My 3 year old refuses to try new foods . What do I do ?

Question

Ok so he afraid to try new foods , and foods he hasnt tried in a while ( guess he forgets he's had it before and liked it ) . He throws the hugest fit and get tries to make himself throwup if I put a little on his lips....until he actually tastes it and realizes its frosting and then he wants it and stops the whole trying to make himself vomit routine .

He does this on purpose and it sucks . I dont know what to do .

I just need him to eat more than salami, beef jerky , hot dogs , and sweets !

OK and sneaking vegis in his food ....LOL ! He's smarter than that . I asked before and they said " oh just hide brocoli in grillied cheese. cut it up real fine " ........YEAH RIGHT !!!

He takes everything apart and inspects it throughly now . Thanks . Oh and make little happy faces and letting him cook his own food isnt working either !

Answer 1

stop buying salame, beef jerky, hot dogs and sweets.

you are the one providing the food, so stop buying those foods. he'll eat something when he's hungry.

do NOT make a big deal out of food. give him ZERO attention regarding foods. Don't ask him to try anything. Don't beg him to just l**k it and see if he likes it. Just put it on a plate and eat beside him.

when you are finished, leave him at the table and walk off.

at the moment the two of you are playing his game. it's time to take control again and remind him that tantrums don't work. easiest thing to do is ignore his protests, ignore his pleading. and if he wants to make himself throw up, just turn away ignoring it. once he's finished vomitting, hand him some towel "clean it up please". and put the responsibility on him, hence not playing his game anymore.

Answer 2

get some fancy formula stuff so he doesnt know he's getting it, then when he's older you have to be all like "eat it or no TV or wahtever you like to do"

Answer 3

When my kids tried to do this around 2 years old (they are 4 and 7 now) I put it on their plate and put it in front of them.  If they didn't want before trying it I didn't make a big deal out of it.  I just put it in the refrigerator and when they said they were hungry I put it back in front of them.  If they threw a fit I picked up the dish and put it back.  If they didn't eat it that is all they were offered.  After they tried it and they didn't like it that was a different ballgame.

Answer 4

you know toddlers are smarter than adults , he will eat when he is hungry, and then he will eat what ever is in front of him. if he doesnt like it no special dinners!

Answer 5

It normally takes a child tasting something on the average 5-7 times before he or she will aquire a taste for it. Keep trying.

Child Psychologists say the best thing is not to give in to your child's demands. They will eat anything if they are hungry enough. It isn't cruel to put a plate of healthy food out and tell him that he needs to eat what mommy makes. Even if he goes a day or two without eating, he will eventually give in and eat the healthy food. You may feel guilty about this, but he will be in much better health in the long run if you get him to eat healthy now.

Just make sure you are providing him with balanced meals. Give him a child's multi-vitamin and cut out juice, milk and sweets in between meals. This will make him more hungry at meal time and he will be more apt to eating what you serve him. Good luck!

Answer 6

what i do with my kids and my nephews, is if i cook something they have never ate they have to at least take one bit of it and then if they don't like it they don't have to eat it, but they are not allowed to leave the table until they eat that bite even if they are finished with the rest of their food.  if they cry or refuse they go straight to time out and when they want something to eat later they have to eat that bite or they don't get a snack, trust me they will learn real fast  its easier to eat that one bite than do without the things they like.

Answer 7

Honest answer... ask someone else to offer the food to him (such as his favorite aunt or uncle).  3 year olds are notorious for acting like angels for everyone except their parents.

Answer 8

My daughter was sooo open to trying different foods when she was 1 1/2, 2 years old, and ate good veggies as a baby. Then around 3 1/2, 4, it all stopped. And it was like she had dietary amnesia or something, all foods forgotten, as you said. There were days she'd consume nothing but milk, juice, and dry cheerios. At 4 y.o.! And no you certainly can not sneak veggies in, they are way too smart for that. The only remedy in my household has been time itself. She, at 5 1/2, is slowly starting to try new foods again. Have mercy, she even rediscovered green beans. Hang in there, dear. Depending on your pediatrician's recommendation, supplement with vitamin gummies or chewables on those really bad days.

Answer 9

I sneak fruit and vegys..by mixing it in the blender and calling it a milkshake, throw soy milk in there to get some extra vegys..it's just soybeans.

  I have this same exact problem...sometimes I just worry about them getting enough calories,  it's that bad, so I cave in fear.

Answer 10

Peer pressure works. I recently started doing daycare and my 4 year old son is the most picky eater I know. The other day I made sausage and eggs for the kids. He's never tried it before and would only eat his toast. When he saw all his friends eating it and saying how good it was he finally caved in. A little bribery didn't hurt. I did tell him that if he ate it I'd give him a sticker. He ate three bites of egg and two bites of sausage. Not bad for never trying it before, right? He even admitted that he liked it.

You really need to cut out all sweets for your little guy if you're going to get him to try new foods. Everything will taste sour or bitter or plain in comparison and it's not good for him anyway. You need to remind yourself that if he's hungry he'll eat what he's offered. Ignore the tantrums and act like you don't care if he eats or not. Eliminate the battle and he may give in. If you're persistent and don't cave in, you'll have him eating new food in no time. The first few days will be rough but it will be worth it.

Answer 11

Honey, that's just the way 3 yr olds are. Just keep trying and eventually he'll probably try some. LOL

Answer 12

Serious answer for a change. I read to my boys every night when they were young. When they got into that picky stage I started reading Dr Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham. We made a deal. If I fixed something they didn't like the looks of, as long as they at least tasted it, if they still didn't like it, they didn't have to eat it. I know 3 is kind of young for that, but I would just remind my youngest boy, "green eggs and ham" and he would usually try it.

And being the incredible cook I am, they usually liked what I fixed (except for the time I tried liver on them). Oh well, I liked it!