My son is so picky! He's only 3 yrs old and barely eats anything, HELP!?

Question

My son is 3 yrs old and is the pickiest eater ever. I know that I let him get away with it which is why he became this way, but how do you overcome a situation once the damage is done? When I present foods to him, he covers his mouth and makes a gagging sound. He eats nothing but french fries, waffles, and pizza. PLEASE do not say "don't feed him that stuff, he'll eat eventually" because that doesn't work. He refused to eat for almost 3 days and lost 3 pounds. The doctor said that isn't a healthly means, but what is? It's so embarrassing when friends and family are around and I can't really go to any restaurants with him because he doesn't eat anything on the menu. Anyone been through this and have so GOOD suggestions?

Answer 1

what did his ped say? do you give him vitamins?
my son was a picky eater also when i cooked but when my grandmother cooked, hell he would eat everything she cooked...NO LIE...
any granparents or godparents? tell them your problem and ask them to babysit and try to feed him something differant. you may be surprised with what they say.
YOU GIVE IN, thats why he keep trying you...kids know our weak spots...lol..good question..brought back memories.

Answer 2

Okay, i won't say it. but you have to know that he has to eat more eventually. My son is picky too. only likes chicken nuggets but I do MAKE HIM eat other food too. Maybe you can say, "okay, you can have a waffle, but first you need to eat these cheerios and then if you are still hungry, you can have the waffle." let him know that you are the parent and you will not only feed him junk. if he eats french fries every day, he will become obese! then you will have all other problems. If he wants pizza, give him some green beans first, you get the point. Let him have a little of that but begin to introduce other stuff and then eventually he will eat better. but don't say he won't eat anything else, because it is you that have to make him. if not, take away TV or whatever else he does, he'll get it!! good luck.

Answer 3

My 2 1/2 year old is very picky also. He used to eat all vegetables and now he only will eat raw carrots and lettuce(besides french fries of course). Doctors say most children go through this stage and they will grow out of it. Offer him on a plate the same things you are eating if he doesn't eat it then that is fine but at least you are giving him options, they say sometimes it is a control issue. Its easy to give in to your children when they just want certain things to eat because you want them to eat no matter what it is. We give our son a multivitamin plus the Pediasure which he loves We call it a Milkshake. It gives him nutrition that he is not eating. Just be patient and I'm sure we will eventually come around!

Answer 4

My daughter will be 3 soon and she is the same way. As a matter of fact she only weighs a pound more than her brother who is a year younger. What we do is give her vitamins. A good multi vitamin will actually increase her appetite. I also know from experience with her, my other kids and my younger sibs that eventually your son will get tired of eating the same things. Trust me, I had a sister who survived on mac and cheese, hot dogs and apple juice for almost a year. Shes now almost 6 ft tall and a nurse, so it didnt hurt her a bit! Goodluck, and just keep trying other things, put lots of different stuff on his plate. It will take time, but it will change.

Answer 5

I have the same problem. I stopped fighting the issue. Esp. when we were somewhere else, if that ment he had cereal or a pancake for dinner then so what as long as he was eating somethng. Then I slowly started getting him to eat other things by only giving him small amounts. If it was green beans, then I only gave him two, and would say there was no reason why he couldn't eat two. He's six now, granted there is still alot he won't eat, but there's also alot more that he will.

Answer 6

I have a 2 1/2 year old that way. My pediatrician says that it is normal for the little ones to go thru that stage in life. I know it is a pain in the you know what but, I make our little guy fries almost every night because I know he will eat them and he has to take 1 bit of everything else I make even if it is small then he can get his fries.

Good luck I will be watching this post also for more ideas...

Answer 7

One, do not give him the junk food like pizza, chips, french fries etc. He may not eat for a few meals but he will eventually eat what is right. Don't take him to fast food places. He will want the junk and not the good stuff. If you eat the fries then he will too. You have to train him to eat good foods and not give in when he cries or pitches a fit. My 3 year old started doing the same thing and I have not allowed her any junk. She is starting to eat. If he won't eat, wrap it up in plastic wrap and put it in the frig. When he asks for something to eat bring it out and offer it to him.

Answer 8

My son went through similar problems when he was younger and it was due to a medical problem with a swollen esophagus that made it difficult for him to swallow certain textures. Before we came to that conclusion we went to see a behavior feeding specialist in Hershey cause they told me it was a behavioral feeding problem that I caused and come to be it was not. What they tole me at the feeding clinic was to have a plate of food and a reward plate of snacks and every time he took a bit of the food he got a snack off the snack plate for example: 1 cheese curl, 1 animal cracker or whatever snacks he likes. We set a timer for 20 mins and whatever he ate in that 20 mins was all he got until the next meal. And he also only got 8 oz of drink with it. this may sound cruel and that you are not feeding your child but trust me it works WONDERFUL!!! I know cause I told several friends about it and they were very very grateful. If you want more info I would be more than happy to give it to you.

Answer 9

well, it is true that you let it advance so far, but it is your son's fault for being that way. hold him accountable. don't take him to restaurants. if he gets upset and asks why, say, "because you won't eat anything there and i don't want to go through the trouble." hiring a sitter will be less expensive than trying to buy him food when he won't eat it. by covering his mouth and gagging, i think that might be a way of manipulating you. he is guilting you into letting him eat junk food. i think he did the same thing when he didn't eat for 3 days. toddlers are capable of amazing things and nobody understands how tricky and smart they are. around that time, had you been trying to introduce new foods into his diet? he may have been trying to get you to go back to his old junk food routine by scaring you into it. hold him accountable. and honsetly, if he doesn't eat, don't make him. if it gets out of hand, like he gets visibly thinner and shows sugns of starvation, take him to a pediatrician or child psychiatrist.

Answer 10

I've always read that when kids are eating like that, they are eating what their body needs at the time. I would just make sure he takes his Flinstone Vitamins and maybe look for some kind of nutrition shake to supplement his diet. You know they have Ensure and things like that for adults in order to help get the nutrition they need, surely there is something like that for kids. If he drinks milk then that's a plus and if he won't drink just plain milk, it's okay to try strawberry or chocolate....at least he will be getting the milk. Don't force him to eat though...if you do, you may be setting him up for a lifetime of weight problems.
Good luck....he'll eat if he's hungry.

Answer 11

Please tell your son that he is being rude to the family when he makes gagging sounds at the table. Please let him know that he may eat what the rest of the family is eating but if he doesn't like what is being served he can excuse himself from the table and make himself a peanut butter sandwich. Make the bread and peanut butter available to him but he must do this himself. He won't go hungry because peanut butter has lots of protein in it. Also, when you serve him food, just give him very small amounts (one spoon of potatoes, three small pieces of vegetable, a small piece of meat). He will react to the fact that he's not getting as much as everyone else. Tell him that when he has finished eating what is on his plate he can have more.