Topic : Picky Eaters

I have probably the most picky 6 yr old ever!!!!!!!!!!  There are only a handful of things he will eat.  He cannot even look at some foods without getting sick.  If his brother and sisters are eating something he does not like he has to put something in front of their plate so he cant see it.  I know am running into a problem with sending stuff for him to eat at school for lunch.  The only things he will eat are ravioli, mashed potatoes, mac an cheese, hotdogs, pizza, chicken nuggets, french fries, peanut butter, and the normal junk food chips, crackers, fruit snacks, cookies, chocolate, pudding...anyways....alot of the stuff he will eat is cold by the time he eats lunch and the school will not heat up food.  So we have resorted to lunchables but that only ones he will eat are the pizza and nachos...which he has eaten so much he is getting burned out.  I have had people tell me to send him something and if he doesnt eat it and gets hungry enough the next day he will eat it.  I think it is cruel to make a kid eat something they dont like.....I dont eat food I dont like why would I make my children.  If I am making something for dinner and I know he wont eat it I make him something he will eat.  Everyone tells me that I shouldnt do that but I cant help it.  That would be like making something to dinner that no one in the house likes and making everyone eat...It just doesnt make sense to make a child eat something they dont like.  Having them try something is different but I am not going to force them to.   

Please if anyone has any suggestions on  lunch ideas PLEASE let me know.  I have tried the thermal bowls that are supposed to keep things hot but they just dont work right!!!!!!!!  Any suggestions are appreciated.   

My 4 year old is even pickier than that! He doesn't like pizza, nachos, etc. He sometimes likes hot dogs. Hot dogs and bacon are it for meats. He LOVES fruit and yogurt. He loves peanut butter and jelly. Right now peanut butter is not banned from his school district (or the one he will be attending in the fall when he starts K) so he will more than likely be eating a PB&J sandwich every day! He doesn't eat casseroles or spaghetti or hardly anything. He will eat rice, but I can't send that since it's yucky after being out awhile. He goes to pre-k 3 days a week and I send him pb&j and yogurt. I just make sure I put a cold pack to keep the yogurt cold. I also send crackers and raisins for their fruit snack.

I have a 4 year old who only will eat bacon, toast, pizza, chicken nuggets,and grilled cheese. She has never eaten veggies, or drank milk. Yesterday I asked her to try corn and she literally threw up in my hand! What more can I do to get her to try new things, without letting her starve to get her to eat?

 Anyone with any advice on getting a 14 month old to eat healthy?  Up until she was a year, she loved it all, the peas, green beans, carrots, squash, applesauce, bannannas, peaches, everything.  There was nothing that child would not eat.  Now, when I try to feed her, she places her hands in front of her face, pushes the food out with her tounge.  I have tried giving her the spoon and food, but she would throw it on the floor, and start saying "num-num" which means she is hungry.  I tried to use one of the bowls that attatch to her tray and she would scoop the food out with her spoon and sling it to the floor.  She puts her hands in the food, and rubs them on her head.  The only thing she likes to eat anymore is toast, and while that is okay for breakfast with some milk or juice, it is not enough to give her all the nutrients she needs for a day.  We still use the baby food sometimes, but not always.  I will make her eggs and put them on her tray, and she will scatter them on the floor, I give her cooked carrot pieces, and she does the same.  So, it's not her wanting to feed herself.  I even eat when she does because when she would throw food down, I would take her out of the high chair and clean up, then eat my self, and she would eat half of what I had even if it was the same as her.  After that, I tried to eat with her, giving her the same thing, and she only wanted it if she was out of her chair, and eating off my plate.  But, I don't feed her if she is not in her high chair because she is very active, and crawls off in a flash, and I don't want her to choke, or get in the habit of eating anywhere in the house.  She has to take the soy milk, and doesn't hardly touch it.  She does like the soy chocolate milk, which I sometimes give her a couple times a week.  But, I can't blame her for not liking the plain soy milk.  Have any of you ever smelled or tasted that?  It is horrible! :)  Once or twice a week, she may get a tasted of a french fry, or cake, but that's only a bite once or twice a week, if that.  Some times, not even that much.  So, I know it's not wanting something un healthy.  But, does anyone have any advice on how to get her to eat?  She is active, and almost walking, and doesn't seem as heavy as before.  She is still a little cute chubber :), and not really losing weight, but I don't think she is really gaining either.  She has thrush, could that be why she is not interested in eating?  Any help would be greatly appriciated.

My 4 year old is about the same way.  He won’t eat pizza either.  He will eat the pepperoni off of it but that is as far as it goes.  He doesn’t even like French fries!  How weird is that. His favorite foods are chicken nuggets (no bones), hotdog (uncooked, no bread) ramen noodles (plain) hamburger meat, and ham (uncooked) and of course anything junk food.  We were so worried about him that we took him to the pediatrician just to be sure.  He said he will eat when he wants to, not to worry too much about it.  So what I do is give him a little of what we are eating and if he doesn’t eat it fine.  I don’t keep sweats around anymore so he wont hold out for dessert.  This has been working out for the most part.   

Both my boys are very picky.

It is so hard to get them to eat.

I am a parent to 3 children, but finding something that my 7 yr old son will eat in his lunch is getting impossible. He comes home everyday with his whole sandwich, untouched, in his lunch bag. He goes through phases and gets stuck on certain foods, then refuses to eat them anymore. He was  on a cucumber and cream cheese kick at first, but after a few months, it turned into Mac&cheese lunch meat everyay, and then it was cream cheese and jam. Now, we are out of options as he has sickened himself of all of these, and no peanut products are allowed, and he won't eat any other lunch meat whatsoever. Help....I need some ideas badly!

      

          I have two boys.  6 and 3.  My oldest wont eat a vegetable or a fruit and is very picky about the meats he eats.  No gravy, or no meat in spaghetti etc.  My youngest however will eat anything.  All fruits and veggies and meats and pastas you name it he will eat it.  It is soooo strange the difference in their eating patterns.  I give my oldest son the same thing we all eat and if he doesnt eat it, then he will go to bed hungry, but I always give him something like a piece of bread or something with dinner that I know he will eat so his tummy isnt completely empty.  If he goes several days without eating his dinner because he thinks he wont like it,  he soon ends up trying more foods  and eating alittle of the things he says he doesnt like.  It feels like Im being neglectful, but it seems to be working to increase his eating habits. 

I too have a picky eater in my household.  I have three children, 7, 5, & 2.  My 7 yr old is really good about trying new foods, and my 2 yr old will eat all of his & yours if you will let him - but my 5 yr old only has about a handful of foods she will eat.  Pizza, macarroni & cheese, fish sticks, hot dogs (imagine that!), fruit, but no vegetables what so ever.  Everyone tells me to feed her the same & let her go hungry, but I just can't seem to do that, I feel so guilty doing that.  Then I have grandparents who say just don't give her dessert, well that seems mean too.  Something I have been doing that is helping a little is having her help me in the kitchen while we cook.  She has also started watching the "foodnetwork" shows with me when I watch them & really enjoys them.  So far, I have gotten her to at least try 2 new items - she said she didn't like them - but I was impressed that I at least got her to try them.  I hate having an arguement about what she eats & how much she has to eat EVERY single night!  I'm hoping this will just be a phase.

What about cheese?  My oldest daughter loves a plain cheese sandwich, or you could pack crackers & his favorite spread, cheese, & other toppings.  He doesn't necessarily have to have a sandwich.