Anyone else have an Uber-Picky Eater Child?

AbigailClarke48 · May 2013

I am desperately wanting some brilliant constructive ideas to get health and nutrition into my 10 year old, whose favorite foods are any that have the highest amount of refined carbohydrates. (Even corn - the only veggie she will eat without being forced to!) She will eat ground turkey and whole grain rice and whole grain pasta, but how far can that go??

Myself is no prob - I eat very healthy - lots of veggies, fruits, whole grain, etc..... (Ok - not perfect) but she seems to only become MORE picky as she gets older.

Appreciate hearing about any parents in the same situation and what worked to change the tide.

Lisa1971 · May 2013

ME ME ME!!!!!!!!!! My son is 3 and he is the pickiest eater evvvvvver! My daughter who is 7 will eat pretty much ANY fruits or veggies put in front of her but my son...no way. He won't even eat, much less try, a PB&J sandwich! I hate to say I bribe him but I do. He can't play outside until he eats 7 beans....that sort of thing. He can't get a story until he eats half of a banana. The kid loves sweets so I'll also puree some spinach and sneak it into the batter of brownies or a cake. He'll eat that no problem but if he knew there was spinach in his brownies he'd never eat them. LOL.

Just be creative. Jessica Seinfeld wrote a book about sneaking fruits and veggies into regular foods for kids. I think it's called "Sinfully delicious." Check it out!

Good luck!!!!

labeachgirl · May 2013

Introduce one new thing into each meal of their favorite foods, and s/he only has to take a bite. If they don't like it, reintroduce it later but prepare it differently, and again at least only one bite. That way the kid is exposed to different foods but has the comfort of the favorite foods. Sometimes it's all in the preparation.

wolverine66 · May 2013

my child isn't really picky, but I try a variety of ways to get him his veggies because those are hit or miss. Sometimes he eats green beans, some days he won't.

Pasta made from veggies - Muellers makes a "hidden veggie" pasta, that has a serving of veggies in 4oz
V8 fusion juice - i dilute the juice with water (because he's 2), but it doesn't taste like veggie juice
Good old Vitamins - Flinstones chewables.

those are the main ways now, I got pretty lucky with this kid. He eats things I don't even like.

TheRoadDog · May 2013

When I was young, Mom made one meal for everyone. You ate it or you sat at the dinner table all night long until it was time for bed. That didn't mean you didn't have to eat it. She saved it for you for the next night.

We spend a ridiculous amount of time catering to our kids today. My philosophy is, put it out there, they'll eat when they get hungry enough.

Don't even get me started on designer pet food.

wolverine66 · May 2013

I won't make a second dinner, either.

Ain't nobody got time for that.

AbigailClarke48 · May 2013

What a fantastic idea about the spinach into the brownie batter. You are brilliant. Will try that. Maybe need to get a puree appliance of some sort? Can't wait to see how that goes. and I have heard about Jessica's cookbooks. Even those - my daughter - as seems to be the same as your son - LOVE LOVE LOVES sugar and seems to be able to detect it when 'something is a tiny bit different'

glovepuppet · May 2013

the onset of puberty causes changes in the way they taste food, so a lot of veges suddenly become bitter and unpleasant. it's something they grow out of in their own time.

10 is about the right age. could it just be that?

AbigailClarke48 · May 2013

A valid point of view. Is a problem with my generation.

AbigailClarke48 · May 2013

Ever hear the comedian Dave Barry comment on what kind of food is best for dogs? His answer: 'brown'.

glovepuppet · May 2013

yeah...

my mother did that. i was in the 'dangerously underweight' section of the bmi chart all through high school and well into adult life.

just sayin'

AbigailClarke48 · May 2013

Never heard that before - makes sense! Thank you. And yes - I hope my little one does eventually warm up to other foods.

ksmorck · May 2013

Amen & I'm Mom to a two year old that will eat whatever I give him.

TheRoadDog · May 2013

One more thought on this. Commercially we are doing everything possible to make food palatable for our kids; and easier for us to prepare. I guess that's because we are so darned busy. Get off the computer, stop texting, take some time to prepare healthy food for your children and sit down and have a family dinner. NOT IN FRONT OF THE TV.

