Picky eater.... what can I do?

Question

My son up until he turned 4 a couple of days ago, I would make him his own special meal in addition to the family meal at dinner time, because he was so picky. Well I told him "when you turn 4 you are going to eat like a big boy and eat what mommy makes" well i have read many different opinions about what to do if your child doesn't want to eat. They say let them get down and play and then later when they are hungry feed them what they would have had for dinner.... well the first night went great, he ate most the stuff on his plate and since he didn't finish (a very small amount) then he didn't get a dessert. Well last night he wouldn't touch the stuff and went to bed with no supper last night. I feel horrible...... anyone got any other ideas? He is so stubborn he'd rather go to bed hungry then eat something new..... he is already skin and bones and I worry about his health.... HELP!

Answer 1

Really the only thing you can do is keep offering him different foods and such! Maybe talk to doctor about getting on some kind of vitamine!!

Answer 2

From what I've read and been told, a child will not starve himself.  Whatever you make for dinner, offer just a tiny portion, if he says no then give him something he does like but in a small portion and say that's it.  Then from what I've read eventually he may do this for up to 3 days then will slowly start trying what you are making.  Does he like ketchup or mustard, salad dressing?  Dip some foods in maybe a condiment he does like to let him eat it that way.  I do that with my son.  It could be a phase too, but if this is long term and you are really worried, then maybe you could see your pediatrician who will evaluate his growth.  If he/she has concerns then they can refer you to a pediatric nutritionist who can help.  Try not to worry too much as long as he is eating and drinking something.  If he hated everything then I would be more concerned.  The only thing I wouldn't do is bargain, say he does eat dessert if you say, eat your chicken then you can have dessert.  Then you run into he will associate eating things he doesn't want with always getting dessert.  Then you can run into a bigger problem.  Also try making the food into shapes, adding smiley faces, whatever you can do to make it more enticing.  Lastly try and stay calm or he'll sense how tense you are and could make him more reluctant.  Good luck!

Answer 3

I watch my neices and nephews all the time and kids will eat anything you put on a stick!

It's like a meal from Ronco!

Also let them help make parts of it and tell them what a great chef they are...

Man-I am soo good with kids. Definately get the cool uncle fav relative award-right here- send it to my door.

Answer 4

First of all, you can stop worrying that he'll starve to death. There is no child on earth so stubborn that he won't eventually eat.

The best thing you can do for him is to put him on a daily children's multivitamin. They have them in a million different shapes and flavors, so you should be able to find one he'll take.

Also, make sure he's taking in plenty of fluids - mostly water. If he's not eating much, you'll need to make sure he doesn't get dehydrated because a lot of the water we take in is actually from what we eat, not drink.

Finally, just be consistent with making him eat what you make him. The #1 thing that children need in order to learn is consistency. Don't waver because you feel bad, because if you do, he will figure out that he can get away with being stubborn until you give in.

Here are some things to try:

-Give him the same food, but present it in a different way. One poster mentioned putting it on a stick, or you could make it into a funny shape, etc. When I was little, my parents let me use cookie cutters on practically any food that could be cut. It's amazing what a kid will eat just because it's shaped like a bunny. You could also make mashed potato snowmen or funny face oatmeal with fruit, etc.

-Food coloring. Especially with boys...turn something blue and it's amazing what they'll eat.

-Add cheese. This works particularly well with veggies.

-Let him help you decide what's for dinner. Give him some leeway...if he loves macaroni and cheese, but hates green beans, have them in the same meal. Give him something besides dessert to look forward to. That way, you know he'll eat something at each meal. The trick here is to only give him a small portion of what he loves, and then he has to eat what he hates before getting more of what he wants.

-Mix things up. I don't really advocate hiding foods in other foods, but if you let him put foods together in unusual combinations, it might make them more palatable. When I was a kid, I hated steak, so whenever we had steak my mom always made mashed potatoes. She cut up my steak into very small pieces and let me mash it into the potatoes, and I ate it. It can work for a lot of foods.

-Don't ask too much, too soon. There are some battles that are best saved for when your son is older and more mature. If you know he really, really hates a food, don't serve it in the first month or two. Stick to things he hates less until he develops a broader palate. He may never be ready for some foods! (My husband still won't eat mushrooms, and he's 27!)

Good luck! Just be consistent and it will get better eventually!

Answer 5

You aren't a restaurant.  Making a separate meal isn't something you want to be doing forever.  Can you give him smaller portions?  Give him dessert for finishing what he can, say at least half the plate.  Cut the portion of dessert too

Answer 6

I have a 2 year old girl and a 4 year old girl, they both tried that on me one time. I made something new and they wouldn't even touch it! I told them that this is what I had made, if you are hungry, you will eat it. They didn't. They also went to bed hungry, but do you know what? They never did that again. Even when I made the same meal the next week, they ate it up. Just be patient. If you're concerned about your childs health, and wethere or not its okay to do that, talk to your pediatrician and ask them what they think, if it would really hurt your child or not.

Answer 7

some kids are different then others especially when it comes to new food. if your going to make something new. have him help out. its a great mommy and me time. while your doing this ask him what all the different colors and textures are. (of course make sure he washes his hands good so he can feel the food for texture). he'll get great enjoyment out of this. and there's a good chance he'll eat it. however it can take a child seeing the food up to 20 times before they even put it on their fork. and another 10 times before they finally try it. i've had kids at my preschool who would not touch their lunch at all for the first half of preschool year. but then the other half they pigged out. so just give him time. keep him sitting at the table at supper time like you have been with a plate of food. keep mentioning how good the food is. ask him to try bits of it. say me and daddy will take a bite of this if you do. make supper fun.