Picky Eaters

**Justajerseygal** · Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:44 am Post subject: Picky Eaters

My daughter is the world's pickiest eater. Listen I know you think it's you kid but you're wrong it's mine. Here are a list of things she eats:

PB&J but only on white bread and grape jelly with smooth PB.
Chicken Patties/cutlets/nuggets but the already breaded kind, if I make if from fresh chicken she wont eat it.
Mac & Cheese but only from a box and no easy mac
Cereal, chocolate is her fave
Hamburgers (no cheese) with ketchup only
French Fries, hashbrowns, and tatertots; but NO other potato styles
Hotdogs
No Lunch Meats or cheese
Pasta with marg. and grated parm. cheese only
Peperoni or plain pizza
Meatloaf but only if I bribe her
Carrots & corn but only a few spoon fulls/pieces
A variety of chips
Chocolate bars

She will go hungry instead of trying something new. My friend suggested having her help me cook, I did that, she still wont eat it. So anyone have any ideas on how to get her to eat or things I can make?
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**JaevenStar** · Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:10 am Post subject:

I can honestly tell you right now that there is little you can do for a picky eater other than make new things for her to try but forcing it is NOT going to work. I am the second worlds pickiest eater (my friend who I met much later in my life beats me hands down). My entire menu of foods I would eat as a child/teen/young adult would have been shorter than your daughter's. As I grew up, I got brave enough to try new things and found out I liked a lot of what I tried. However, the more people FORCED, teased, harassed, pushed or in any way put me in the spotlight to try new food, the more I refused. (I also found out I have a serious texture issue as well, which I still struggle with as an adult.)

I am really nervous that one of my daughter's is growing up like me. They both are willing to try new things, but it takes us making it three or four times until they trust us and begin to really like it. We have learned to be patient and willing to make a second meal for them if they are not willing to eat what we want for dinner. My husband is a SAINT for putting up with my pickiness. He really loves going out to dinner so he can order whatever he wants!!! LOL!

Hope that sheds some light on the subject.
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**BeautifulDisaster** · Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 1:26 pm Post subject: Re: Picky Eaters

Yep- my little one will eat about 3/4 of that list, plus apple sauce. My older one will eat nearly anything, so I'm pretty sure this isn't a parenting issue (they have the same parents, after all)-

My best strategy is bribery. My kiddo will at least try nearly anything if followed up by a promised sweet. When the holidays come around (Halloween, V-day, Easter. . .) we stash all the candy loot in a bucket on top of the fridge and dole it out a piece or two at a time. This is also her morning reward for staying in her bed and being dry!

Her daycare provider assures me she eats well there, and I know she does eat better earlier in the day; I just see her more consistently at dinner. Does your kiddo do better during a specific meal? If so, concentrate your efforts there.
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**Justajerseygal** · Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:18 am Post subject:

**flaherty1013** · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 7:59 am Post subject:

Your daughter actually eats a fair amount! You can try to make her choices healthier (make chicken nuggests instead of buying them, turkey hotdogs instead of pork, whole wheat pasta).

My son will eat graham crackers, apple sauce, yogurt and milk...and that's it! I supplement his diet with pediasure. Try using this for your daughter. One or two a day should provide her with all the nutrients she's not getting from food.

Offer food, make her sit with you at the dinner table, and be patient. She'll come around one day. And, try to remove certain things from your pantry - like chips - one item at a time. If it's not in the house, she can't eat it! (Doesn't mean you can't stash any away for mom, of course). Laughing

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**Inzilbeth** · Newborn Joined: 24 Feb 2008 Posts: 10

I just finally got my 4 year old to eat something other than Chicken Nuggets. I always hated going to my in-laws house because they would just try to force him to eat stuff. He usually either a. wouldn't try it or b. try it and spit it out. I've found that the less you push them the more they are willing to try it later on their own.

I have to say though I am not one to force anyone to eat anything, I'm still working on getting out of the habbit of always using platic bowls. I can't stand the way a spoon sounds in a glass bowl. Also I can't eat peanuts because the squeek when you chew. The list goes on. (not to mention how much of a picky eater I am).

Just give her time, she might suprise you and ask to try something you have on your plate.

**crookedsmile** · Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 3:11 pm Post subject:

I am a believer in putting things on their plate & if they don't eat it, that's fine. My 4 year old did not eat meat much when he was little, but I would always give him a little bit of what we were eating as a family. He didn't eat any of it for the longest time, but in the last 6 mos or so he has come around to trying whatever chicken, steak, etc. we're having. Don't be afraid if your child does not want to eat too much either. If they don't want to eat dinner, that's fine - they'll make up for it in the morning w/ a bigger breakfast most likely. My 4 yr. old does have pediasure once in a while, but keep in mind that it is a very filling drink & they are less apt to eat something afterwards.
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**Justajerseygal** · Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 2:25 pm Post subject:

I gave her pediasure when she was little and she hated the taste of it. I haven't tried it in a while.

