Question for moms with young children

[chinchillalady]

Ok...so my son Gabriel is seventeen months today. We've been having an ongoing problem with his eating habits.

His problem is he's very picky. I know that's generally a normal thing with toddlers, but he's REALLY picky. He loves his chicken nuggets, but won't touch anything else as far as meat goes. He won't touch his veggies, either. I'm glad he likes chicken nuggets, but there's more to life than just that.

We've spoken to his pediatrician about this for what seems like a bajillion times. All they ever say is "keep trying." We've been trying, he's just not wanting to eat anything else as far as meat and veggies.

Any suggestions?

 

[SunshineChins]

I was once told by my MIL that when my children were hungry they would eat. I have always worried that my picky eater son never gets enough nutrition. My son who who now is 8 still refuses to eat certain foods and almost lives off of peanut butter sandwiches. His ped. seem to be fine with the fact that he is a very picky eater even though I wish he would eat more veggies.

When I went to my childcare classes for my home daycare license they just told us to each day put the item we wanted the child to eat on their plate. Don't force them to eat it , don't put alot on just a small amount. Then as the days (or weeks) go by they would get used to it and eventually (hopefully) try it. I did this with broccoli and now my youngest can't get enough of it. Peas on the other hand we are still working on. LOL I would just keep intro'ing food to your son and hopefully you can find a veggie he likes. If not .. don't worry my niece who is 2 lives off of Ramon noodles and chicken nuggets and is in the 50% percentile when she goes to the doc.

 

[Meredith]

Yep, keep trying. And keep trying different things.

My little boy had a hard time with meat because it was difficult to chew. But the thing that won him over was giving him something to dip the meat in.

He would eat ANYTHING if he had ketchup to dip it in. So for a long time we always had ketchup at the table.

But now he's over that phase and eats whatever I put in front of him. I cook one meal for dinner, we all sit together & eat, and that's that. So that routine really helped him open up to different food choices.

He has no other option at meal time, he sees Mommy & Daddy eating the same thing, and that's all she wrote! He gobbles up chicken, beef, fish, pork, etc. and eats any vegetable (as long as it's steamed) and even loves tofu.

It's not hopeless! Just give him as much variety as you can, and keep in mind things will get easier as he gets older and he can communicate with you better!

 

[alli713]

I obviously don't have any kids, but are you eating the same things as him? If he sees you eating them he may be more likely to want to try them. Make a big deal about how good they taste, and maybe he'll be more willing to atleast try.

 

[Jenn]

You have to keep introducing the food over and over again. I heard it takes like 13 times, or some such number, of trying the same food before your child may take a liking for it. I have two boys. One is very accepting of any food, the other one, at age 8, still doesn't like to try anything new. But at toddler age, you put it on their plate and encourage them to try it. Make sure they see you enjoying it as well. Don't push too hard, they are bound to push back. But eventually he will try it and may even find out he likes it. But again, don't despair, even if he doesn't like it now, his taste buds may continue to develop as he gets older and he may like it later on down the road.

 

[tskoffina]

When my son was little he was the same way. He still doesn't really like veggies, but will eat most meat if you tell him it's chicken.

 

[Midwest Exotics]

I have to agree fully with what meredith said.

My mom never cooked two meals for us kids & i refuse to do so for mine. If he or my husband dont want what is cooked, there is almost always cold cereal or oatmeal to eat. =]

Also, you can try hiding veggies & other foods in certain recipes. You could also possibly try to make your own homemade nuggets & perhaps stuff them with some type of veggie?

Good luck! My son is just as of very recently getting over this. Im ever so thankful!

 

[Laurie]

My son was never a picky eater which is probably why today he is 6'5" and weighs 240! One thing I can tell you to try is to just have him a couple of items. Put like 3 peas on his plate and tell him he has to eat at least three. My grandma did this with us and in time I grew to eat everything except in my case, liver, tomatoes and berries. Anything else I will eat. Look outside the box for any and all kinds of fruits and vegetables and not just "standard" faire. We grew up eating brussel sprouts, rutabaga, parsnips, beets, kiwi, kumquats, mangoes and papaya and most of my friends had never heard of such fruits or vegetables.
I know Meredith commented on dunking meats in ketchup--if it works I say go for it. Also you could try cheese sauce on most vegetabels or cream them with white sauce. Creamed spinach and cabbage are delicious as well as peas and corn!
I know none of these sound like very healthy ways to enjoy the vegetables but there has to more of a life out there for him other than chicken nuggets!
I hope in time you'll find more things he likes to eat. BTW Gabriel is really cute!

 

[Aneesa's Muse]

My children aren't little anymore, but they went through it ...and I remember one of my 1st grade students a few years ago having a serious weight issue from being so finicky.

