Having a Hard Time with My Son's Nutrition....

Updated on February 06, 2008
D.G. asks from Mays Landing, NJ
30 answers

My daughter is a great eater. She eats anything we make and always wants to try new things. My son is completly the opposite. He doesn't want me to put any vegetable in is plate or he pushes it and cry until I take it away . He never wants to try any food I make, he only wants to eat chicken nuggets, hotdogs and pizza ! He doesn't want eggs, cheese, meat, ham, pork or regular chicken ( only nuggets ), not even rice, potatoes or pastas ! Who doesn't like pastas !! Every night, we try to give him the meal that we eat, but he won't eat at all and he will go to bed without eating and wait for his breakfast in the morning. We don't know what to do anymore. I don't want him not to eat so I usually just give in and give him his chicken nuggets after a couple night of battle. He does eat some fruits like apples,oranges, bananas and watermelon. I tried juicing some oranges and putting a carrot or other vegetable in it. He doesn't like vegetable juice. I bought a book called ``Deceptively Delicious`` but the receipes that are in it, he won't eat except for some of the desserts. I also tried to hide vegetable in pancakes, and brownies. That works, but at dinner time, there's nothing I can hide stuff in it cause he tells me he doesn't like anything ...(I know it's not that he doesn't like it, he doesn't want to try it )That kid need some protein and vegetable in him, and not only chicken nuggets ! I need some advice ! Thank You !

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So What Happened?

Hi Everyone ! Thank you for all your ideas!! Tonight , I gave him a plate of what we ate, he did not touch it. I asked him to only have one bite of either the potatoes, corn or the meat at least,just one !... and he put his two hands on his mouth like I was giving him something terrible to eat ! I praised his sister for eating all hers, but it doesn't work with him. I did not give him anything else. I will try to not give in. I will try every night till he taste at least one bite of a new food and go from there. I have a lot of work to do...It will take a lot a patience. I will keep you posted.( I do give him a vitamin everyday since he's a baby)

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K.V.

answers from Philadelphia on

Danille,
Ellyn Satter is an author of some great books on getting kids to eat. I highly reccomend them!

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S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I have a similiar situation. My two older kids will eat almost anything. My youngest eats nothing - no pasta, no vegies, no rice. Peanut butter has been a life saver - I buy the low sugar kind and at least I know he gets some protein that way. We have tried the reward thing - giving him stickers for a new food - if worked for a very short time with no lasting results. He is a "super taster" and can tast even a slightest change in a food - forget about getting vegies past him. He also won't eat anything that has even a slight bit of spice in it. We give him lots of fruits, because he will eat them. As he has gotten older, he has gotten "less" picky, but not much. He is now 8 and most times will at least try a couple of bites of something. I don't allow him to eat anything other than what the rest of us are eating - if he refuses to eat it, he wont' get anything else. My ped said that as long as he is healthy and growing, and not getting sweets and drinks instead of good food, give him a vitamin and don't worry about it.

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V.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

OK .. this topic is one of my pet peeves! If you don't have chicken nuggets, hot dogs and pizza in the house then he won't be able to eat them! My husband or I cook a meal, that is what is for that meal! When I become a short-order cook I'll let my kids know! lol

