Picky Eater - Dallas,TX

I have a picky eater too. He will be 5 in two weeks. I know it's frustrating but what I finally started doing is giving him a choice. He could eat what I cook or not eat. It sounds harsh but he eats. When kids get hungry enough they will eat what is offered. Kids know they can "train" us parents to give in to them. When it gets to be too much, try giving her "a choice". Good luck!!

My 9 yo daughter is like this. You are lucky your child will actually eat a green vegetable! Our daughter eats pepperoni cooked in the microwave on a papertowel for 25 seconds. That and beef jerky are her favorite protiens. I also suggest grated cheese which she might try if she can grate it herself.

Texture is a huge thing for kids! When I was 3 I quit eating everything. Taste does change as they get bigger. My best advice is to always present her with everything on her plate but don't force feed. Make sure she gets plenty of the healthy food she does like. There are also plenty of protein sources that do not come from animals. Considering the foods listed that she does eat the first thing I would do is switch to Barilla plus pasta. It has 17 grams of protein and lots of omega 3 adn fiber. Don't be scared to try it. She won't know the difference I promise. It is not like whole wheat pasta where you can tell the difference adn taste. Good luck! She will out grow it over the years.

Sounds just like my 5 year old son, except trade apples and carrots for the broccoli and corn. He, also, won't eat any foods that are put together like pizza, burgers, casseroles, etc. The foods he does eat are healthy and that's what counts, same for your daughter. You will probably get many responses that tell you to just put a plate of whatever you are eating in front of her and let her either eat it or go without. I would never do that with my kids and wouldn't recommend it for most children. I want mealtimes at my house to be a good time for the whole family to relax and enjoy being together, not for fighting and crying about food. As long as your daughter is eating healty foods and she is happy and healthy then don't worry, I'm sure she'll grow out of it. My brother was extremely picky as a child and as soon as he reached middle school, he ate anything and everything he could get his hands on. Your daughter is getting carbs(use whole grains breads and whole wheat waffles), protein from bacon(I use turkey bacon), calcium from milk, and veggies from broccoli, corn, and the tomatoes in the pizza and pasta sauces. Sounds pretty good to me! Offer new choices, but don't force and good luck!

Hello D.,

I have two picky eaters and I wish I had not catered so much to their whims when they were younger... anyways, cut the milk in 1/2 for a few days and see if she eats better. (I assume she's drinking more than 3 glasses/day since you said she drinks tons of milk) when my son was about that age, his doctor advised to give him less milk. that helped on the amount he ate...still a picky eater...

by the way, deception is the name of the game... mix some ground beef on w/ the pasta, etc. This weekend I was asking my self, how am I going to get out of this predicament... wish me luck! Good luck to you too! ~C.~

Sometimes the texture of meat is not appealing...? It's ok - we're really not suppose to eat a lot of it anyway, per my nutrition classes. What about beans, soups with veggies and beans? Try searching vegetarian diets for kids. Cottage cheese? Hard boiled eggs? Almonds? There are lots of good proteins that are not "meat". Maybe some protein bars that are natural - mostly fruits and nuts (Kroger has some great brands). Good luck and no worries.

Here is a bit of food for thought...
In Japan, small children eat raw fish. In China, they eat things I can only describe as "unimaginable" including chicken feet and snake-on-a-stick. Africa will have them crunching on bugs. Why do these children eat this stuff? Because it's whats for dinner. It is as simple as that. Now I am not advocating for a minute that you go "ethnic" and start serving weird things. I'm quite sure you make delicious, nutritious meals on a daily basis. But Mama guilt likes to work on us all and we don't take well to rejection. We want our children to love what we put in front of them, but it rarely happens in those early formative years. As the mom, it is your job to provide good nutrition. As a child who is hungry enough - they will eat it. Perhaps not the first time, but by the time they have missed a meal or two in defiance, even the hamster is going to start looking good. Remember this is the same child you recently had to watch like a hawk to keep from putting EVERYTHING in their mouth! When you feel your resolve weakening, just remember - it isn't a bug or a chicken foot. Smile...and tell little Sweetums that THIS is what's for dinner.

