my kids won't eat

i dont worry about it they always end up eating when they get hungry, heck saves money

Waiting for more info from the OP but (soap box) kids need be taught that food is fuel…not entertainment and to be thankful for what is being provided.

My mom had a pretty good policy imo. Whatever she made we at least had to have a little bit. We didnt have to eat a whole plate, but we had to try it.

what to do?

Really? What do their growth charts look like? Is your pediatrician concerned? Have you had to document their intake and bring to the pediatrician appointments? Have they been prescribed supplements because they are so much smaller than the other children their age (i.e. < 3% for weight or < 3% weight for height)?

yeah they will.

I tried being a picky eater all of one time in my life; I think I was about 5. My mother made something and when I didn't want to try it she told me I could leave the table if I didn't want to eat anything - but I wouldn't be having anything else till breakfast. I skipped dinner and watched everyone else eat dinner through the window.

After about 3 hours I decided I did want dinner after all. My mother told me it was too late, she'd put the food away and wasn't going to get any more out until breakfast. I went to bed hungry and upset. Next morning I came down for breakfast and my dinner plate was on the table. I vaguely remember throwing a tantrum which resulted in said food again being removed and my having to wait for lunch. By lunch time I ate the food.

Never tried that stunt again.

Kids won't starve themselves. They might miss a meal, scream, cry, call you names but eventually they will eat. You just have to be willing to outlast them.

Other tricks:
1) If they don't want to try something new, the rule in our house was you had to eat 1 large bite for each birthday + 1 to grow on.
2) Let them have fun with their food. I never understood the don't play with your food rule (as long as it doesn't make mess and ends up in your mouth). My mom let us make green been walrus tusks, toast villages, ect.

I was picky, All my siblings and their kids were picky. I was determined not to have my kids
be picky. Here's what I did that worked:*

During meals, *only* positive comments. "good job eating that", even if it is a small morsel.
Make offhand comments like, "she is sometimes a good eater" which can change to "She is a good eater"
This builds confidence and takes away the adversarial component.

Make sure you make good and tasty food. Read recipes.

If you are desperate to get something into them, plop them in front of the tv and give them
a bowl of cut up food. Most likely they will munch on it while engrossed. I used to give my
toddlers cut up raw cauliflower and broccoli with a little dressing. I called them "crunchys".

They are now 17 and 18 and eat most anything.

Do not try to control your kids with food, they resent that.

* These will only work if you never ever ever feed them fast food. It is so salty or sugary it basically ruins their
ability to enjoy real food.

My DD learned the same way I did. What's on the table is it. I ate when I was hungry. She's followed in my footsteps.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Without having any details it is hard to respond appropriately but.... I have been a daycare provider for infants and toddlers for 8 years. I have had many "good eaters" and many "picky eaters" come through my doors over the years. But here's the thing. At my house you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. You don't have to eat what is being served but if you don't eat it then you don't eat again until the next meal time. Which can be at least three hours later. I don't give crackers, chips, cookies or any other "junk" type food to the children. Not even cheerios. Just whole grain breads, vegetables, lean proteins and sometimes not so lean because they are under 36 months and need the fat, full fat dairy and the occasional fruit. And this is for two snacks that consist of vegetables and either milk or cheese and a lunch that consists of protein, whole grain bread, milk, two types of vegetables and sometimes a fruit. And guess what? Those so called picky eaters? They clean their plates at my house. Because they know if they don't eat, they aren't going to be given something else or be given a snack an hour later. Once they are off purees, they are all offered the same meal and they can choose to eat it or not. Simple as that. They either eat or they don't. But I can guarantee that the next time it is meal time they aren't gonna be so picky. And they don't starve or waste away. Now if only I could just convince the parents to do this at home....

Don't mess up a child's innate ability to regulate their eating. They don't have the emotions tied to food the way we do. They only know hungry vs. not hungry. Educate yourself on what age appropriate servings are for their ages.

Don't make a child clean their plate.

Don't make food a reward or punishment. It's just food.

Serve a well balanced meal

Involve the children in menu planning and shopping

Don't force them to eat something. We all have foods we don't like, children and no different. You couldn't force me to like mushrooms no matter how hard you try.

Foods are not bad or good. Crackers are not junk, they are crackers. Carrots aren't good, they are just carrots.

I typically see parents trying to "win" the food battles. This is not a good foundation for positive food relationships for children. I can't help but wonder how many overweight MFP users were forced to clean their plates, or forced to eat foods they didn't like as kids. They won't starve to death, and will learn to like more and more foods as they grow up. Is being a picky eater really the worst thing in the world?


@ mtpkok- are the parents aware of your stance on food?

Yup . And the praise me for it.

Don't mess up a child's innate ability to regulate their eating. They don't have the emotions tied to food the way we do. They only know hungry vs. not hungry. Educate yourself on what age appropriate servings are for their ages.

Don't make a child clean their plate.

Don't make food a reward or punishment. It's just food.

Serve a well balanced meal

Involve the children in menu planning and shopping

Don't force them to eat something. We all have foods we don't like, children and no different. You couldn't force me to like mushrooms no matter how hard you try.

Foods are not bad or good. Crackers are not junk, they are crackers. Carrots aren't good, they are just carrots.

I typically see parents trying to "win" the food battles. This is not a good foundation for positive food relationships for children. I can't help but wonder how many overweight MFP users were forced to clean their plates, or forced to eat foods they didn't like as kids. They won't starve to death, and will learn to like more and more foods as they grow up. Is being a picky eater really the worst thing in the world?


@ mtpkok- are the parents aware of your stance on food?

And I don't force the children to do anything. They are given a plate of nutritious food and they either eat it or they don't. They get to be in control of what they choose to eat from a plate of food that I choose to make for them. I, the adult, choose to offer them nutritious foods and they, the child, make the choice to eat it or not. I don't bargain with them or make them take a bite or guilt them in any way for their choices. It's very simple. Here is what we are having to eat. If you don't want to eat that is fine. We will eat again later. And when I was referring to junk food I was referring to pop tarts and donuts and iced cookies and cupcakes are all allowed to be served in my state and many of them qualify as fruit servings . There is nothing wrong with giving these things to children if you are their parent. I am not their parents and I am not going to feed them anything like that here. I feel it is my responsibility as an educator to offer children nutritious foods while they are still developing their taste buds and their relationship with food.

Eating or not eating, can be a very emotional issue for PARENTS. If you don't make a big deal of it, they will eat when they get hungry enough. Just make sure you have plenty of healthy choices throughout the day/week and they will eventually get all the nutrition they need.

Also be mindful that they are not filling up on empty calories elsewhere.

My 7 year old is a shocking eater at times. She is also on the leaner side of the scale. But the month she turned 7 something strange happened. She was constantly asking for food a sleeping through. 'Mum, why am I always hungry and tired lately?' She asked. She lost the skinny look , then one morning was a couple of inches taller. She is now better with eating , and my husband and I trust her appetite more. Her sister is 4 and eating more now she is at kindy. In saying that, the 7 year old got bad at sleeping and eating for a couple of weeks and turned out she had a throat infection. So sometimes they aren't hungry, sometimes they're sick.

Spank them! :laugh: