Picky Eater - Rockford,IL

There are many reasons for a pciky eater and I am glad you are listeing to you child. Does he have any sensory issues? Food adversions are caused by pain and he could have intolerances even food allergies in the gut you may not know he has. I would call an allergist or get him to an OT for evaluation so you know this is not medical.

I'm not sure how it was when you were little, but I sure don't remember not given a choice about dinner. We ate what was on our plate.

My pediatrician has repeatedly said by making separate meals, YOU create picky eaters. Our jobs as moms are to put nutritious foods in front of them - their job is to eat it. (I was making my son other meals, and stopped...sometimes he eats what we're having and other times not. I have chosen not to stress about it.)

I'd start today as it seems your 5-yr old is catching on quick to "ordering dinner."

Good luck! I know it's not easy.
(:

This is my opinion...based on experience.

I have a 4.5 y/o and 19 m/o triplets. We all eat the EXACT same things. When the girls were infants I would blend up what we had for dinner. Nobody had separate meals.

I would require him to have what you are eating on his plate. You can make 1 extra item that you know he will eat but that is all. When he is hungry, he will eat. They always do. Make sure the choices are always healthy ones.

You are not a short order cook. Being a Mom is hard enough without cooking 5 different meals for your family.

you can always make them all prureed veggies and then the other stuff should be what you usually serve... so they will all have the same stuff.. if your 18 mo. old only eats the veggies.. this is ok.. since it's good stuff.. make sure he is getting milk too... keep putting things in front of him.. he may start to eat after a while.. try putting watermelon with dinner too... or some fruit.. so all can eat.. don't make him different stuff... add one thing he likes to everyones meal ie.. the veggies or something like that.. or make one burger... and put a little bit on each plate.. tell him to take a bite of one thing and then the burger.. see if this works.. or mix the burgers bits with the veggies... good luck

Wow, you've got your hands full! My daughter (21 mos) has always been a pretty adventurous eater, but when she gets picky I make up a plate of food for her that consists of food that she'll eat as well as less favorite stuff. She doesn't get more food until that plate is empty. Usually once she starts eating the yummy stuff she'll move on to the other stuff on her own without a problem. With a few exceptions, most kids are designed to thrive rather than wither away. Limit the choices and he'll learn to eat what's put in front of him, keeping in mind to have some options, because I know there are certain foods that I simply don't like, so kids should be allowed the same flexibility.

Don't give in and make separate meals. Our son has a host of behavioral disabilities and hates to eat at all, so I started making custom meals for him at age two just to keep the peace and get him to eat. BIG mistake. Now, at age seven, he expects custom meals. Last week, I served him his special dinner and he said, "Mom, you know what I think of this dinner?" Then he gave a big thumbs down with both hands. Well, he got sent to bed immediately and that was it. No more special meals. It's run me into the ground making second meals all of these years and turns out they weren't appreciated anyway.

Stick to your guns now and you'll save yourself a lot of grief over the years. Serve the same thing to everyone and let him choose what he wants to eat.

Good luck!

I agree with the other moms. Don't give in. My kids all eat what I serve and always have. That being said my son does not like sauces so we leave one chicken breast plain. Do add your own toppings to salads (he doesn't like salad dressing either--but LOVES a big bowl of spinach). If one of them did not eat then I put their plate in the fridge in case they got hungry later in the evening. Also we do a eat supper nicely and you will get desert rule. Dessert can be anything from fresh fruit to a few marshmallows, to real dessert-pie (which rarely occurs). If having a marshmallow at the end of the meal gets them to eat TONS of veggies and some protein I just don't worry about that.

Wow! That's difficult because I am the same way at my house. You eat what I make, or nothing at all. Be sure that you give your kids vitamins to make up for the nutrients that they miss from being picky. My advice? Make sure at least 1 item you serve at each meal is something that he will eat. I found that my kids would eat better if I mixed all the food together, like in a casserole. So, instead of serving rice, chicken, and veggies all separately, I diced the veggies and chicken up so small that it was the same size as the rice (or a little bigger) and mixed it all together, adding some seasoning, like soy sauce, that I knew the whole family would enjoy. Sometimes, I would also puree spinach and carrots to add to spaghetti sauce, and I always mix the sauce and pasta before serving it to the kids. Have you tried smearing peanut butter on foods that he won't eat? For instance, I've started serving raw veggies before dinner, with hummus or another dip, and dessert is fresh fruit. And, my kids love yogurt, so I will mix fresh fruit and diced nuts, ground flaxseed, whatever, into it.
Good luck! Sounds like you have your hands full.