If you are willing to give in to your kid .. and let HIM determine what he's eating .. then do it .. but if you really want him to eat a variety of food, then do it. I know that I will get flack for this attitude and that's ok. Who is the parent? Parenting is not a popularity contest .. and sometimes I hear the phrase "pick your battles" .. I totally disagree with that. If a military commander did that the war would be lost! This is not a case of warfare. This is you trying to ensure your child has a healthy attitude towards food. Have a family meeting. State that the food prepared for a meal is all that is available for that meal. If he cries and pushes it away, take it away. However do not allow the manipulative behavior to have his desires fulfilled. Don't give him what he wants. The rules are that you must taste everything that is one the table. You don't have to eat a full serving of everything. You are not allowed to call any food names i.e. gross, nasty, yucky .. etc. You may say "I don't care for that right now" or the equivalent. I allow my kids 1 food that they don't have to eat or even taste .. just 1. Everything else they must taste. People's tastes change over time. My one dd did not care for green beans, everytime they were served she would taste them .. finally after about a year or so she decided they weren't too bad, and now she eats them quite happily. I didn't fight about it .. I told them they would taste things. I also made sure there was at least 1 dish in the meal that I knew they would eat, even if it was only something like mashed potatoes. If they really, really didn't want to eat anything on the table that was ok too .. but there would be no food until breakfast .. a missed meal here or there is not going to hurt a child who gets meals regularly. One thing you need to do is stay calm, don't let his behavior affect yours.

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L.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

D., I've been in the same situation. My daughter, at that time 6, ate great and my son, when he was 3 or so, refused to eat anything white and healthy and had a hard time with chicken too. However, I totally disagree with the responses you're getting, respectfully. I believe kids only learn what WE teach them. They don't inherently know that hotdogs, chicken nuggets and other high fat, processed, high sodium, "junk" foods exist! You're obviously concerned about his health and are looking to have him eat better. Start right away... stop serving and buying the foods you don't want him to eat. Only buy the ones you do. He KNOWS the other stuff is in the house, he's seen it! You're destined to have him fight you, and destined to give in when the food is there. If it's not, he can't fight about it, and you eliminate that guilt you feel when you cave. Tell him, that food isn't here anymore, and here are your choices. I'd continue with trying to disguise food, but only for a little. It's so much work for you that you don't want to continue for the rest of his childhood PLUS you are sending a HUGE message to your daughter that you may not realize. Instead of focusing on your son's lack of eating, start commenting to your daughter how proud you are of how she eats well and makes good choices (in front of your son), and comment how strong and healthy she is b/c of it, etc. Continue to put the food in front of your son, and allow him to see everyone else eating it and enjoying it. He will not starve himself, I promise (a pediatrician told me this!). I did the disguising thing too, but I pureed soups loaded with vegetables, and if he didn't eat that alone, I'd use it as sauce over something. Make fruit smoothies, with yogurt... few kids can resist that. For added calcium, I add powdered milk too. I put in a ton of fruits that taste good together and not just the obvious strawberry and banana... try rasperries, pineapple, even kiwi etc. And read up a bit on nutrition as you'll learn nothing is more healthy than the actual fruit or vegetable. Fruit juice is loaded with sugar (and if he's not eating well, that's the last thing he needs more of), plus he needs the fiber. As a psychological maneuver, kindly point out kids who are sick or perhaps small for their age that he doesn't know, and mention "I bet he doesn't eat any vegetables/fruit/chicken/whatever" He'll get a subliminal message that eating those foods is tied to being healthy and strong, which it is! My son eats EVERYTHING now that I want him too, inluding omelettes loaded with green pepper, onion, chicken, cheese. He asks for more of everything. He eats homemade salsa, salmon, hummus, you name it and the regular stuff too. Chicken nuggets and that kind of food is considered a treat which he has when we are out, maybe a restaurant (but truth is I don't encourage them to eat from Kids' Menus either, b/c they're never healthy and don't teach them good things. Going to a restaurant is the best time to try new foods, and we really push that (I'll order from the adult menu and the kids share an entree). My daughter is now 8 and my son almost 6 and we giggle over the time I put chicken in the food processor and served it to him on top of mashed potatoes. He ate it all, unknowingly, said he loved it and asked for more, and my daughter and I winked at each other.

