Topic : Picky Eaters

My 3 yr old boy is a very overactive boy. He has been semi-dignosed with ADHD. They can't quite say so because of how old he is. But they say he is having the symptoms of it. Put anyway, on a normal basis my son will eat breakfast and lunch but when it comes to dinner he will never eat it no matter what it is. In fact my family is getting on our case because we want him to eat and not have junk all the time like he wants to do. Even during a birthday party. They just think its cruel and mean. So what does everyone thing about this? I was at a birthday party and we had breakfast but this time my son would not eat it. So we told him that he could not have cake unless he ate it. Well he didn't and thats fine..but he didn't get his cake and my family thought that was wrong? What do you think?

You are his parents. You make the decision.   

  

I have been accused of being mean too. I don't think it's mean.  

Although hubby and I do not have any children of our own, we have discussed how we would handle a picky eater. We both absolutely hate the (Ensure/pediasure)commercial with the picky little girl. The one where the mom and little girl are in a grocery store. Everytime the mom puts something in the cart or picks something off the shelf the litttle girl says"I don't think I like that!" Then the commercial shows later the mom giving the little girl (ensure/pediasure). UGH! In my opinion children need more nutrition than whats available in a supplement drink. Hubby and I both grew up in homes where we were expected to eat what was served and if we didnt like it or want it, we went to bed hungry, period, no question, no agrument. Trust me there were times when we both went to bed hungry. Especially on the liver & onion nights. UGH. But all in all we both turned out just fine and healthy. Plus we both like a wide range of foods. I think parents dont necessarily need to force their children to eat things they don't like, but encourage them to try things and make meals fun.  I have had friends serve something their hubby doesn't like to show their children that "yes daddy will eat it, even though he doesn't like it". I think thats a great idea. Plus a lot has to do with presentation and the flavorings. Lets all admit if it doesn't look good we won't eat it either.

My 14 year old son has been a picky eater all of his life. When he was 3 months old, one night, he started crying. He wanted his bottle but would push it away after just one or two drinks. After going through the check list of things that could be wrong but weren't I had come to the realization that he was hungry. Not just for his bottle but for something that was more solid. So I fixed some baby cereal and gave him that. No, he didn't want that. I tried two other cereals. He didn't want those either. After an hour of me trying to figure out how to fix the cereal so he'll eat it and with him still crying I had no choice but to try the first stage baby food a friend had given me. He ate three of the little jars and fell fast asleep. That was the first night he had slept all night. I knew that the baby food was considered to be harsh on a little tummy so I told his pediatrician in hopes that maybe she could recommend a solution with the baby cereal so he would eat it. She gave me no advice and told me that by me giving a 3 month old baby baby food that was considered child abuse. Needless to say I changed doctors. My son never would eat the cereal. So I kept my mouth shut and fed him the baby food. Still to this day he's a very picky eater. I do my best to introduce new foods and encourage him to eat as best as he can. Veggies are one thing he s. Fruit options are very limited. He'll eat dairy products and meats. You can't tell a baby to sit still and finish his food and I've realized you can't tell a teenager that either, especially if the child is a picky eater.

I have been a picky eater my entire life. It's not something I enjoy or something I do just to get attention. Unfortunatly, a lot of foods just don't taste good to me. That is NO reason for me to be forced to eat things I don't like. I really hate when I go to friends houses to eat, and they get angry with me for not wating thier squash casserole or whatever. They roll thier eyes and say 'you're such a picky eater' or 'why don't you like my cooking?' No matter how many times I explain to people that I just don't like certain foods, they still take offense. I have a wonderful mother, but she forced me to sit at the dinner table night after night with my vegetables sitting there until I ate them. I HATED it. Putting certain foods in my mouth makes me want to vomit. Why should I be forced to eat something I don't like? We all have foods we don't like, I just have more of them. Please don't force your children to eat...it's not child abuse, but it certainly isn't right. My mother tried to make me eat vegetables and it didn't change me...I still wont eat them.  

By the way...there is research that some children are 'super-tasters' and can't tolerate the taste of certain foods. Keep that in mind the next time you try to force them to eat something.  

i can not stand a picky eater.  expscellay a child. whne i was a child between 2-4 i had to et out od dumpsters cause my birth mother would not feed me.  then when i got adopted, it was i either ate what my mother cooked for dinner or i starved that day.  she was a good cook.  parents need to start being parents again and stop tryiong to be their childs buddy or freind. 

theres a difference from being forced to eat something you dont like and being catered to.  our bodies  only crave what we train it to like.

I am a picky eater and somehow ended up marrying a man that eats just about anything and everything.  He got so frustrated with me that he did some research on the Internet (he thought I was just trying to be stubborn).  He found lots of research regarding picky eaters and the link to "super tasters" (taste buds) - it really gave some rationale to the situation and helped him to understand where I was coming from.  If our children turn out to picky eaters (my husbands worse fear).....I will work to introduce foods in different forms.  For example, if they won't eat raw broccoli, try boiling the broccoli until it's soft and mashing up just the heads of the broccoli for them.  I hate strawberries -- but I love strawberry jam or if strawberries are pured.  It's kind of the same theory behind the fact that I love ketchup, but will pick raw tomatoes out of a salad of sandwich. 

  

My grandparents used to make homemade Fig Jelly and I loved it --- but I always had to take the "lumps" out (as I called the figs) before I spread it on toast.  Sure, they could have made a big fuss about what I wasn't eating, but they always encouraged me to try new things even if I did pick it apart.  PS - 20 years later, I still pick out the lumps from Fig Jelly....only now I have a husband that will eat those for me!   

  

  

 1.  first of all I have a 15 month old daughter and she can be picky at times.
2.  I have found that if you take something they like --- chicken for example and mix it with lets say tomato sauce then they are getting both the meat and the veggies
3.  if crackers are the problem and that is all they want to eat try this... Kraft Dinner make it like you normally would (but add some veggies like stewed tomatoes and beef) then once everything is mixed together (meaning everything is cooked and then put together) then put it into a pan set oven for 350 but here is the trick add the childs favourite crackers ontop of the mixture.  This one really works and tastes so good.
 now does anyone know how to stop a 15 month old who is teething to stop biting mommy?

I will not make my child sit at the table for hours til she eats something. A good parent will be able to tell if a child likes something or not and to force them to eat something that they do not like is wrong. I as a parent know what my child likes and don't like therefore they do not get it served to them but if they say they want something, they then have to eat it and of course I am careful about the size of the portions that they are getting as well. I personally do not eat if I am not hungry and I personally do not eat foods that I do not like therefore I will not make my child eat something. My children are always served good and healthy food and they are encouraged to try new things and I will serve the new thing several times. Kids go through stages when it comes to eating and we as parents need to know these stages and work with our kids on eating healthy. Kids live what they learn and it is we the parents who are their biggest influence. My girls are 3 and 5 and they like a lot of things, there a few things they do not like but that's ok, I just don't serve it to them and I am definetly not gonna force them to eat.