I think it's pretty normal. You may want to check out Jesssica Seinfeld's book Deceptively delicious. You could put cooked and pureed chicken and/ or beans in some of her favorite foods like mac n cheese and pasta.

I wouldn't be overly concerned. Kids typically go through all kinds of phases when it comes to what they will and will not eat. It sounds like you are mostly concerned because she isn't eating meat to get protein. As long as she is getting things with the essential amino acids in her diet she's fine. In the US, sicknesses and complications that can come from a lack of protein are almost entirely non-existent, except in cases where there simply isn't enough food at all. There are proteins found in all kind of plants and grains. Try making certain that most of the carbs she eats are complex and whole grain. If you are truly concerned, try making baked goods from scratch mixing mashed beans or lentils into the dough.

My daughter is almost three; and going through this some. Some days she likes eggs and other days she does not. This is just one example. I only offer her healthy foods really. This morning I gave her a boiled egg, yogart and oatmeal. She told me that she didn't like eggs. I just ignored her comment. She continued to repeat and I asked her if she was done eating and she said no. Then she sat there for a while, then she started eating her oatmeal. Never ate her egg or yagart, but did finish her oatmeal. That was pretty much it. We go through this every morning. I have to get her up a little earlier mo b/c she sits there for 20 minutes just staring at her food, but she eventually eats something. I wold present three choices that you are content with then just leave it at that. If they are hungry they will eat what is in front of them. I think it isy daghter's job right now to test me on everything!

My 6yo had always and still is picky. I agree with the other comment. I serve one dinner and she can choose to eat what is for dinner or just not eat. Most of the time she eats at least a few bites. At lunch she usually has somehting she likes, so I am not concerned about her "starving". I also give her vitamins. My feeling is that she needs to learn what I cook is what is for dinner I don't have the time or energy to cook her somethign special each night. I usually let her choose what is for dinner one night a week (but she has to have had a good day at school/home in order to be able to choose.)

You need to quit cooking "for" your picky eaters. You need to plan your menus based on what you want to serve for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That is what is served. If your picky eater doesn't want to eat it, that is fine. Let them go hungry. And don't offer snacks inbetween, save their plate for those times they are crying and hungry between meals. It will be rough for a while but hang in there and stand firm (and make sure other adults in the house know what is going on and will support this.) After a period of time, your picky eater will be grateful to eat.

If your child is truly stubborn, you can also attach activities to their meals. Just let them know, "If you eat well at dinner and you don't fuss and cry over your food, then we will be able to *****." Then stand firm and NEVER give in and do ***** if they don't behave and eat at meals. Reward attempts. Praise in front of others. "She used to be so picky when she was eating but now she is bravely trying all sorts of new foods. I'm so proud of her!" etc.

I had one son who when he was 2&1/2 had to have a packed lunch one day a week when we were going to sibs piano lessons. It was a nightmare. No matter what I packed he would cry and not eat. There was a playground we passed on that day and I began to tell him that the day he ate his lunch we would stop and play. I cannot tell you how many times he would sit silently in the back of the van and cry while he ate his lunch because he wanted so badly to play at the park. Then one day he announced joyfully, "I ate it!" The tears part was over. (We did play at the park every day he ate his lunch, even during the period of time he cried the whole while he was eating.)

One other thing that will help this adjustment period...don't eat any fast food during this time. Serve healthy wholesome meals and forget the drive through exists. Stay firm...a hungry child will eat after a while. And they'll eat anything. So many parents are afraid to let their children go hungry. But it is an invaluable lesson. Hunger changes any and all eating habits.

VickiS

That's pretty much how my daughter is. Although I cannot control what she eats at the sitter, at my house, I cook one meal. She can either eat it, or not eat. I don't offer anything besides what I fix. May seem cruel but if she was hungry she would eat it. After all I am not serving up liver and onions. Soups, meatloaf in little muffin tins, veggies with dip, fruit, all kinds of different things. SOme days she eats it, other days no.