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S.D.

answers from Philadelphia on

Great news...your son is a typical little three year old boy AND he can still learn how to eat. It takes time and consistency. First of all, your son shouldn't ever have a choice of a separate meal than the family. Given that, I suggest that for the next week you do some meals for the family that is a comprimise to benefit him and his confidence at the table. Then you need to begin slow, but firm. Add a vegetable. There is no choice of on or off the plate. It is on the plate. He does have a choice not to eat it. But make a big positive deal about it. Like...'Hmmmmm...this broccoli is so yummy!! I bet you'd like it if you try it.' be careful not to overdo it tho so he doesn't receive attention for NOT eating his vegetables too. At meal time encourage eating, but don't force it. If he simply decides not to eat then tell him that is it until bed time. Absolutely NO SNACKS. NOTHING! If you even cave once, he has you. Secondly, you could try to encourage eating by offering a 'special treat' before bed. Whatever you decide, but some suggestions are healthy snacks before bed, extra bedtime story, staying up a little later, something. The key is devising a plan, having the consequence, and sticking to it. He knows what is expected from him and you can take the guilt out of your life. It sounds like food is being a control issue for your son and you absolutely do not want this. This can lead to eating disorders later in life. Offer him healthy choices, let him choose to eat them or not. Do not offer unhealthy choices as substitutes. He will eventually eat. Hunger will cave before his will, even tho it sometimes feels like the opposite. Another suggestion is to save his plate in the refrigerator. If he becomes hungry later, then re-offer him his dinner again. Eventually he'll get it and become a healthier eater. Good Luck!!

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M.C.

answers from Scranton on

The only "hiding" recipe I know of is Cauliflower mashed into mashed potatoes. Does he eat those?

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S.P.

answers from Scranton on

If you are giving him brownies and stuff, he is going to wait for that and not eat his dinner. If you don't give in, he will eat his meals. He's not likely to starve himself. Once you get him in a routine he will eat willingly. It's just that he is used to getting his way right now. You need to talk to him and let him know that he will not get any snacks until he finishes his healthy delicious meal first.
Don't worry so much about him getting meat, dairy and eggs in his diet. They are not healthy as you may think. As long as he is getting some protein from nuts and beans and even some greens, he will be getting enough. You don't need much protein per day. As long as he is growing, he is fine. You may want to look into a vegan diet if you are really worried about your childrens health and well being. Here are some links for you to look at, for some ideas:
www.milksucks.com
www.goveg.com
They have sections on kids diets, make sure you look at them. They are very informative. Good luck.

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A.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

It can take up to 10 presentations for a child to try a new food. Try desensitizing him to the food at a time other than mealtime. Put him somewhere different than where he usually eats his meals. (i.e. a kiddie table, or just a different seat at the kitchen table). Play with one new food you would like him to try. Move the green beans around in his favorite toy truck. Let him finger paint with yogurt. (oh yeah it's going to get messy) After doing this a couple of times. Slowly work up to putting some of the food you played with on a plate along with one of his preferred foods, but don't ask him to eat any of it. If he won't take it on the same plate at first , put it on another plate nearby. If he tolerates that for a couple of days, try giving the new food a kiss (so it's touching his lips). Baby steps is the key. 1 kiss, 5 kisses, 1 lick, 5-10 licks, and eventually 1-5bites.
There are Speech-Language Pathologists that specialize in sensory feeding issues. You might seek out their help.

B.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi D.. Boy do I know what you are going through!! My youngest was the same way!! She ate so many hot dogs and nuggets I thought she was going to turn into one!! LOL

First start him on a good multi-vitimen...they have gummy ones that the kids really seem to like, you can get them at Giant Eagle and WalMart.

Second get strong. The rule in our house is that you have to eat at least two bites of everything served. If you don't like it after two bites then you may have a peanut butter & jelly sandwich & milk. No deserts or bedtime snacks however. If you don't like it and eat it anyway...you get the "big" serving of whatever desert of bedtime snack. (only noticable difference is to the kids...they are so competive sometimes...LOL)

I also make sure that at least one meal every week is a favorite of one of my girls, or is something they want to try! It's been a long road, and we still have some dinner "ewwwwws" but we don't have the whinning and fighting anymore. Slowly but surely we are building a reciepe book that includes foods that all of us will eat. I'm putting them together in the computer to make cookbooks for my girls when they are ready to get their own homes!

