Son Won't Try New Foods

DON'T WORRY!! If you cajole, threaten, bribe him, it will not be worth the effort.

From the list, it seems he has a VERY well balaced diet!! And, he is young.

Don't bribe him with sweets and cola or make food a "big deal." He and his appetite will set limits and needs, and as he grows older, he will add some of the new.

My daughter (now 40) ate only chicken, chocolate milk, apple juice, crackers and peanut butter for YEARS! She is fine, healthy, and smart.

Relax and praise him for eating ANYTHING at that age!!!!

My son is in the 4th grade and eats less that this.....I'd consider yourself lucky if he'll eat everything you mentioned. Those are all easily packable. My son won't eat the apples with peels (which means they'll be brown), won't eat granola bars, peanut butter, cheese, pretzels. Not sure it's anything we did wrong as parents but I CAN tell you that my baby girl is eating everything. I'm putting everything I can in front of her! :) Good Luck!

My son just started kindergarten, hes a picky eater too, and doesn't like things mixed. I have been sending him a sandwitch with ham and cheese on wheat bread with no mayo. I also send him tortilas and cheese and pepporoni, he will also eat some stuff cold like mac and cheese and pizza and fried chicken. At home for dinner I usally feed him what were having, if its a casarole then I give him the componits seprate. If children are hungry enough they will try it. In the past couple of months we have gotten our son to eat hamberger meat and sasage and even a cassarole with biscuits, eggs, saasage, and cheese all things he likes just hadnt eaten together, he was hungry enough and he ate it and loved it. So the moral is even if he doesn't like it give it to him, if you never give it to him he will never have the chance to try it, if hes hungry enough hell eat it and if not then oh well, he won't starve.

I don't have a picky eater like your son (well, time will tell on the almost 2 year old), but you've gotten some good advice. Fortunately, he likes healthy options that are good for lunch now, and well balanced. If you really want to push him , you could try introducing new foods for lunch on weekends when he's home, and what you fix is what he gets- no matter what. You could make sure that one item is one he likes (like PB sandwich, instead of on crackers since you know he likes PB; or cheese, crackers, and add ham/turkey slices or turkey pepperoni), and another item is new. If he goes hungry, he'll learn next time to at least try it (this is assuming it's not sensory, and just purely being picky). Once you establish this, you could eventually begin sending variety in his lunches, and he knows he either eats it or he's hungry. He's old enough to understand the concept that he has to try it or eat it or be hungry, so that's where I would start if you really wanted to puash the issue. Otherwise, he just gets the same thing for lunch everyday. Also, if he likes hot foods (hot dogs, chicken nuggets, pizza, soups/spaghettios, etc.), I have used a thermos for my son's mother day out program and it's been wonderful to allow for some more variety.

I agree that it should not be made a big deal. This battle is not worth it. My oldest son is skeptical of new foods. I usually have to serve it 3-5 times before he tries it.

My grandmother bribed us to try new foods. A penny a bite for new foods. Five pennies if we cleaned our plates. It was a nice approach. There was no pressure. No requirements. Just a reward if we tried.

You could always send the lunchables that have those items in them or just send a variety of these items you know he will eat in his lunch. However, keep fixing him a plate of whatever you & the rest of your family are eating at dinner time and on weekends so he is constantly introduced to new foods-- eventually he'll try them! You may even make the foods he currently won't eat "fun" by putting a "dip" with them for h to dip into, or make them fun shapes, etc! My now 3 year old was an extremely picky eater as well until recently.

If all else fails, I know a wonderful dietician who specializes in pediatrics her name is A. Lemond and her contact # is ###-###-####!

Good luck!

dear c.t.:

I can relate to your predicatment. You are not alone! My four year old girl has been that way since 11 months old! the doctor assures me she will go to college healthy and eating "normally" (although nowadays with so much obesity, what does that mean, right?). She only eats crackers (Saltines and no other brand!), sometimes apples or rarely bananas, dry cereal, cheddar cheese (only that kind and no other cheese), plain peanut butter (only JIF and no other brand), cashews, bread (just about any kind!), Gerber fruit strips (try those, they are a life saver even if they are baby items!) and Disney fruit gummies. She loves pretzel granola bars but won't eat any other kind. What I don't get is if she eats bread and she eats peanut butter, why won't she combine them and eat a sandwich? She won't open her mouth and eat mac and cheese or try it, or anything else new. We have to cut the crust off of pizza in order for her to eat "pizza" but she really isn't eating anything but plain bread there! Always looking for suggestions.......