Let them help you. Let them help shop and pick out the healthy choices.

I have friends that say "My little Susie lives on Ball Park Franks and Kraft Mac & Cheese." Great, She got little Susie to eat. No nutritional value though and she is going to eventually FR Mommy on MFP.

If you don't take the time out to help your child learn about nutrition and make food preparation and eating fun , as well as nutritious, you're not helping them by feeding them whatever they want, you are condemning them to a lifetime of fast food and obesity.

Be a real parent. They'll fight you now, but thank you later.

glovepuppet · May 2013

my kids aren't picky but...

i take them shopping and let them buy any fruit/veg that looks new & interesting. pretty & exotic fruits are great for tempting them.

i cut unloved veges small and mix them into home made lasagna, chili, etc.

i get them cooking. often the food prep, the quality time and the pride in what they produce creates a more accepting mindset when it comes time to eat.

i have open conversations about food & exercise & health. they aren't lectures, they're a two way street. we talk about their ideas for balancing a meal or their opinions on the future health of classmates who live on junk. whatever they want to talk about, because it keeps them aware of what they eat.

ksmorck · May 2013

Amen again!! Could not agree more.

contingencyplan · May 2013

Kids become picky, unhealthy eaters because you gave them way too many sweet treats and not enough healthy foods from the cradle onward, leaving them to develop a taste exclusively for sweets and salts by the time they're old enough to choose for themselves.

KombuchaCat · May 2013

I totally agree with this. I was never given a choice about what I ate as a child and I think I was better for it. Kids need to learn it's not all about them and sometimes you just have to suck it up and do what's right.

brower47 · May 2013

I can list the things my 3yo is regularly willing to eat on two hands but that list it is slowly growing. My trick, he has to eat something he doesn't like or hasn't tried (usually meats and vegetables) before he can eat anything he does like. And certainly no desert of any kind if he refuses this 'mommy requests'. Eventually, by four or five, he won't really have a choice anymore when 'mommy requests' turn into 'mommy requirements'.

Only time will tell.

KombuchaCat · May 2013

Once again I totally agree! It's little things like this that really add up and make your child grow into a decent human being and not a total narcisist.

glovepuppet · May 2013

blanket statements... so rarely accurate.
there are a huge range of reasons why kids become picky eaters.

PepperWorm · May 2013

Damn straight. I was forced to stay at the dinner table until I finished everything. I was force fed if I didn't eat. One time, I threw away rice in a (clean) trashbag and my grandma scooped it out and made me eat every bite. Pretty soon, you realize that food is costly and not plentiful. You eat or you starve. It was that simple.

conniemaxwell5 · May 2013

This. He's absolutely right.

Also get the child engaged in shopping and preparing meals. If you have a space for a garden, let them plant some veggies and grow them. If they're engaged in the process, they're more likely to be curious about the taste.

JaneDough_ · May 2013

At 3 years old, my daughter does not understand this concept, yet.

I have a extremely picky eater. So, doing the whole "one dinner" deal doesn't work.

fbmandy55 · May 2013

My 5 year old son is hard to get to try new things. For at least a year we have tried to get him to try tomatoes and pickles, both he says he will try when he is a teenager. :laugh:

He shocks me sometimes though, he threw a few cans of baked beans in the shopping cart once, claiming he liked them and he does. He at an entire side of zucchini that I didn't want at a restaurant once and his top 3 go-to snacks are bananas, yogurt and cottage cheese.

amyk0202 · May 2013

My 10 year old has Aspergers & sensory integration dysfuction with obsessive compulsive tendencies. Eating has always been a huge challenge with him--he is disturbed by taste, texture, & presentation. Although it's very rarely successful, I generally try to get him to take a bite of whatever we are having for dinner if it's something he hasn't had before. Sometimes he will be OK with the taste, but he still won't eat it. He does usually eat something other than what I've made for everyone else. To try to make certain he continues to grow & isn't too underweight:

I give him Carnation Instant Breakfast (pediasure is too expensive).