If your son goes to bed hungry once in a while it won't hurt him. Many do it all the time because they have no choice and isn't that just a crime? Good luck & best wishes

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J.R.

answers from Allentown on

Your son can only eat the food you give him. So when you say that he will only eat chicken nuggets, hotdogs, and pizza; that tells me you are feeding him those foods frequently because you are afraid he will starve to death.

In my household (4 kids), those foods are served once per week, MAYBE twice on a week that is really busy. That is, if we have pizza during a week, we are highly unlikely to have nuggets another night that week. Hotdogs only get served about once every other month because there are SO many bad things about them.

We do serve healthy food. And our kids have a "healthy snack list" that they can self serve from any time of day--fruits, vegies, cheese, boiled eggs, whole grain crackers, peanut butter, whole grain bread, milk, juice with added calcium. We don't make a big deal about meals. We offer the food, if the kids eat, fine, if not fine. I don't want food battles turning into eating disorders. But the thing is, if they don't eat healthy at a meal, they aren't eating brownies half an hour later--they are eating something from the "healthy snack list." And if they do eat at the meal, it isn't because I bribed them with marshmellows. I don't care how tiny they are, the message is poor.

Now we did have a bit of a show down tonight with our 4 year old, who has a habit of eating half of a yogurt cup (the tiny ones) and then leaving the rest to spoil. "Technically" those are not considered healthy snacks (way too much sugar, not much fruit at all--I do keep homemade smoothie available in the fridge as "healthy snack"--the kids love it. 1 qt vanilla yogurt, 4 ripe bananas, one bag frozen fruit, blend together...anyway, I digress) in our house, so they are limited. But when we do have them... Anyway...he left one after taking two bites this morning, and hubby put it back in the fridge, and later got one of our girls to eat it--after DS had rejected it when he came looking for a yogurt cup. So nearly immediately DS realized that his sister was eating the yogurt cup we were trying to give him, so he figured that meant he could now get a new yogurt cup. We decided to let him have one--moment of weakness. But I told him that he must finish ALL of it before getting anything else to eat.

Well he didn't finish it by dinner time. So we didn't put his dinner plate on the table, and boy was he miffed! He wanted his dinner! He threw the yogurt cup across the counter at one point, which earned him some cool-down time in his room. Finally, after about 25 minutes of hysterics (including telling us over and over how he needed his 'pagetti,' and getting a clean plate out and say 'cuse me, pagetti please???' in the most adorable manner--boy was it hard to say "no, you need to eat your yogurt first,") it occurred to him that we were actually serious, and he ate the last two bites of yogurt in the silly cup. And proudly walked over to the counter and retrieved his dinner plate, which had been waiting for him the whole time.

Do I expect this to happen again? Of course. Kids test boundaries.

So bottom line, you might have to deal with some fireworks. But stand your ground on what you offer, let you son decide what to put in his mouth of what you offer, and in the end he will eat just fine.

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J.K.

answers from Harrisburg on

Have you tried Morning Star Farms food? They are veg. and taste great! My kids don't know the difference between them and other ones( neither does my husband). I would still try to keep giving him the veg anyway. It takes up to 20 times tasting a food to really decide if you like it or not. I wonder if he has a color or texture adversion to it? Reguardless, I would call my Ped. to see what he/she has to say :)

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R.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

You completely described my son. For about a year or more it's been this way. Mine usually eats a good breakfast & lunch, so I figure it's ok if he skips dinner (not really ok, but I know he isn't starving himself). For awhile we let him have what he wanted - PB&J, grilled cheese, hot dogs, pizza, mac & cheese, nuggets. But just recently we started to only give him what we were having. I make him take at least one bite before getting down. Last night we had hot roast beef sandwiches. When he finally took a bite, he realized that he liked it and ate half of the sandwich. I gave him lots of hugs & praise. Sometimes I give him a sticker on his chart for being brave and trying something new. Sometimes he does only take the one bite that we ask, but alot of times he'll eat more.