With my own, and that little fella, I offered a good variety of vegies and fruits ..but only a bite or two of each new thing ...and I would eat some of it in front of them, of course. My daughter and son were big on finger foods, as toddlers mostly are, and they would try colorful and crunchy foods quicker than they would overly cooked, mushy textured foods.

The 1st grader was more interested in food once he was more engaged in the food choices ...going shopping with a parent, helping with preparation, and so on. Depending on your own son's maturity, you may engage him in picking some produce on your next shopping trip ..or letting him help a little in the kitchen ...making homemade pizzas or dredging his own chicken pieces in the flour before you fry them up.

Perseverance and patience ...it will happen soon enough!

 

[eroomlorac]

I had this problem with my oldest son and I was a very nervous Mom over this. My pediatrician said sometimes they need to get familiar with new foods. Put a little on his plate each time you have something new. Let him get familiar with it's look and smell, eventually, when it's not so new, he'll try some. In the meantime, my pediatrician said, snacks must be nutritious, like fruit, yogurt, etc. My son ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly, mac and cheese, hot dogs, etc. But like Laurie's son, he is now a fine, healthy adult. Do NOT make it a battle because this is one you can never win. I did get this particular son of mine to eat broccoli a few times because I told him he was a dinosaur and the broccoli were trees and dinosaurs eat trees. It actually worked, but only once or twice. Don't fret. He'll outgrow this and he'll grow up into a healthy man. Wait until he's a teenager and he won't STOP eating. :rofl: That's a whole different problem.

 

[Moonlight]

I have a fussy eater. We have a 2 pronged approach.

They get dinner put in front of them and if they don't eat it they get it taken away and they don't get anything else until the next meal. There is no fuss, no you must eat... We also find that she eats much better when we serve dinner in dishes on the table and she takes what she wants.

The second thing is to play with the food, not at meal time. playing with cooked food eg pasta in sauce, rice, lentils... vegetable printing (with non toxic paint), mashed potato sculpture... encourages them to get involved with the food and chances are they will eat some (just like when they play with play doh). The only limitation is your imagination. Our kids also help growing fresh fruit and veg which they then like to cook. The girls are 18mths and 4.

 

[Jenn1]

My son is a picky eater he eats what I make or he does not eat. I dont go out of my way to cook things he does not like but im not going to make a bunch of different meals to suit everyone. I say let him eat what he will eat, his body is not going to let him starve and get some vitamins and maybe supplement with something like boost shakes.

 

[Meredith]

I was once told by my MIL that when my children were hungry they would eat.

This is totally true... but ONLY when they aren't getting food outside of the normal meals. If they refuse a meal but then get snacks afterwards there's no point in them ever eating a proper meal.

We have the tried and true "if you don't finish your dinner then no dessert" rule. But I apply it to every meal. You didn't finish your sandwhich for lunch? OK, but certainly if you're so full you can't finish your sandwhich then you don't need anything else until dinner.

But if our son does finish his meals he gets a little something in between meals.

 

[jessica]

I have a two year old boy (named Gabriel too) and usually he's a good eater but this is what has worked for me in the past when I've had problems. All I can suggest is offer the vegetables first before the nuggets and if you are doing beef try serving it to him stewed really soft and hidden in something like rice or mashed potatoes with the veggies mixed in too. Also make sure that it's not too bland. My little one won't eat food if its not tasty enough.

 

[Jenn]

I think you have to be a little more patient with a child under two. You can't force them to eat, only encourage them to try new foods. Put one or two foods on their plate that you know they like, and put a couple of new foods on as well to try. Try the new food with them and make a big deal about how good it is. Also, small kids have small tummies. Sometimes several small meals can work better than 3 basic meals. Just food for thought

 

[tskoffina]

My son had asthma problems when he was little, and due to the meds he was on, he went from the 90 something percentile in height and weight at 10 mos to the Teens at 18 mos, so I worried about him not eating enough. I don't believe in deserts when he doesn't eat his meal, but if he says he's hungry, I'm quick to offer an apple, banana, carrots or other healthy snack.

 

[ForCHINate Chins]

I fell into that trap of making something different for my daughter when she was little and now she's still a picky eater at 12 years old. I decided not to do that with my son and he eats what we eat. There have been times that he doesn't want it, but pretty much as long as he sees us eating it..he'll eat it. If he chooses not to eat then he has to wait till the next meal like the rest of us...no special treatment etc.

Basically....if they're hungry they'll eat...they will not starve themselves. He has days where he'll eat everything in sight and days where he doesn't want anything at all. One think I'm glad that I did is to always always always offer him vegetables. When you ask a 4 year old what he wants for dinner and he says Broccoli.....well..its just awesome LOL

keep trying! he'll overcome it as long as you stick to it. try hiding it in something that he does like! Make mac n cheese and cut up broccoli in it, or something like that. Put veggies on pizza, hide it in spaghetti sauce...get creative

Also....it can get messy but let him "help" you cook. My son would eat anything if I let him help make it!