Picky Eater - Plano,TX

When I was two, all I wanted to eat was green beans. Mama was worried and called her mother-in-law. I loved Grandma's response. "As long as she is eating, let her be. It is not junk food, her body just must be needing something in the beans." It only lasted a couple of days and I moved on to other fruits and vegetables.

My son is also a rather picky eater. For several days to a week he will only want one or two food items. This week it is bacon sandwiches. What I usually do is tell him that he can have one at either breakfast or lunch, but the other two meals, he needs to try what we are eating. If he tries it, and doesn't like it - then I will make him what he wants. But, he must try the new food first. Usually, he ends up enjoying it and eating the meal with the family.

I'm always so sorry to see the "please, no rudeness" disclaimer on posts - hopefully, you will continue to get good responses. I like what I've seen so far.

You are doing fine with your son. Continue the multivitamin and always offer new foods for him to try. One thing that worked for us was that I took my kids shopping with me and had them pick out food that looked good. Yes, it was not an easy trip to the store, but giving them some of that control helped. They also learned about new food that they saw in the store. Plan ahead and allow extra time (and patience!)

Then, when we got home, they helped me put away the groceries and later that evening they decided what to eat. It was a group effort.

I've also been through a period of being a short-order cook. Many of my friends were horrified. I was told to cook one meal and if the kids didn't like it, too bad. Well, it was more important to me that we sat as a family and had a dinner together. Fortunately, this didn't last long, but I'd do it again if it meant we would have our meal together.

Good luck, I'm sure he will outgrow this!

You're so right, this stage is probably more common than "eager eater." The generally-best-agreed-upon advice is to let it be, because once a struggle over control ensues, eating issues become power issues. This can be a real problem, coming at an age where children are just beginning to want more control and separation from parents.

There's also a theory that this stage protects kids from sampling every noxious or poisonous item they find lying around. And kids seem to have quite a remarkable reserve of health and nutritional "padding" that carry them through this time. Most come out the other end quite healthy, thank you!

My grandson is fairly picky, but at around 4, he started becoming much more adventurous again, of his own free will. His parents do encourage him to try a bite or two of a new food, but don't make a battle out of it.

Moms who snap out rude responses are usually projecting/rejecting their own insecurities, and would probably be embarrassed if they really understood that. We can all be glad we're not their children. (A little secret: They don't know you, nor do the other moms who read their judgements. None of us will recognize you, even if we meet you on the street. Why care what twists we put on your request?)

My daughter is really picky as well. No fun for us moms!
My ped advised me to try and use lots of different sauces/dips. He told me about a recent study in which they found that cancer patients with suppressed appetites responded to food with bbq flavors, soy sauce, and sweet and sour. I use ranch, mustard, hummus, and ketchup as well. She seems to be more ready to eat items that she can drip sauce over or dip into.
Of course, she ends up eating some very weird looking entrees but as long as she eats right!
Good luck to you!

my dd likes crunchy foods the best, then chewy. Mushy stuff is usually yogurt or apples sauce. One time she will ask for mac n cheese the next time I fix it she doesn't even want it one her plate. I try to put a little bit of everything on her plate. I have been told that her picky eating is do to her SPD, she is a sensory seeker and likes to chew.
Our pedi suggest giving them V8 fusion to make up for what they don't eat. They love it and I have been able to find it in store brands.

When you say picky, how bad is it? One of our kids is pickier than the other, but they're both leaps and bounds ahead of a lot of kids. There are some crazy things they won't eat though: mashed potatoes, chicken nuggets, chocolate milk.

My only grievance of my husband is that he's picky. No rice, no soup, few vegetables, no tomatoes, no corn, no mushrooms, no Chinese food, no beans. But, I made him start eating broccoli when our son was old enough to eat it because I didn't want to hear "But, Daddy doesn't have to eat it"......a crazy thing happened - he actually has started to like broccoli.

So, my best advice is to prepare what you believe is a good meal for your family. I don't cater to my kids/husband, but I also try to prepare things I believe they'll eat.

Negotiation is an art. Bribery is a bad word, but it works. So, we negotiate the number of bites of foods that need to be eaten, and we've been known to bribe with a special snack after dinner, going to the park, etc. Sometimes, it's just a matter of getting them to try and not giving in when they're throwing a tantrum.

As my father in law says, domestic pets and kids never go hungry.

Good luck!

I would try give him a few piece/bits of a food that he doesnt like and simply ask him to try it. The rule in our house (I have a 3 year old) is that we have to take at least 2 bits of everything regardless of the liking. It has really worked in our house, my son was a great eater before but wouldnt eat a few things now he is pretty much trying everything. I have also gotten some great kid friendly recipes that have great veggies that kids can't detect and the food turns out great. I can't remember the name of the book but Jerry Seinfeld's Wife is the author. Good Luck