Does your son like raw veggies? Mine will eat raw veggies, but nothing cooked. He also only likes thin spaghetti (no shapes) without sauce. But he will eat meatballs with a little sauce. And he'll only eat scrambled eggs if they are covered in ketchup. Will he eat fish-sticks or peanut butter? Those have protein. Sometimes mine will only eat meat / chicken if he can dip it in something. Genuardis has a plum sauce (near the grilling sauces) that he really likes. And most kids love ketchup.

I would suggest you be patient. If he really refuses, then wait awhile and then try again. But don't start with what you're eating and cave in and give him a hotdog. Talk to your doctor to make sure he's healthy enough and maybe he'll have some suggestions. I've also heard that sometimes if their plate is too full, then they don't want any of it, so try smaller portions.

Good luck! I know it's tough, but I'm happy to say that the seemingly never ending phase finally has a little light at the end of the tunnel. We're not quite there yet, but it's getting better!

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L.T.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I've pureed veggies and put them into spaghetti sauce. I've also put baby food into sauce. You could make pizza and do the same with pizza sauce.

Do you think he would eat homemade chicken nuggets? You could maybe added some finely chopped veggies to the breading.

What does he drink? You could occassionally add pediasure to his milk or offer him something like Propel fitness water instead of water or juice. A nurse recommended that to me when my son was sick and refused to eat or drink much.

What if you come up with a reward system for simply trying a new food? Maybe read an extra story at bedtime.

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T.H.

answers from Philadelphia on

My daughter-in law is having the same trouble with my grand-daughter. Her pediatrician suggested buying a book written by Jerry Seinfield's wife (not sure of the name of the book, but I'm sure you can find it). It tells you how to disguise veggies and fruits in baked and cooked foods. It's worth a try, until he gets old enough to understand nutritian. Hope this helps! Pediasure in between won't hurt either.

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E.R.

answers from Philadelphia on

I told my co-worker about your son and she sends her best wishes because her daughter only ate turkey hotdogs and applesauce for the first five years of her life- for every meal!!! Her daughter is now a healthy eater, but it was interesting to find out that she did have a peanut allergy which kept her from liking alot of foods. Your son may just be going through a "I'm in control" phase, but maybe check him out for allergies if this continues.

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J.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi,

as I see from reading through the responses...we all feel your pain. :) My kids are the same way.

My only advice is...only offer what you want him eating. He'll still be picky, but the pickiness will change to his favorites within the healthy diet. My 2 year old survives off seaweed, rice, mango and berries, eggs, bread, butter, yogurt, and cereal. And he loves sauerkraut. Try giving the kid corn or carrots - you'd think i put liver in this mouth.

Anyway the point is...let your kid be picky becuase he wants to make choices, but let those choices be good. He'll overcome it eventually!

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C.W.

answers from Scranton on

Dear D., I offer you, more than advice, my empathy. My daughter started as a great eater, I made her baby food and slowly introduced her to new foods and she was fine.... until she went to preschool. For three years all she ate was white pasta, white rice and white pizza, broccoli and fruit. I had the same worries you have. Her doctor reassured me that she was in good health and maybe that was enough for her. Things slowly (very slowly) changed as she got older. She is now 16, very healthy, loosely vegetarian and still a picky eater. What I can suggest is that you talk to your child's doctor and make sure he is healthy and that should help reassure you. Then keep offering whatever food the rest of the family eats, but without pushing it. Try putting only 2 or 3 things on his plate: one that you know he likes and one or two other and tell him to eat what he wants and if he does not like something to just leave it on the plate. Then do not rush, try to linger at the table talking with the rest of the family... who knows, maybe he'll get curious. It is also worth trying vegetarian hot dogs and nuggets. One last idea, we always end our meals with fruit, so if my kids did not get enough veggies they at least get fruit. Here to try to offer something you know he'll eat and also something else.
I hope this will help. I know it is tough, but you are doing the best you can for your child.
Good luck,
C.

