How do you get......?

Question

a four year old to eat?
My four year old will not eat anything other than tuna on toast, he used to be a good eater then all of a sudden, like over night he changed, i have tried every conceivable way other than tie him down.... is there any advice out there for a frought mother?

Answer 1

He won't allow himself to starve. Serve what you're having at the time and let him be. Insist that he sit at the table for the meal time, but not that he eat. Ignore him. He WILL eventually eat. DON'T give in to him and change the menu for him. He won't starve....I promise! I do this for a living....lol.

Answer 2

Let it go for now - all children go through phases like this and usually will get bored after quite a short time, but the more you fuss, the more attention he gets and the more he will continue. Tuna on toast is healthy enough to have 3 times per day so let him have just that if he likes. Praise him if he eats other foods, and ignore his eating choices otherwise. Sensible rules like 'no pudding until you've eaten your main meal' are fine but don't force him to eat other things as it just makes it worse. My mother's mantra was 'if you don't like what's put in front of you you can have some bread and butter instead' though turned out I liked the bread and butter most of all for a while, though soon grew out of it.

Answer 3

I feel your pain, I have a 5 year old daughter that is the same way. Meal time is a terrible ordeal and I wish there was something that can be done. Her doctor just put her on Pediasure twice a day to try to get some weight on her and the nutrients she needs. She is at the same weight she was last October 37 lbs and is so tiny. Have you tried Kids Cuisine? in the frozen food section? My daughter will mostly only eat macaroni and cheese or something with noodles. See if he will drink the Pediasure and at least you know that he is getting in the calories and the nutrients he needs. It tastes better if you add ice cream to it and maybe he will like it. Good luck

Answer 4

Good question! I have a 2yr old daughter who will only eat chicken nuggets and fruit. She used to like a lot more things when she was younger. If I were you I would watch giving to much tuna. The mercury levels are way to high for a child that young to eat eat everyday. try chicken on toast in place of it. You also may wanna call his doctor and see what they suggest. good luck!

Answer 5

Stop caving into him. He's 4 and you are the mommy. If he won't eat what is healthy or anything other than tuna on toast then let him go hungry. He will eat before he starves. All you have to do is have a stronger will and conviction then your 4 year old. Trust me, when he gets hungry enough he will eat whatever you feed him.

Answer 6

I was exactly like this when I was a four year old. Don't raise your voice or make aggressive body movements at the table (including slamming the spoon back down in the plate when he doesn't eat). He probably feels stressed out at mealtimes - it can seem very hectic (perhaps somethng has changed in the house) and the last thing he needs is more stress.

The thing that helped me was to put my food on a smaller plate (like a saucer) and I used a teaspoon for a spoon etc. The 'kids' size crockery and cutlery set me at ease at the table.

Answer 7

Give him a choice of healthy foods (only rarely including tuna on toast). He'll eat eventually rather than go hungry. It may be a control issue, and remember, you're the adult and you need to be in control. Remain calm and matter-of-fact ("Sorry, we're not having tuna today"). Don't punish him for not eating. Pleasantly and calmly acknowledge when he has eaten something other than tuna on toast. ("I see you ate your hamburger.") He'll keep testing for a while, but eventually you'll both win on this issue--you by being in control, and he by learning who's in control and by eating a variety of healthy foods.

Answer 8

Easy for me to say, but don't get stressed about, he will pick up on that, and please don't turn meal times into a battle ground. If that happens he could end up associating food with anger, and general unhappiness etc which could lead to problems later on. If that's all he want's to eat, that's fine. Offer him other food as well, but don't make a big deal of it if he doesn't want it. For a long time all my brother would eat was bananas, nothing else. He was a fussy eater all of his childhood, it was only when he hit his twenties did he start eating vegetables. He's now a strapping 23 yr old, 6ft footballer........... So please don't worry!

Answer 9

One way you can make the food look like something he likes. If he likes cars, make the food look like a car. Then let him play with his food. As long as he doesn't make a mess he'll eventually eat it.
If that doesn't work just put what you want him to eat in front of him. IF he doens't eat he'll go to bed hungry. After a few nights of going to bed hungry he'll eventually get what you tell him to eat.

Answer 10

From 1 mum to another, who cares thats all he eats as long as he is eating! Tuna is full of protein, which is good for u! At least he aint just eatin crap. My oldest son (6.5) used to eat nowt but weetabix, believe me, he will soon grow out of it or get bored before then! Honestly, DONT PANIC!! xxx