My son wont eat meat. He will eat vegetables and fruits but anytime we try to get him to eat anything like fish, chicken or any kind of meat, he refuses. Any suggestions on getting him to eat.
I have decided to talk to his doctors and see what they suggest. They told me about trying the different suggestions you all gave me. He is taking a multi-vitamin and taking pedia-sure to make sure he is getting the vitamins and minerals he needs. I will keep trying to offer him meat and meat alternatives.
The only way mykids would eat meat is if they had Ketcup. Eventually they grew out of it, but they ate it with every piece of meat for about 8 yrs. GOOD LUCK!!
Does he HAVE to eat meat? My daughter is very picky (as am I) sometimes, they grow out of it, so just keep on offering it to him in differnet ways. Also, if there is an older friend, cousin, etc. that he looks up to, that might help. 'Mikey likes it, wanna try it too?' But I just suppliment my daughter's diet with a complete daily nutritionl hybrid to help her get everything she needs and then I don't stress about it too much. She may be like her Momma and never grow out of it!! lol The one she takes is in a powder and tastes like fruit punch, so I mix it with her OJ, water, ice cream, yogurt, and she loves it! If you want, I'll get some info to you on it. email me @ ____@____.com! Good Luck!
Well first i guess my question is did he just start this or has he always been this way? if he's always been this way i wouldn't push it, some kids are more or less vegitarians by chioce, just make sure he gets his protien from other sources. if it is something new then it's probally just a phaze and he'll start eating again sooner or later, jsut keep putting it in front of him and encouraging him to try things and supplement with other items high in protien in teh mean time.
Try feeding him fake meat, meat substitutes are high in protein. My daughter rarely will eat meat, but eats a lot of veggie meats willingly. They have fake meat chicken nuggets, corn dogs, hamburgers available, etc. plus they're not loaded with fat. I think some kids just don't always like the texture of meat. Will heat eat beans? Beans and rice make up a complete protein, so if that is something you're worried about with him not eating meat, maybe he will like that. Good luck!
Unfortunately you can't make them eat anything they don't want to at this age (and even if you could, it would be at a great cost emotionally), and as the others said you really don't HAVE to eat meat so why worry about it. The more you make an issue out of it the more he's going to "dig in his heels," and refuse. Just make sure he is getting protein from other sources (like combining a grain with dairy or some kind of bean) and keep offering different kinds of meat. I read somewhere that it takes 10 times of trying something to create a taste for it (if you initially don't like it). My rule was always "try one bite and I won't make you eat any more if you don't like it" and I stuck to that (I did not badger her or anything if she said she didn't like it).
Hope that helps!
Lynn
I think this is a normal phase kids go through. If he wan't eat meat try other foods to make sure he gets enough protein like peanut butter, beans, etc. The more you make it an issue, the more he will try to fight it.
B.,
My son did the same thing for over a year and a half...the doctor said not to worry, he'd come around. We joked that we had a 'self-imposed vegetarian'! Our miracle was ketchup. He dips everything. I know it's nasty, but at least now he'll eat chicken and fish. (still won't touch red meat). You could also try hotdogs, chicken nuggets, and lunch meat. They don't have much nutritional value, but they might get him used to the consistency.
Good Luck!
As long as he doesn't have low iron or something like that I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep pffering it to him- I'm sure eventually he will begin to try it:)
If you are concerned about nutrition you could try meat alternatives. I put my dd on a multivitamin for the same reason as well (who now eats meat and no veggies- go figure!)
My husband and I and both our kids are vegetarians. If its the case where he just doesn't like the taste of meat or fish, I agree with the other moms and just go with the flow, giving him cheese, lentils, yogurt and beans, and wait to see if he changes his mind in time. If its the case where he is aware that he's eating animals and doesn't like the idea too much, there are a million and one vegetarian "meats" in the freezer section. Morningstar Farms and Boca products are so yummy and close to the real thing, he won't notice the difference. There is also "Fakin' Bacon" (as our family calls it) and vegetarian lunch meats, too. You might want to give those a shot.
When my 8 yr old was little she would not eat meat either, the doctor told me to let her eat what ever source of protien that she would eat, so she ate alot of scrambled eggs.....
My nephew(who is now 22 and is a meat eater)went through a phase like this when he was around the same age, maybe a little older. We just made sure he was getting enough protein and iron from other sources (beans/tofu/cheese)until he started eating meat again. Also, make sure he's taking a good vitamin, just in case. If you don't try to force the issue he'll probably start eating it on his own.
