Topic : Picky Eaters

 My son is 5 years old. He has always been a picky eater. I thought that after he started school that he would maybe start to try new things when he saw other kids eating it too. But here we are into the school year and every day he tells me he had a half of a peanut butter sandwich and a chocolate milk for lunch. Everyday except for 2!!! I don't know what to do anymore. He won't eat veggies, beef or any other meats unless it's processed. I just dont know what to do anymore.

Just don't give him and by the food he wants!!! Did you think being a mother was easy? Yes he will cry and yell, so LET HIM! After he is done, and hungry he will eat!

 

 Look, if you were overweight and had dr. Phill on your ass everyday about eating healty, you would be pissed, but you'll live and thank him in the future after loosing all that weight, well think of yourself as him, teache your child to eat healthy!

I am at wits end with my 3 1/2 year old. He ate a half a bowl of cereal for breakfast, a granola bar at snack time. We had to force him to eat two tiny pieces of a ham wrap for lunch, and he may have eaten a small piece of turkey for supper.  He likes most things, just doesn't need hardly anything to eat. He is not very big for a 3 1/2 year old. He weighs about 30 lbs, but the doctor is not concerned. In our house, we eat 3 meals a day. His 5 year old sister sits at the table and eats. They eat what I make and that is why they do like most things I put on their plates. I do not want to change our lifestyle becuase he has no appetite. I want him to sit at the table and eat what we are eating while we are eating it.  He loses dessert if he doesn't finish , or gets down from the table a half hour later to play and still has not eaten. Tonight I told him he would not go to soccer if he didn't eat. Of course he didn't eat and so he didn't go to soccer. He is upset right now but I don't think it will matter tomorrow. It will be the same thing.  I need help now!! I am afraid I've let it go too long, (6 months maybe) I don't know how to fix it.  Please!!!!! any advice.

My three year old son will eat almost anything, but he takes HOURS to eat a meal.  I've had to sit with him through the meals, because I found that if I left the table to do other things, he bores himself and starts fidgeting, fiddling, etc and/or gets down from the table.  I have no TV on, no toys, etc., but he still gets distracted.  He takes close to FIVE minutes for EACH bite before he swallows to take a new one.

 

I'm a single mom, and I can't stay up all night (nor can he) to get him to eat.  I've tried everything that I've heard from, don't worry, he'll eat when he's hungry (that appears to be finally at 3 am, literally), to have the tv to capture his attention while he eats (nope, just more distraction apparently).

 

I feel like it's an odd disorder as the chewing is almost obsessive, and is what takes him so long to eat.  I thought maybe it was just the meat he was chewing like that, but nope, it's pasta, rice, vegetables, anything that' s the slightest bit solid.  He eats yogurt quickly, but that's not enough to satisy him anymore, as he was waking up in the middle of the night for more food.

 

HELP...does anyone have ANY suggestions????

 

Kim

Just give him a time limit, something like 30 min to finish his meal, If he can't finish it with in 30 min just wrap it up put in fridge and when he gets hungry thats what he gets!

 

Even if it's breakfast, just heat it up! The same thing all day long, until he gets to eating faster.

 

Beleive me, after a while he'll get sick and tired of eating that way and speed up!

 

I run a day care and I have a child who eats very slowly, so when it's time for snack time, she gets the meal that she didn't eat! I think I had to do it for 1 week and wow she eat faster now!

 

Just don't give up!

 

P.S. If he wakes up at night don't give him food, put him back to bed!

I think you should show your son a clock or a timer. And show him how long he had to eat. And when it gets down to the last 5 mins (show him again on the clock) that lunch will be done! After a week or so he will start picking up on the time!! Dont give him seconds on anything unless he makes a happy plate!! Alll the food has to be all gone. Same with his drink dont refill until he has eaten his food!!

 

I work in a daycare and when my new kids come to my room they are not use to eating all their food in 30 mins.So we show them the clock, and it helps them learn their numbers!!

wow...that seems so obvious...thanks...I'll give it a try!

 

Let me know if it works!

I've been reading a lot of these messages about picky eaters and most of them seem to say the same thing.  They'll eat when they are hungry.  Believe me, I always heard the same thing.  I want people to know it's not always the case.  My 8 year old son will hardly eat anything.  If I let him, he would go a couple of days without eating or maybe take  a couple of bites.  I finally took him to the doctor when he was 7 and falling behind his friends in growth and he had fallen off the growth curve for height and weight.  After many tests, we were told he has a constitutiinal growth delay.  A condition, not a disease.  He's healthy, but he is underweight.   The doctors say he will eventually catch up, but to make him eat.  I have to buy Boost shakes for him to drink everyday and still he only weighs 45 pounds at 8 years old.  I felt guilty for asking the doctor about him being so small because everyone said kids will eat on their own.  I am glad I went or he might be even further behind.  Try letting the eating issues work themselves out, but after a reasonable amount of time, don't feel guilty about asking your doctor if there is a problem.

I persoanllly do not worry about my kids when it comes to eating. Some days they eat really well then others, tehy don't want much at all. I do not buy many snacks for the home, it is rare to have them actually.

I cook meals that I know they like and with some things they don't care for, I will mix in a casserole or something, like my girls won' t hardly eat brocoli (they used to) but I will cook up some chicken and chop it up and mix it inw ith some rice and add chopped up brocoli and they love it.

At least he is eating and you can remind him that this is dinner and you need to eat this, there is nothing else. I I always set out something that I know my girls will eat, and if they only eat one thing that is fine with me, at leat it is nutricious and we are eating together and their is no dessert of they donlt eat the "good for you food" I do not make my girls clean their plates, I give them small portions but even then, they don't always feel like eating, they know the rules, we follow them.