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M.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I have the same problem but with all 3 of my boys- 11, 8 and 4. My middle son used to be a great eater until my older son got a hold of him and told him everything he was eating was gross, etc. I make sure they get multi-vitamins and hope they grow out of it. I tried holding off and making them eat what was served but they all went on a hunger strike more or less, they didn't seem to miss eating.

Good luck!

M. D.

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L.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

Alas, I have the same problem. My oldest son is a terrific eater. My younger son (4 1/2) is the picky one.
My advice is to keep offering him the healthy stuff. And I do ask my son to try new things. Since doing this, he has discovered that he loves potatoes, carrotts, peas, pasta and pancakes. But we have also discovered that he HATES couscous and rice and mashed potatoes. I'm realizing that texture has a lot to do with it for him.
Also, just ask him to take one bite. If he genuinely doesn't like it, then don't make him eat it. Give him another healthy alternative that he DOES like. (If my son hates what we are having for dinner, I'll let him have peanut butter on whole wheat.)
Good luck. And I hope your meal times are happy times!

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C.K.

answers from Philadelphia on

You could check out Juice Plus- I know they have a website and I've seen a vidoe of Dr. Sears talking about nutrition and a bunch of different ways to get your children to eat well. One idea he had was to fill a cup-cake tin with different things in each cup- blueberries, cooked carrots, peanut butter, yogurt, string beans, strips of cheese. My children love dipping and munching from the assortment. I don't say anything- just put it on the table and let them go for it.
Good luck, I know this is a very stressful topic.
C.

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M.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

We have had a very hard time getting our daughter to eat anything. We had had enough and then found this wonderful book online called Food Sense. The website is kidsfoodcenter.com It is amazing and I recommend it to anyone who struggles with their child's eating. I know how stressful this really is so I hope you find some help from this.

C.W.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I have been in the same boat since my daughter was turning two, she will be 4 on Saturday. I still can't get her to eat much. don't like spagetti, meat, stopped eating the only veggie she ate. I fianlly got her to eat hamburgers just recently and just yesterday she asked for an egg sandwich and then ate it. But normally it is chicken nuggets,hot dogs, corn dogs, buttered noodles, mac n cheese, grilled cheese and bologna sandwiches. She doesn't eat much fruit, drinks milk,drinks juice good(i buy her the harvest one from juicy juice it contains veggies)she loves breakfast great. My ped said let her eat what she wants she is getting her nutriants from somewhere. She is healthy as can be and her iron is great and everything. Hopefully she willl grow out of it sometime. good luck.

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C.Y.

answers from Philadelphia on

have you tried the harvest surprise juice? it has veggies in it too and its good,even i drink it along with my 4 year old! lol

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D.F.

answers from Philadelphia on

I feel your pain, literally! My 2 year old rarely eats anything! She won't even try pasta sometimes! I comfort myself with the Carnation instant breakfast that I add to her milk (she could live off of milk) and the vitamin I give her every day. The anguish stems from the fact that our main role as mothers is to provide appropriately for our children. I think I'm going to try the juicing thing, though.

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M.G.

answers from Scranton on

D.,
I am in a Mom's group in Clarks Summit and there was just a really interesting exchange about picky eaters in that group. One of the members of the group is a pediatric OT and sent this message to another Mom who couldn't get her son to eat.
"My daughter is 1 1/2 and gets presented with whatever we are eating. I always give her a few bites of whatever it is to introduce her to a variety of things. Continue to always present your child with whatever you are eating. DO NOT force your child to eat it. Put it on a plate or tray and if he doesn't eat it but touches it (you just made progress). If you see him not wanting to eat it make him pick it up and put it in the garbage (to get him to 1st touch it). Next time he isn't going to eat try to get him to smell it and throw it away. Do you see where I am going....go through all the senses and lastly maybe to put it in his mouth and spit it into the garbage (so he gets a taste of it)in the hopes of him liking it and eating it."

