THEN offer them the food choice you want them to try...have it presented in an attractive way....and they WILL JUST THINK IT IS THE BEST FOOD EVER!

ALSO try to make the food LOOK interesting, for example: my 3 yr old granddaughter wouldn't eat the crust from bread...so we carefully cut them off...THEN I spread cream cheese topped with a little jelly over them, rolled them up and called them snails...SHE ATE them before eating her toast! Mother of 7 and grandmother of 20!

I hate to be the one to say this, but I don't think "they'll eat it if they're starving" is the right way to go. I think the "no thank you bite" is the best way. Just keep offering nutritous foods, and encourage him to try a bite before saying no.

Sometimes I "hide" veggies in their other foods just to make sure they are getting what they need. If he is having healthy snacks, he's probably just fine.