extremely picky eater...help!

Jyoti Kapoor - posted on 07/31/2010

Hi,
When children are at this age they have changes in there eating schedule. Sometimes u will find that they are eating very nicele and relishing any thing but at times you will find that child is not eating his /her favroute thing also. So what I can suggest u is keep calm don't worry it is part of there growing up. You just have to keep on trying with a smile and satisfaction that if child is not eating now he will defenately eat when he will be really hungry. If child'd health is fine , his growing is fine then do not worry else u need to visit pediatretion.

Jasmine - posted on 07/31/2010

thanks everyone! i think i'm gonna try everything...hopefully something will work

Renae - posted on 07/30/2010

I am going to tell you what the professionals (psychologists and paediatricians) would tell you. Let it be. Do not fight kids on food. Kids, especially babies, dont have much control over anything, so they exhibit control over the one thing they can control - what they eat. The more you fight it the worse it gets. There is great a doctor phil episode about this and a kid who had only eaten 3 things for years. I'm sure you can find it on their website.

This IS a phase. Continue to offer variety (just offer what you are eating so you aren't constantly cutting up or preparing food that will only be thrown away) and he will eventually get bored of the same thing and WANT to try something new. Dont let people stress you out about his vitamin intake or anything like that. He is eating FRUIT! That is far better than most picky eaters of his age. If you are worried you can get a vitamin powder that you can mix into his oatmeal or whatever he will eat. You can also offer some toddler formula which has loads of nutrients in it.

Sarah - posted on 07/30/2010

Try cutting his sandwich in different directions or with a cookie cutter before setting it in front of him. For the rest maybe switching it up to finger friendly cereal (fruit loops/ cheerios) with breakfast maybe yogurt (tons of flavor choices) instead of applesauce or if he still enjoys applesauce let HIM put some cinnamon on top- with your help of course. Maybe instead of chicken nuggets- fish stick and my boys will eat almost anything as long as there is ketchup on the side for dipping.
And don't cave if he wont eat what you put in front of him! It is kind of a test to see what your response will be when he refuses to eat. He will not starve himself no matter how little it looks like he is eating. Keep putting things in front of him and if he wants to eat fine, if not keep that plate until he comes telling you he is hungry.
Good luck

Regina - posted on 07/30/2010

My sister-in-law would reheat whatever it was my niece didn't want to eat. I know this sounds mean, but it worked. If she didn't want to eat what was fixed for dinner, she would reheat it for breakfast. Same for all meals. After a day and a half, my niece got over her pickyness. She still does it occasionally, but now she is more willing to try new things.

Ericka - posted on 07/30/2010

well he does need some variation in his diet to be/stay healthy. it sounds a little mean but sometimes you have to tell them that they have to eat it or they have to go hungry. i dont want you to starve him but he has to know that he isnt going to get what he wants to eat all the time and that he has to atleast take 2 bites of something. my daughter tries the same thing sometimes and i tell her she has to sit at the table til she has atleast 2 bites of the things she tells me she doesnt want. normally i get her to take a few bites and then if she tells me she doesnt like it i will give her something i know she will eat. if that idea doesnt sound like something you can do i recommend hiding veggies and fruits in things he does like. you can get some really good recipes at recipes.com for fun recipes too. there is the obvious carrot cake, banana bread, zuchinni bread etc but you can use applesauce in some sweets instead of sugar and zuchinni in brownies the possibilities are endless. i do know that the picky stage eventually does end. if he continues to be real picky and you cant get him to eat more i would suggest you get some pediasure to make sure that he gets all the vitamins he needs to grow. hope some of what i suggest helps and good luck!