My daughter is 4yrs old going on 5 in Sept. She still is having problems with eating. Only things she eats is PB&J's, Cereal,Pop Tarts,and pancakes. And she also wants to drink more then eat. We try getting her to eat what we have but we always gatta tell her to eat because she just sits there and plays with her food or watches the tv. Everybody told us she will grow out of it but i don't believe them. So if u have any suggestions please tell me.
Maybe you could have her help you make lunch or dinner and also maybe give her choices if she would prefer corn or green beans.
Turn off the tv. Don't buy poptarts. Prepare a meal, explain that this is the meal and there will be no snacks. Complaining means going to bed hungry. Yes, a 4 yr old will survive going to bed hungry.
Model the eating behaviors you want her to have.
Keep lots of fresh fruit and veggies ready to eat. Make a chart of the foods she needs to eat - proteins, fruits, veggies, grains - and tell her she may not have anything but water or milk to drink until she has those checked off for the day.
There's really nothing wrong with PB&J and cereal, as long as it's not the super-sweetened cereal. I allow my 8 year old to fix himself Grape Nut Flakes after dinner - IF he honestly tried the dinner and didn't care for it but didn't complain about it.
Turn off the TV. My 15 month old has issues eating when the TV is on. He pays no attention to his food or just plays with it if something is on TV. If we turn it off he does much better. She's also old enough that if your having something, at least make her try it. A friend of mine makes her kids try at least 1 bite before giving them something else to eat(and normally, they'll eat it) or just make her go hungry and she'll eventually learn that if she doesn't want to go hungry she'll eat.
I give my picky eaters "milkshakes". They are the Equate version of Ensure, which is kind of an adult version of Pediasure. That stuff is too expensive, but the Equate stuff is only $4-something for 6 cans. Even if they don't eat anything, I know they are getting the calories and vitamins they need. You could try one of those for a meal your daughter doesn't eat, or with a meal, or before bed.
Hang in there!!
J.
Ok, I have a suggestion, but it won't be easy... and it won't be fast. I agree it's smart to supplement your child's nutrition when they aren't eating. Do you give her vitamins? Multi-vitamins have always increased my children's appetites.
But I wonder if she has developed bad habits because she knows you'll eventually let her eat what she wants because you want her to have food in her tummy? I know I would if I thought my child would go hungry otherwise.
Perhaps you should get rid of the foods she eats too much of, and maybe after a while, she'll eat some healthier foods. Although I have been know to have it on during meals, I agree with the other mothers on the tv subject too. It can be very distracting.It could be the reason she is taking so long to eat.
Best of luck to you and your family.
S.
Does she snore alot at night? Does she get sore throats alot? My daughter ate really easy to eat foods like that and she drank ALOT. It turned out that her tonsils were HUGE and she had to get them out. She ate those kind of foods because they were easier to get down. She ate alot of applesauce and yogurts too. After she got her tonsils out she ate pretty much anything. She wasn't as picky because she could swollow everything better.
J.,
Turn the TV off. Dont buy poptarts. Buy fresh fruit, and let her help you pick out several different kinds (apples, cantaloupe, grapes, bananas). Let her choose what she would like on any day. Fix her what you are having for dinner, and if she doesnt eat it, she can go to bed with nothing, and certainly no sweet snacks unless she eats well. She will not go hungry. Sooner or later she will decide to eat what you put in front of her. Always give her a choice (you can eat, or you can go to bed). At some point you have to take the control out of her hands and put it back in your own.
Good Luck!
L.
Hi Jennifer,
I would say first make sure you guys are sitting down at the table to eat dinner. also shut off the tv before you guys start eating and tell her to shut it off. Then I would not give her anything to drink until dinner is over and she has ate atleast for awhile and when you do give her water then you can build up to juice or something like that. Then make sure she isn't eating a snack to close to dinner time including a drink. I give my kids a glass of juice if they want something to drink before dinner and they can't hold out till its done this way its not filling and it goes right thru them. hope this helps W.
My son is also 4. First of all, I agree with the other moms, turn off the tv, sit at the table and have a family dinner. It's better for all of you. Believe it or not, eventually your kids will appreciate that. Most of my friends from childhood say that's what they loved about eating at my house was that my parents sat down with all of us for dinner and we talked about our day. It will also help your kids learn to communicate, and as they get older it shows them you care enough to give them some of your time. Next, in our house, if I cook dinner that's what my son eats. If he doesn't want it or claims he's not hungry I let him get down from the table, but he knows that he won't get any snacks, juice or chocolate milk. His meal will be there waiting for him. If he comes back to it later and eats some of it then he's allowed to have the yummy things he likes. It is important to break the picky habits now. It's okay to not like everything, but kids need to be open to new foods. If you don't teach her now she will never grow out of those bad habits. Good luck!
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I too was a picky eater and would not eat much and I turned out just fine. Unless your doctor is concerned about your child's health then you shouldn't worry. I would suggest that you turn off the tv. I never had that problem, but I know when my son is old enough I'm going to have to do it with him because it takes his dad forever to finish a meal because he's too busy watching the idiot box. LOL!
The nutricianist at Children's Mercey Care Clinic suggested we put Instant Breakfast in our daughter's milk to help boost vitamin, protein and calorie intake.
Good luck!
The first thing that you need to do is turn off the TV Your child should not have to use her brain to watch and her brain to eat. Young children need to be in their frontal lobe that is the front part of the brain to be in control and that is required to eat. Also yoiu might try putting something red under her plate, it won't make her eat, but it will tell her brain that she is hungry. This is part of the latest brain research. also give her things she likes in limited amounts and with this introduce a new food.
Dinner time needs to be just that. The focus needs to be on food and family time, not cartoons, news etc. Turn the TV off and talk to your daughter. Try talking to her about your day, hers, your husband's whatever - just talk. As for the food thing, I have a 1 yr. old son that has trouble putting on weight but I can't give in knowing that he will eat a waffle if I put it in front of him. He gets what's for dinner and that's it. Same with my 2 yr. old daughter. My pediatrician isn't concerned even though my son is in the lower percentile for weigh. He says he has yet "to see one starve". Getting her eating habits under control now will only make things better for you and even your son in the future. feed her only smart, healthy foods and she'll come around...Best of luck to you I know how absolutely irritating feeding them can be!!
