Picky eater help

Katerina - posted on 09/21/2009

My daughter (now 3.5) went off her food around age 2 and my son is now doing the same at 23 months... I am thinking it might just be an age thing? The trick for me is that when time permits I will get them up on stools at the kitchen bench to help me, even if it's just pouring milk in the cereal at breakfast, peeling off a slice of cheese for a sandwich or telling me which way they want their veges cut at dinner time. If they help me make the meal and I sit with them to compliment their effort they are far more likely to eat. Also I have perfected the veg-smuggling minced meat mixture, that I use in all my pasta, meatball and hamburger recipes- add zucchini, carrot, beet, any subtle-flavored veges and a dash of bbq or soya to mask the colour and VOIALA they eat it. V8 juice is also a staple in our home. One last tip is to invest in some shaped cookie cutters (I was fortunate enough to find a car for my son and a rag-doll for my daughter) and pile foods like mashed potato, rice etc into it, then decorate it with the rest of the meal... My son adores his mash car with meatball wheels and bean racing stripes! Good luck :)

Ashley - posted on 09/18/2009

My little guy is picky as well. I give him Poly-vi-sol Vitamin drops every morning in his apple juice because of course he wont take it alone.

Elena - posted on 09/15/2009

My daughter is also very picky. People have said dip but then she just eats the dip...plain! Tonight I cooked a garden burger in some oil over the stove. I cut it up in bit size. Scooped some apple sauce on a spoon and put a piece of the garden burger on top...she ate it!!! Keep offering different food. It looks like you posted this a few months ago. :-)

Brandi - posted on 09/11/2009

Try mixing in veggys with whatever you possibly can. Some examples could be adding tomatoes and 2% shredded cheese into her eggs, omlet style. Trust me, it works.



Another really awesome idea is mixing in tuna with her mac n cheese. I NEVER thought my daughter would go for it, but she loves it. She also enjoys that same meal with peas added in to it.



And of course, the all famous, peanut butter and bananna sandwich!

Mischelle - posted on 09/11/2009

my 23 mo old likes peanut butter lollipops...(on a baby spoon)

Katee - posted on 09/09/2009

I have a few suggestions.

#1 Always sit and eat with your child and eat the same thing that you are serving him/her. If they see you eating something, they are more likely to be willing to try it.

#2 Don't offer something different just because he/she is not eating what you serve. Your little one will eventually eat and you will eventually offer something that they already like. I try to have at least one item at each meal that is a true winner.

#3 Don't force your little on to try what you are serving. I usually put the food on the fork for my guy and then set it on the plate in front of him. If it has been a couple minutes and he hasn't touched it, I will lift the fork up to his mouth. If he won't take it, I will set the fork back down on his plate. I will repeat this a couple of times but I only encourage him. but I never say anything forceful about having to eat or try what I am offering.

Hope some of the things that worked for me work for you!

Sheila - posted on 09/02/2009

My daughter spent a couple of days off her food so I got some MILD chicken curry (in a tin), it is so mild it tastes like casserole and served it with rice and veg. I did eat some curries when I was pregnant and when I was breastfeeding so I thought she might appreciate returning to the flavour.
I gave her chicken kiev today today which she loved. Both she said were 'beautiful'. I could have wept!
I'm also doing some stir fry vegetables with a low-salt soya sauce, just a dash which has also been popular.
I'm sure next week she will be bored of this too! lol Sx
Oh and I'm eating with her too which has seen an increase in volume. Thing is if I keep eating what she does I'll end up putting on weight!! Oh well. Sx

Sheryl - posted on 08/17/2009

my son is the same way. the doc said offer him something if he doesnt eat it will become his dinner. He said he wouldn't strave. i just can't bring my self to do it lol

Shannon - posted on 08/14/2009

My son 22 mos only eats finger food; plain bread, grapes, chicken nuggets, crackers, and he loves a waffle every morning. What kid doesn't like mac n cheese?...Mine. When we try to feed him from a spoon he turns his faces and screams at the top of his lungs.

Gayle - posted on 08/11/2009

My son is picky in a way. He would only eat green beans for a veggie. I also did the V8 thing because you can get it with the servings of both fruits and veggies. My son now has incorperated carrots ( only if they have been in a crock pot with a roast), sweet corn off the cob. My son is not big on meats at all. He will eat it if it has ketchup or some type of tomato sauce. He is a pasta eater to, but only whole grain. I still offer other the things he doesnt like. I try to get him to take one bite atleast. I never force. Also try pedia sure with fiber. It give the nutrients and things that your daughter isnt getting. When my son doesnt eat well I can always get him to drink that.

Christina - posted on 08/01/2009

My children will eat anything if they have something to dip it in like ranch or ketchup. I figure if it gets them to eat their veggies then it can't be that bad. Also, if they see you eating something and you keep offering it to them, eventually they will start expanding their tastes. Good luck! The food battles seem to be never ending.

Stefanie - posted on 07/31/2009

I am going through the same thing with my 21 month old daughter. Just this last week I have seen huge differences... thank god.. I hated hearing a daycare she did not eat and then would come home and unless it was a fish stick for dinner she just would not eat. I also did the V8 juices for her and my peace of mind. They have lots of flavors. We just ate mac n' cheese this week... yeah.. I could not make eye contact for fear she would stop. I guess I really don't have any good advise other than your not alone.

Marie - posted on 06/04/2009

my little one loves her soups. i make them in a big batch usually with which ever veg i have in the fridge at the time, e.g carrot, broccoli, celery, potato etc. then freeze it into child portions so when she has a day of not eating much or is teething, i just defrost a portion and that way she gets a good healthy meal that she enjoys. this doesn't work for all kids but you could give it a try with a 'normal' recipe first for the whole family then go from there. A few nights i have been so tired i have just feed everyone with the soup and it went down a treat.

Shelly - posted on 06/03/2009

I sneak veggies into any type of pasta. My son loves spinach but will throw out every other kind of veggie out there. He is quite picky as well. Another thing I try is put the stuff I know he doesn't like real well on his plate first, and let him take a bite of each of those things before I put the stuff like mac n chz on there.

Heather - posted on 06/02/2009

They say to just keep trying new things over and over and over again. Have you tried V8 juice to get her the veges? My daughter loves her v8, which is shocking. Also, my daughter will be more likely to eat her meat w/ bbq sauce on the side. Maybe trying a dipping sauce will help.