Picky 3 year old

12by311 · June 2014

Didn't know what board to post this on so I will do it here.

My almost 4 year old is so picky and it's driving me crazy. I think it's beyond like just toddler pickiness. It's textures and the way food looks that bother him. And he will hardly try anything new. He had a meltdown because his dad had him try potato soup the other day. Today he said he wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and when I gave it to him something about the way it looked (the pb and jelly on the side) completely turned him off and he just couldn't eat it. One day he wanted to try chocolate pudding I was eating. He gagged after trying it.

I'm completely at my wits end. I've never been that way about food. I've always been willing to try something to determine if I like it or not.

My husband has always been picky and had food aversions (much less now…for the last 5 years probably). He is not vocal about them now. I mean, he's adult…he doesn't have to proclaim what he does and doesn't like in a dramatic way so it's not a learned behavior from my son. My husband threw up when he tried slaw when he was about 3 years old. :-/

My son will eat:
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (sometimes i guess ha)
cantalope
bananas
grapes
apples
watermelon
tomatoes
mashed potatoes
french fries
chicken nuggets
corn
carrots
pizza
cheese sticks
plain spaghetti noodles
mac and cheese (shells, not the other stuff)

The only junky snacks he eats:
chips
vanilla ice cream
oreos
fruit snacks

He doesn't eat any meat right now except chicken nuggets. However he DID eat half a ham sandwich just the other day.

When he was younger, he ate everything I put in front of him to try.

Am I over-reacting? Will that list continue to grow? If so, does anyone have pointers on how to help my child just TRY new things without crying? Do I just keep feeding him what he likes and casually try to get him to try things? He is growing fine. He's actually a really tall kid and at a perfectly healthy weight.

rduhlir · June 2014

I don't have a child....so I can just tell you that your son sounds a lot like me when I was growing up. I wouldn't eat a lot of things, majority of the stuff vegetables and fruits. Took some time, but I have come around to a lot of foods I wouldn't eat when I was younger.

One thing my mom did to try and get me to eat the foods was help me cook with her. That would help with certain things, like meat loaf (I got to mix it up), pudding, etc...

12by311 · June 2014

I don't have a child....so I can just tell you that your son sounds a lot like me when I was growing up. I wouldn't eat a lot of things, majority of the stuff vegetables and fruits. Took some time, but I have come around to a lot of foods I wouldn't eat when I was younger.

One thing my mom did to try and get me to eat the foods was help me cook with her. That would help with certain things, like meat loaf (I got to mix it up), pudding, etc...

Thank you.
He does like helping me in the kitchen. That hasn't helped him eat anything new yet but I will use that as a selling point in the future.

hkied · June 2014

As a preschool teacher, mother of 4 and mom of a 3 almost 4 yr old. I would say it looks like he is eating pretty good things so I would just let him eat those things. Then at dinner or lunch just put something "new" on his plate, a few different times and see if he will try them like 3 peas or small slice of something.... so you dont really waste the food if he doesnt like it or try it. If he goes to preschool maybe he is willing ti try new things with his friends instead of alone. My son didnt really eat till he started preschool and now he eats everything... including shrimp and octopus soup.

CA_Underdog · June 2014

This doesn't alarm me. You've listed a variety of foods rich in vitamins and minerals--e.g., carrots for vitamin A and tomatoes for vitamin C. Hopefully he takes milk or yogurt for calcium? Although, low-fat cheese is workable. Chicken is great, although I would aim for nuggets low in sodium, as most processed nuggets (organic or not) are packed. I second adding small new things on his plate.

tinkbaby101 · June 2014

My little guy can be pretty picky, too. He wants PB&J for breakfast every morning, and will rarely touch his vegetables. I just keep putting them on his plate. Occasionally he'll sample them, or I can encourage him to take one bite. Whether he spits it out, or refuses to try it, I try again the next time we have that food. I can't tell you the number of times I've put a single brussels sprout on his plate. I also try to make food "fun" to get him interested, too. Cutting sandwiches into shapes using cookie cutters, for example, can sometimes persuade him to at least try it. He refused to try bananas until I made "teddy toast" by using banana slices as the ears and snout on a slice of peanut butter toast (and raisins for eyes and a nose). Maybe try getting creative.

As long as he is eating, and gaining weight appropriately, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just keep trying. My daughter went through a string cheese and blueberry phase, where that's all she would eat for weeks. She's outgrown most of her aversions (and strict preferences), and will at least taste everything that's put on her plate. It could also just be a phase.

Alluminati · June 2014

Same with my kid who is now 6. At 4 she got tested and turns out she has multiple food allergies, mainly peanut butter, shellfish, and eggs. On top of that the school put her in OT for sensory issues this school year. Shes highly sensitive with texture and flavors. Any slight change in the way a food is prepared (like a slightly burned pancake, or substituting bacon grease for butter in her sauteed spinach) is enough to throw her off and she refuses to eat.

I was never a picky eater. Her dad on the other hand.....ugh, you can guess where she got it from. :grumble:

Wouldn't hurt to check for both if it bothers you or you feel your kid isn't getting enough nutrients.

wilsoje74 · June 2014

That list is way bigger than many 3 year olds. Don't stress, don't make it an issue. It can be a control thing with kids. Don't let him know it bothers you.

MeanNurseGM95 · June 2014

My son does the same thing. He will not eat any red meat. No hamburgers or spaghetti with meat, nothing at all really but breaded chicken. I was worried but his doctor said he was fine. His speech therapist said it was probably a texture and a smell thing since he also smells everything all the time. At first I would force him to try stuff but now I just go with the flow and always make sure I have the few protein options he does loves like chicken and peanut butter and his favorite veggies like green beans. It is a small list but still has the main food groups.

MeanNurseGM95 · June 2014

Also I noticed if I do not put new foods on his plate but I eat them in front of him he is much more likely to ask about them and try them.

RenaTX · June 2014

Check out the book French Kids Eat Everything . I've heard really good things about it from other moms.
http://www.amazon.com/French-Kids-Eat-Everything-discovered-ebook/dp/B00655ZNSI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402363824&sr=8-1&keywords=french+kids+eat+everything

12by311 · June 2014

That list is way bigger than many 3 year olds. Don't stress, don't make it an issue. It can be a control thing with kids. Don't let him know it bothers you.

You are right. I am a teacher and during this school year while I was working it didn't seem to bother me as badly (maybe just being busy and not thinking about it…just feeding him what he likes to eat). Then, since Thursday (last day of work) I've been so bothered his eating habits. I need to cool it. haha

Thank you all so much! I will try some of your suggestions and it's also a relief to hear from other parents. I guess I just notice the kids who seem to eat everything when sitting down for a meal.

sunburntgalaxy · June 2014

My cousin was the same way when he was young. In fact this is more exotic a list then he would ever try. Eventually, as he got older, he started to try more things - sometimes he would make "bets" with his dad that he would eat something he would normally never eat (I remember it with bratwurst so he could get an extra 10 minutes before bed). Sometimes he wouldn't do it but sometimes he would and he would discover he liked it and that would be one more thing he liked. He is in college now and eats a much more diverse range of foods. So don't worry too much - your son isn't the first and probably won't be the last either. I think some kids are just more picky then others.

Picky 3 year old

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