I have the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld. For the most part, it was too much of a pain in the rear to make those recipes--I hate to cook & there was a lot of prep. Mainly what I learned from it is to buy baby food purees & add them into the foods that he will eat. DO NOT GET CAUGHT doing this or it will ruin that food forever. Do not put in too much & change the flavor of the dish or it will ruin that food forever.

I give him a daily vitamin.

I buy things he likes to eat that he can prepare himself, choose my battles & try not to stress over it.

Over the weekend he ate a fried egg & said he liked it. That is a huge victory because he doesn't eat meat unless it is in spaghetti sauce or in chicken nugget form. I can't get him to eat any kind of bean. Now he has 1 more source of protein. Now I may be able to get him to eat a scrambled or boiled egg.

I don't believe in forcing kids to eat what they don't like--I'm too picky myself to feel OK about that. I have an alternative meal (oatmeal) for my other kids. If they don't like what I've made, they can make themselves some oatmeal--even my 7 year old can heat oatmeal in the microwave.

juniperleaves · May 2013

I would definitely suggest getting your son to help you cook! Often times, if they help, they take pride in the dish that is being served and will want to eat it up!

TheRoadDog · May 2013

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

That picture is from one of my daughter's Winter Formals. I probably cooked for her and her friends many times for events like that. When it was Prom, I also cooked for their dates.

I let them pick the menu, I prepared, served and for one prom even rented a car and chauffeered them. It was never considered a chore. My daughter is off to college now, but regularly calls me to get my thoughts on some new dish or how she should prepare something she bought on sale. I still run into those gals and boys around town all the time.

That was some of the best times I spent with her and her older sisters too.

Now they are all out of the house, but I know they are eating healthy.

Now my wife throws Wine Tasting parties and I enjoy preparing Tapas and dishes for them.

Cooking is fun. Enjoy it. Get your kids involved with you.

ksmorck · May 2013

My 2 year old 'gets' this.

LMT2012 · May 2013

I have two and the one that started out picky and thin is now adventurous with food and robust. The younger one started out eating everything that didn't move and now, as a teen, has very narrow tastes. So first, know that it probably has little to do with the way she will eat as an adult.
Try pasta sauce with lots of veggies ground up and hidden in it. I also love the above suggestion of involving her in the shopping and preparation of food. Very educational if nothing else.

RambyPandy · May 2013

Holy crap, I saw this thread and had to reply. I often think I have the pickiest kid ever (age 3 & 1/2). He won't eat normal stuff like other kids. And I never, ever have fed him junk. We have given him nutritious, minimally-processed food from since he started solids. There's absolutely no candy, treats are TREATS (read: occasional).

It took me forever to get him to eat peanut butter, which all kids love. But that's the only sandwich he likes. I have tried to make food and our meals fun, interactive, etc -- I am all over that weelicious site, and others, and he just fights me every time. It's so frustrating, because I put in so much time, work, money, and effort into planning his meals and so much food goes to waste. I have enlisted his help in making the food, looking at cookbooks with me, shopping with me, etc. Everything is just a power struggle. I could feed him processed crap (hot dogs, Kraft mac & cheese, pop tarts, etc) and yes, he'd eat it, but I refuse to go that route. If I wouldn't eat it, he's not going to eat it.

One thing I DO NOT GET is parents who have the one bite rule. "you have to take one bite". I say that every time, and my son runs away from the table, throws the food on the floor, throws himself on the floor, etc. Seriously, how do you enforce that rule???

For the most part I try making him eat what I eat, and don't really do special meals just for him unless I am having something I KNOW he won't eat. My husband thinks it's just his age and he will slowly grow out of it. My niece was the same way, though, and she's 7 and still picky.

His one thing that is great though, is that if I put down -- for example -- a plate of steamed broccoli, and a PBJ sandwich, he will devour the broccoli and barely touch the sandwich. He gets veggies at every lunch and dinner, and loves loves loves plain steamed veggies. Thank god.

Anyone else have an Uber-Picky Eater Child?

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