Sounds just like my oldest son who is now 8. I truly feel your pain and it is not your fault. My son will peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, not carrots or cheese but will eat some more fruits like banana, grapes and watermelon. He has sensory food issues. We even took him to Our Children's House of Baylor in Allen for about a year when he was 6. We did see some improvement but he doesn't eat anything that can be ordered at a restuarant. A few things they had us do was kiss the food and throw it away which was almost impossible for my son to do. Then once he could do that. Take a small bite and spit it out. Then move to take a small bite chewing it and spit it out. Then move to swallowing the bite. You can increase the bite size and number of bites. He did get to swallowing a bite. Even took on new foods like grapes and some different flavored crackers and chips. We have not been going for a year because it is a long drive and we had another baby. I can usually get him to kiss and throw away and take a bite and spit it out but that can take a lot of effort. We have had many conversation about being healthy. It was really eye opening to see how hard it was for him to touch some of these foods - let alone put them in his mouth and eat them. Another idea is to change the way you give him the food - different types of crackers or peanut butter, cut the carrots or apples differently, give him different types of cheeses. Start with the categories of foods he will eat and change them just a little bit.
I am curious to know if he has any other sensory issues. We really notice it until my son got into kindergarten. Good luck. Send me a PM if you have any other questions. They told me a Baylor that if a child truly has sensory feeding issues - it is a myth that if they get hungry enough then the child will eat. Many people may tell you that but unless you are not going to feed your child for days and days - I don't think these children are going to eat anything. You will just have a grouchy little boy to deal with.
I forgot to add there is a big difference between a picky eater and a child with food aversion. I have both - one is at least willing to try food and the other one - no way even going to touch the food.

I was a picky eater- not because of anything my parents did wrong- as was my brother. I remember the thought of trying a new food as being traumatic. The texture was more than I could bear. If I couldn't handle the texture or taste I would gag adn throw up. Not a good feeling. I was worried abotu staying the night at friends houses because I thought they might tr yand make me eat someting I could not handle and I would be embarrased. I did not even eat macarroni and cheese. God forbid you put a casserole down in front of me. What my parents did for us was make sure we had plenty of the healthy foods that we could handle.
Although your son's diet is limited, it is still fairly ballanced. Protein, carbs, fruit/veggies, dairy. If carrots is the only veggie he can eat them give him carrots. (This was the only veggie I could eat) I would not force feed him because this will just make him more resistant to anything new. There will be a negative association with foods and meal times in general. I would however present him with all foods and not make him a seperate meal. Whatever you make for a meal put it on his plate along with a small amount of foods that he does like to eat. Don't make a big deal out of it or even mention it. "Just say here is your plate. This is what we are having for dinner." This is what I do with my own son. He might not eat a new item the first 6 times I put it on his plate but then the next time it is so familiar, he is used to seeing it, he is not forced and he just picks it up and puts it in his mouth. Sometimes he actually likes it and we add it to the list. Familiarity is key with kids in many aspects.
I will let you know that it is true- your taste buds do change. With maturity and education he will out grow many of his aversions. I am now a well ballanced adult and I can survive a dinner party with ease. As is my brother. It may take 10 years before he eats salad but he will get there.

I have a 3 bite rule. You must take 3 bites before you can decide you hate it.
Yes I have a picky eater too. Even he follows my rule. If they are hungry they will
eat. To begin I'd start small with a slightly different fruit or granola bar. Then you
can work on new tastes.

edited to add: i forgot another thing that works! for family meals, i put 4 things out on the table. one is the main dish that everyone loves, another a side dish that is also loved by all, then a side dish that is a maybe for the kids, then a wild card dish. tell the kids to eat 3 of the 4 items. if they don't choose, you choose. the first month or so that you do this, they will always avoid the wild card. but then it's common enough that they may try it. if they do move it to the maybe side. even the maybes take a while to move the love it side. yes, do meals that you know everyone loves, but don't cater to a picky eater (yes there is a difference for food sensitivity children.)