My own daughter is just 1 year and eats well, but if we run into struggles over food in the future I plan to try this method. Good luck!

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S.O.

answers from Philadelphia on

The spaghetti sauce is good advice - you can slip a lot of vegetable (diced or pureed) into that. My son was super picky about his eating like that for a while, but he did like a special veggie juice called "Monster Juice." I think it was from Whole Foods. Working it burgers and muffins and such are also possible. He would also eat raw veggies if he had something to dip them in. Good luck! Makes you wish you never gave him pizza, right?

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S.P.

answers from Buffalo on

Hmmm... Well, I haven't gotten to 3 yet (my ds is 2yr) but I'll offer some suggestions and you can do with them what you want:) Don't cave in, even after a few days. Explain (in 3yr old terms) that he needs to eat a wider variety of foods to grow big. Try preparing all foods in simple ways you haven't already (if that's possible). Make a couple of veggies a night and have him try at least one. A friend of mine cooks veggies in broth to give more flavor, you could try that. try making a veggie platter for dinner and offer dips to go with it (healthy dips)... I assume everybody else eats veggies/variety because if he sees even one person not doing it then that may be why he won't. Get some books/videos from the library on healthy foods (kid versions you can show him). Try making a game out of it (who can eat 5 peas the fastests?). Well, that's it for now, I hope this helps, and I'm sure others will have some advice too:)

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K.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

I know your pain! My daughter is 3 1/2 and hardly ate anything until just recently. She would sometimes eat apples with the skin off, but other than that, it was just dry cereal, chicken nuggets, chicken noodle soup (just the noodles, and it had to be the Lipton thin noodle boxed kind) pancakes and snack food. Your son sounds a lot like her. I called the doctor, and she said that my daughter was probably getting more nutrition than I thought, and not to worry. She suggested giving her a vitamin until she started to eat better. (The gummy, sugar-free ones work well because they're like fruit snacks) One thing the doctor said was not to give her a separate dinner just because she didn't like what we were having. She needed to learn to eat what we were having for dinner. For a while we decided to just have things that she liked for dinner. I made homemade chicken nuggets...cut up boneless chicken dipped in egg then Italian breadcrumbs then fried in a little olive oil. We'd have the same thing as cutlets instead of nuggets. We would also have breakfast for dinner...pancakes (with applesauce added...she never knew, and maple syrup so it wasn't so much sugar) and eggs and bacon. Soup was another meal that worked for us and the rest of the family would eat sandwiches. After a while, I started to add things she had refused before, and she wanted to try them. Her stage lasted well over a year, but there is hope. Things quickly got better when I took the doctor's suggestion. She even ate pork chops, broccoli and rice the other night. Another thing that worked well with my daughter was peer pressure. I invited a friend over who was a good eater. My daughter wanted to try some things that she ate. One thing that worked with my son (who wasn't nearly as bad...it would have never worked with my daughter) was for every bite he took of his food, I would add a mini marshmallow from our hot chocolate can to a pile. When his food was gone, he could eat all his marshmallows. All together they probably didn't even equal one large one. :) Good luck! K.

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J.D.

answers from Philadelphia on

maybe you can try some veggie hot dogs? or make your own pizza, and add some carrots and other veggies into the sauce, and under the cheese where he hopefully won't see it?

maybe have him help you follow a recipe, or help with preparing the food? go through a cookbook and see if you can get him to pick something out. maybe it's a control thing?

I hope this helps!!!!!

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H.T.

answers from Pittsburgh on

This is my 2 yr old to a tee! What about popscicles? I make my own with pureed bananas, strawberries, carrots, whatever I have in the house and then I add a little juice. There's just something about a popscicle!

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