I make chicken often and sometimes she eats it and sometimes she doesn't. Depends on how much mojo I work with her on it lol. I usually make wheat pasta because it is healthier. I try to replace her staple items with healthier ones because of it. I don't give her many options of we'd be eating waffles and pizza for the rest of our lives. I have already had to eat mac and cheese 2 times this week and SHE is making it on monday for dinner for everyone, with hotdogs! I taught her to cook something on her own so she is excited. *sigh* Rolling Eyes

I used to like mac and cheese I am more then over it now.
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"I make the cowardly lion look like the terminator."

**iluvedward** · Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 2:35 am Post subject:

Ditto to everything said....I have 4 kids and they've all gone through stages where it seems like they don't eat ANYTHING (it's amazing how LITTLE can hold them over sometimes when they are young) to stages where it seems like they can't get full. My kids live on mac and cheese, top ramen, chicken nuggets, cereal AND pb sandwiches.....even BEFORE Twilight this was pretty normal. I cook different things for them to try but usually hear at least one complaint.....I would love to say that I always feed my children perfectly nutritious and balanced meals....but that would be a HUGE lie. Someday they will expand on the foods they will eat so I just try to not worry as much as I used to and I give them vitamins to supplement.
I wouldn't eat pizza until I was 12 (I didn't like tomatoes or tomato sauce---CRAZY) but now there are not many things that I won't eat. I'm sure they'll be the same way!

**DeegansMommyTrish** · Topaz Vampire Joined: 31 Jan 2008 Posts: 1036

Thank goodness my child is not a picky eater!!!!!!!!!

I am such a picky eater I thought it would be unavoidable that he would be as well.

Have you ever met a 25 year old who has never even tasted

Mayo
Mustard
Ketchup
Lettuce
any fish
salad dressing
sour cream
If any of these things are even on the plate near my food I wont eat the food.

I could probably make a list that is 2 pages long.

**twilamarie2003** · Poll Ninja Joined: 29 Nov 2007 Posts: 2170 Location: Utah

Ahhhhhh! The joys of parenting! I have very picky eaters and am a vegetarian myself. So cooking is no fun. The best thing we ever did is I fix what I fix. It is too hard to only fix meals "everyone" will eat. So I fix whatever was on the menu and our deal is this:

They need to atleast try it (if it is something new) and then if they don't like it, they are free to make themself something else to eat. But it has to be something they can make, will eat and completely clean up on their own. Even if they are eating hot dogs for dinner every day. Eventually they will outgrow it. My oldest is slowly but surely outgrowing it. Yeah!

This has worked out fairly well. I only cook one meal. They are eating something and I don't have a nervous breakdown every day at dinner when no one wants to eat what I fixed.

Good luck! Very Happy

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**Kellbelle** · Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:24 am Post subject:

My little boy will not eat any type of vegetable at all. He will only eat chicken if it is breaded. He likes meatloaf, as long as I make beef gravy for it.

I have done things to confuse him so he will eat them and not know it. In my spaghetti sauce I grind up the vegetables in a food processer and add them in. I put in mushrooms, carrot, celery, peppers, calamata olives, and onions. In meatloaf, I pretty much do the same thing. I grate up the veggies and mix it in.

He doesn't even know it is there. It has been a lifesaver for me to do this.
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Roslyn · Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 6:23 am Post subject:

At lunch I let my kids be more choosy about what they're having, but at dinner I only make one meal. The kids have to try everything at least once, and I usually try to include at least one thing that the pickiest eater will eat. I've read before that it sometimes will take being exposed to a new food 15 or 20 times before kids will develop a taste for the food. I don't force the kids to finish their plates, but if they want a snack/desert later they have to eat enough of their dinner to please me (eat three more bites of your chicken please, for example). My youngest was pretty picky as a toddler up until he was four or five, but now he eats most everything that's put in front of him (even salad).

We did a lot of other tricks as well to encourage their eating, especially when they were young and reluctant to try that first bite. You can play games, like pretending your a giant and eating little trees (broccoli). Or open the barn door and let the little pig in before it rains (mouth is the door, pig is the bite, and be sure to make the animal sound as you go.) If you have boys then this is particularly effective: Suppose you're serving squash, then choose one of their favorite superheroes and casually tell them, "You know Spiderman's favorite food is squash. He eats it all the time." Then be prepared for a discussion of all the superheroes favorite foods which just happen to be healthy foods. Wink

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