Picky eaters

[catholicapmom]

My kids obviously didn't inherit my willingness to eat whatever is in front of me. :shifty They inherited my dh's refusal to eat just about anything but Chef boyardee and Mac and Cheese (ONLY Kraft!! :rolleyes2).

I'm so tired of flipping through my cookbooks looking for things they'll eat only to have them refuse to eat it. And I absolutely refuse to make 4 different things. I just won't do it. Maybe I'm being "mean" but whatever, I'm not a short order cook. We had sloppy joes for dinner tonight (not the healthiest, but I've been cleaning all day and didn't have the energy to do anything else). Well, Alvin didn't want to eat it because it's "messy". I told him that's the point. :giggle Anyway, now he's eating tortilla chips. :rolleyes I'm just so tired of fighting about food! Any advice? I need recipes too if you have the time. :hiding

[catholicapmom]

Anyone?

:popcorn mmmmm....popcorn..... :lol

[blossomnatalia]

well, i have said it before in another topic...but this is the way we do it at home, when it comes to food...(I am the food nazi so be prepared... :giggle)

If they don't eat what is in front them...they are not hungry and that it's it for that meal.
Next meal, same thing but you know what....they are probably hungry by now...so they are more likely to eat anything you give them.

IF you DO NOT send them the message that you will give them something else to eat...they are going to understand after a few times that what you give them is what they get..

My girls can not eat anything else until they finish their plate, sometimes it comes out as harsh but really it is your responsibility to make sure they eat well...And they should not be allowed to make a decision they are not yet ready to make.

I would encourage you to do that for few days....and see what happens. Now if they don't eat at lunch...and you let them eat pastries for snack....then you will have the same battle at dinner...even snacks have to be ok by you and even if it has to be what they did not eat at lunch.

Don't give me wrong...I am never forcing them to eat...I do not leave them aother option that is all and if you just wait a few minutes, once they realize that they really are not going to get mac and cheese, then what was so horrible to eat before has just become DELICIOUS...all by magic :hunh :shrug and they will even ask you for seconds....I am not kidding....

They are testing here at the table just as much as anywhere else if your boundaries are not set where you are confortable, reset them. Say what you mean.

[Mother of Sons]

Don't give me wrong...I am never forcing them to eat...I do not leave them aother option that is all and if you just wait a few minutes, once they realize that they really are not going to get mac and cheese, then what was so horrible to eat before has just become DELICIOUS...all by magic and they will even ask you for seconds....I am not kidding....

nak

Although in general, I think this is good advice, it's simply not always true. My oldest didn't eat hardly anything for years. My 7 year old can go days with eating next to nothing. If they don't like it, they don't like it and they won't always eat it OR like it just because they are hungry.

That doesn't mean I think you should feed them food that isn't healthy just because they want it. Provide meals that you feel are healthy for your children and leave the rest up to them. I usually put one vegetable on my 7 year old's plate. He can eat it or not, but it's been offered. We rarely have dessert but I don't make desserts dependant on food unless they eat nothing in which case they probably wouldnt' want it. My other kids eat veggies just fine so I'm sure he will in time as well.

If the kids really hate what is for dinner, they are allowed to grab a piece of fruit or make a sandwhich. After all, no one makes ME eat squid (my 4 year old's fave) But they are on their own there and I do not ever make seperate meals. Generally they eat what I make except for breakfast so I don't make breakfast anymore lol.

[joyful mama]

i never force my dd to eat something if she isn't interested. i DO try to avoid a snack an hour before dinner unless its veggies. If she doesn't eat dinner, then no goodies. if she asks for something, she gets offered fruit, cheese, or whole wheat crackers. basically something that is fairly healthy. but no junk. my dd is a bit picky, but she'll eat one thing one day, like tuna or feta cheese, and refuse to eat it for like 2 weeks :shrug . my dd is a 'snacker' eater. she rarely eats a big meal. so, i make sure what i offer her is nutritious. my baby will eat almost anything :lol. i just make sure i introduce a variety, or we get stuck in a rut. dh, otoh, is pretty darn picky. drives me nuts! i make him eat his whole plate of food before he gets dessert. just kidding :giggle

[catholicapmom]

If they don't eat what is in front them...they are not hungry and that it's it for that meal.
Next meal, same thing but you know what....they are probably hungry by now...so they are more likely to eat anything you give them.

I've done this since he started eating solids years ago and seriously, the boy will go hungry before eating something he thinks he won't like. There have been quite a few nights where I've heard his tummy growling and I say "Don't you want to eat your dinner?" and he says "No, I'll wait til breakfast." :eyebrow This method worked for me when I was a kid, but it doesn't work for him unfortunately. :/

If the kids really hate what is for dinner, they are allowed to grab a piece of fruit or make a sandwhich

I tried this, but I'm not comfortable with him eating only an apple and cheese for dinner. :shrug And he absolutely REFUSES to make himself a sandwich (he got that from my dh) and I absolutely refuse to make him something else so he just won't eat. :rolleyes

[joyful mama]

i guess its how you look at it. i guess i'm pretty laid back about it :shrug. i'd rather my dd eat an apple and cheese for dinner than junk or nothing. and i don't personally have a problem making a sandwich for a kiddo either. you can't force them to eat... so honeslty, why let them go hungry? jmho