Picky Eater - Cumming,GA

I agree with the first poster , if its that he only likes one or 2 things that will change with time, he's not going to wither away to nothing. give him a vitaman every day and he will be fine. My son has a problem with textures and most veggies fall under that , he mostly will only eat starches. so I give him what he will eat and when I make something that he dosn't like put a small serving on his plate , and EVERYTIME I do that he freaks out and wont eat at all so I just give him what he likes.and avoid a meltdown , he will grow into liking other foods. you cant force a 3 yr old to eat, that only creates a power sruggle and you will not win it.

I am a speech therapist that has done some work with pediatric feeding disorders. My best advice would be to start out by continuing to put all foods on his plate. This way he can look at it and explore it if he wants. As he get used to different foods being on his plate, then start having him smell the food so he knows what different foods smell like. Next, have him touch the food with his fingers so that he knows what the food feels like. If he will do all of this, then have him touch the food to his lips or tongue. Don't make him put it in his mouth unless he wants to. Lastly, encourage him to eat the different food. I wouldn't force him to eat anything because mealtime can quickly become a power struggle. I think he will eventually work out of this himself, but here are some suggestions to try. The biggest thing is to continue to offer him different foods and let him see YOU eat different foods. When you show him that you think things taste yummy then he may eventually try them as well. Older and younger siblings can help with this too. Hope this helps!
B.

You weren't very specific on how your son is picky so here are the two differnt ways kids can be picky.......

If he is refusing to eat just keep putting food in front of him in small portions at regular meal times and a healthy snack (bananna, apple, etc) in between. Don't cave in to him wanting something differnt than everyone else. Unless he has an allergy, he eats what everyone else eats. You aren't a short order cook! And he won't starve himself either.

Now if it is just a food jag, where all he wants is mac and cheese for lunch and he'll eat every noodle you put in front of him, then let he eat it till he turns cheesey!! Just keep putting things with it for him to eat as well. Try putting cut up hot dogs in it or strips of lunch meat. Also offer the healthy snacks too between meals and try to let the food he will only eat be allowed once a day. And food jags can change just as fast as the weather and in 2 weeks it could be PB&J for lunch!!

~S.

well, it's difficult but I have noticed something our doctor said is that kids eat in stages like their growing spurts, sometimes lots of veggies other times lots of protein. After 3 yrs of watching it he was correct and also said I should worry kids will eat what their body's need. There are times my boys eat lots of fruit other times other things but it goes in cycles. I have found ways to sneak things in like carrots graded in muffins or a jar of blueberries (babyfood) as well in muffins. I also make meatballs little bite size and grad up some veggies and put it in the mixture. I don't think there's a way to get every child to eat a balanced meal for most kids and I have learned not to make them sit and eat every bite it really does cause issues later with food for many children. I see my sister's kids that have friends have issues with food and many of them tell me "my parents made me clean my plate". I have noticed that if I don't make a big deal out of it they won't in fact sometimes my kids try something new since I just put it out there it takes a few times and either they like it or they don't...but if they don't just remember there were are still maybe things you aren't excited about eating as well.

Read The Sneaky Chef by Missy Lapine--it has recipes for hiding healthy foods in kid approved favorites, but also has a lot of info on why kids are picky, how to help them outgrow the phase etc. There's another version of this by Jessica Seinfeld, but the Lapine book got better reviews. The recipes create a little work, but it gets easier as you get used to the techniques. A lot of the recipes my husband and I eat too, so that makes it worth the extra effort. Another variation on the muffin cup idea below is to use ice cube trays. Also, try making good foods fun ie: ants on a log, banana pops, blueberry pancakes. Good luck!!

C.,
I am a speech-Language Pathologist and work with children who have feeding and swallowing issues. The best thing to do is make it so much fun. Make animals out of foods together make sure your child sees you eat them. I know we as parents try to teach our children not to play with food but this is the best thing for a picky eater. Continue to have your child sit with you at meal times and leave the food on the plate... he may just take a bite. I have some good books that you may enjoy reading too!
K.

I recently went to a toddler seminar and heard some really creative ideas how to feed a picky eater. First and foremost HAVE FUN during meal times. Try a muffin pan - in 6 of the 'muffin cups' put nutrient dense foods, eg. blueberries, carrots, cherrios, peas etc. and in the other 6 put fun sauces/ condiments eg. ketchup, whipped cream, ranch dressing etc...
Soon you will find the secret sauce. This sounds really messy but at least your picky eater will be having fun too.
Good luck