Picky Eaters...

Shannon - posted on 04/28/2010

Wow someone has multiple personalities lol your son's to skinny don't feed him for a wk he will eat when he is hungry! lol :o) Kelly, people tell me my son is too thin and he is not by any means he weights 26 lbs and is 35 or so inches tall.

Kelly - posted on 04/28/2010

Thanks Shannon! I was really concerned about his weight that week--He was 4 yrs old and weighed a whopping 26lbs! He lost 4lbs that week and I freaked out. He is 5 now and 34lbs. His Dr says he is healthy, just small, & I don't need to be concerned about him being too skinny. My family, on the other hand, thinks a baby looks sickly if it doesn't have fat rolls. They like to say I'm "starving him" yet they are the same people who had me not feed him for 4 days....lol.

Shannon - posted on 04/27/2010

Hi Kelly,
I think the 1 item from each food group before repeating is a great policy!! I Eventually he will probably out grow the no foods mixed together thing...might take a long time though lol when I was little I refused to eat anything if it touched on my plate, I would eat stuff mixed but not if it wasn't meant to be :o) You know your child best and after 4 days I would have thought he was in it for the long haul too! What do ppl want you to do starve your child? Even a few pounds weight loss can be dramatic in such a little person! My son screams if he is hungry and has since birth. He will be happy and smiling one minute and then he realizes hes hungry and man watch out! Not kidding, even as a baby, ya know most kids show signs not Kian it was smiles and screams I had to be very perceptive about his habits or it was a total meltdown! Point being hungry child not good, for them or the poor mommy dealing with that cranky butt! I don't see anything wrong with what you are doing! Everything I eat Kian wants so that is great but there are times he decides he's not digging it and I am not going to make him go hungry cause he doesn't like it. Now that is not to say I prepare him a whole other meal, hell no, I am not a short order cook, but I will give him fruit, veggies, cheese, yogurt, whatever just so his belly isn't hungry! You doing great and it is your family! You are not being lazy by making sure your son is fed, happy, and healthy!

Kelly - posted on 04/27/2010

Thanks, Ladies. That's pretty much my philosophy. We only offer healthy choices, the least healthy thing he eats is the occasional handful of goldfish. For the most part, he LOVES loaf bread--plain bread or dry toast, and if I let him, that's all he eats. So the rule is he must eat one food from each food group (not including meat) each day before he can start repeating (i.e. have more bread or applesauce).
He eats several veggies and a few fruits, he just doesn't like foods mixed together, so things like shrimp 'n grits, casseroles, stir fries, and such are all out of the question. He also refuses meat, and I'm okay with that for now, so we usually end up heating a pot of peas or plopping pears or applesauce on a plate for him while I cook our dinner. It's so easy so I don't see it as an inconvenience (one of their main arguments is that he is spoiled by me cooking a veggie for him), but then I wonder, am I being lazy by not making him eat our food?

I tried only offering him our food one week and he held out and ate NOTHING for 4 and a half days. I finally caved and gave him some corn, which is HORRID on a digestive system that hadn't processed any food for 4 days. Everyone said he would eat if he got hungry enough, but I seriously don't think he would have. I still take heat about giving up on that method--and it was HARD!! Do you know how cranky a hungry kid is?? They obviously didn't.
I also just don't feel like it's worth the hassle to make him sit at the table all night until he takes a bite. I know he won't take the bite, so I haven't tried it. Am I being lazy by not giving it a shot?

Dana - posted on 04/26/2010

I agree. There's nothing wrong with offering a variety but I'd wish you good luck if you were to try to 'force' him to eat new things which is basically what you'd have to do :) I think most kids are picky at some point or another and you're lucky that he's at least eating healthy things. My daughter is going through a picky phase at the moment and her food of choice is chocolate. Not that she usually gets it, but that's all she wants. So glad she inherited her daddy's sweet tooth and vegetable aversion... :)

Shannon - posted on 04/26/2010

Hi Kelly,
I seem to think pretty much the same as Jessica haha :o) He is eating healthy, its not like he refuses to eat well, just refuses to eat variety. I really don't see the problem. I think family and friends tend to think they are being helpful or concerned but come of being PITA's! I would strive to give him something new to try every day because I have read that it takes quite a few times trying something new for a little person to accept it. I don't think I would PUSH him to try it because then he really might dig his heals in. All and all though I feel that if hes eating healthy and at a healthy weight what does it matter? Yep, thats how I feel lol :o)

Jessica - posted on 04/26/2010

IMO- I think as long as HE'S healthy and his foods are healthy, then what's the worry! I mean, let him eat what he wants, but I guess it doesn't hurt to throw in something new from time to time. just keep trying it, but don't FORCE him to eat it, b/c then he'll never want it! A lot of kids are more open to new foods as they get older. Esp once they start school or whatever and their friends are eating different things!