Picky eaters? How many other Mom's out there make more than one dinner?

Question

My kids are divided on what their favorites are, and balancing a meals is sometime a juggling act..One loves veggies and fruits and not so much on meats, 2 absolutely hate fruits and veggies and will drink juices, but love meat and starches...


We are becoming the vitamin fortified - chewable vitamins family I believe.

Any ideas for fun foods/snacks that help meet all the nutritional basics?

Answer 1

Personally I agree with most of the answers here. I have a nephew who is very picky...however when he comes to my house,it is eat what I have served or go hungry. This has actually worked with him as he isn't given a choice. I have literally told him Aunt Z is not a restaurant. My sister has been shocked at what he will eat at my house and not hers. But I will say that very seldom do they have a sit down family dinner unless they are out to eat. Don't know if that matters. He also is their only child.

I do have a couple friends that have the same problem with their kids. One friend sends cold lunch to school everyday,despite the school cafeteria requesting a doctors excuse for him not eating the choices served at school. It is a private school,so they think their food is better or something! :)
She has 3 kids and works full time,doesn't always have the time to make special for everyone.

Something that has worked for her tho,is planning a menu for the week. The kids get to help pick the foods and that really has helped.

Snacks are what you asked about too. Snacks I am more lenient with. They each have their favorites. I have healthy snacks that they all like or special ones for each of them. They are old enough to grab what they like from the fridge or cupboard. One day it might be a granola bar and the other might have carrots and dip. I always have snacks prepared ahead in the fridge because they are starving when they get home from school. Cut up veggies, they like baby carrots,cauliflower,broccoli,etc,,,fruit...grapes,bananas and strawberries
work well. Or I have apples that they like with peanut butter.
Sometimes I have PB&J sandwiches made for them in the fridge for when they get home too.
For morning snacks they like the milk& cereal bars...dry cereal,etc...
Ummm...I have 1 that loves breakfast and can't leave home without it and then 2 that wouldn't eat breakfast if I paid them. So I have snacks on hand for them to eat when they're ready.
String cheese is another snack they love. Jello and pudding cups,ice cream,grahm crackers,marshmallows,rice krispie treats...gosh the list of snacks is endless.

I guess my best advise is not to worry too much abt the snacks if they eat different foods. Just have them available to them and ready ahead of time so they can grab what they want.

I know you said that 2 hate fruits and veggies...have they tried them in a while? Have you tried cooked and raw? My son loves raw but hates cooked. What we started with him when he was 2 years old...he had to eat how ever many years old he was for veggies cooked. Like when he turned 3...he had to eat 3 peas or 3 pieces of corn. Now that he is almost 16...sometimes he still counts! But I did learn my lesson about squash with him?! Use your mom imagination on that one! :)

Do they like rice? I have rice on hand a lot and they pour milk and cinnamon sugar on it and warm it up...yummy. Add raisins if they like them.

Another fav is cinnamon toast. Easy for them to make themselves too.

OK,quitting with the snacks now...I have endless possibilities...:)Good luck.

Answer 2

I think my answer would depend on why I had an adult living in my house without contributing to the household. I don't think as a non paying member that he has any right to *****. I could see if he were diabetic or had special medical needs but if this where a regular occurance and he thinks you should cook him a special meal regularly. Most nonpaying people don't demand steak, he best be glad he doesn't live in my house. I think most people have things they don't like and as a contributing family member or a guest, then I would be sure they were accomodated to some extent. How bad to you want to keep the peace? That's the answer. I might be accomodating enough to say in the morning. . .we're having salmon tonight, just to let you know you might want to pick up a sandwich on your way home. . .Start charging rent and still you aren't required to cook for anyone . .he needs a reality check. You know people only get away with what you let them. I think you should sit him down and explain that he needs to contribute weekly to the household and that it isn't your responsibility to support him and name an amount and stop being so soft. Then I would tell him that meals will be prepared according to the cooks desires. If something isn't to his liking, he can make himself a sandwich or go out to eat, but preparing separate meals for everyone is not going to happen. Then I would explain his chores around the house. Reality will be upon him.

Answer 3

I try to represent all food groups at each meal. My kids were very picky and one is a meat eater while the other really isn't. But now they both eat nearly everything and they are suddenly open to trying more foods!! How did I do it? I put them on a schedule!!

We eat breakfast at 7am. They eat as much as they think they want but they know they'll get nothing else until snack at 10am. I try to provide healthy snacks like apples dipped in peanut butter or carrot sticks and crackers with swiss. Then they get lunch at noon. The afternoon snack is at 3pm and then we have dinner around 6, depending on the night because we have sports some nights. We normally provide a dessert after dinner. They are allowed juice or milk with meals but must drink water between meals.

As soon as I started doing this there was a change. They don't complain at meals. They both eat much more at meals than they used to and, like I said, they're suddenly open to new things. It is incredible. My kids are 6 & 3. The other day they both tried egg drop soup and liked it!!

Note: we home school so my 6 yr. old is home all day

Answer 4

My daughter is a very picky eater. So I've learned that when she is absolutly STARVING, she will eat what ever I serve. So I eliminate snack about a couple of hours before dinner and when I serve she eats!

However, I'm always thinking of their favorites when I cook, so I will not make something she hates. I make one meal with all the food groups (example chicken and veg stew with a side dish of rice) the kids eat what they like. If you keep making a few meals they will just give you a harder time. Stick to one and you'll see they'll come around, believe me they will not stay hungry. Good Luck.

Answer 5

One meal that includes the basic food groups is all you need. Everyone must at least try what's on the plate before they can announce they don't like it. How do they know? They haven't tried it. If they truly hate it, don't force it. I'm sure there are plenty of other items on the plate for them to eat.

Don't like and/or refuse to eat any of it . . . that's really too bad because desert is no longer an option. Sounds cold, but it really isn't. It just means that you need to make some really awesome, can't miss, to die for deserts! I guarantee you that everyone will eat at least some of their dinner. It worked for my picky eater.

Just remember, that as the mother you're responsible for making sure your kids grow up healthy and that includes eating the right food. Good luck!

Answer 6

My son does the same thing. But what I do, is make 1 meal. Just find a way to JAZZ up the meal that you know they dont like. For the one that likes fruit and veggies, add some small portions (there but not completely noticable) of meat. But anywas fine creative ways to 'hide' the food they dont really like... It works for me.

Answer 7

You need to teach your children to eat what you give them, not what they want you to give them. Your child who loves fruits and veggies is probably not getting enough protein and your child who hates fruits and veggies but will drink juice and eat starch is probably getting way too much sugar. (Even one glass of all natural juice has more sugar than about 4 pieces of fruit.)

Your children may not like it, but make them eat what they don't like. I like what someone else said about making one kid's favorites one day and the other kid's the next.

It may not be that they don't like the food necessarily, but that they like their favorite food more, and they know you will give in and give them what they want.

If you don't get your one child to eat more fruits and veggies and less starch and juice, you are looking at a 12 year old with adult onset diabetes in a few years, from eating way too much sugar.

The only way to broaden your children's horizons (and taste buds) is to give them the food and let them eat it. What they eat now will directly impact their future eating habits. You do not want your children growing up to never eat fruits and veggies, or the other one to have a protein deficiency

Answer 8

I am not a picky eater and it was becasue my parents never allowed me to be. They tol dme to eat everything before i could have my dessert, and so I ate everything. And I grew into an adult who is not picky, and I eat everything.
There is nothing worse than a picky eater.. it is such a pain in the butt when you get one of those and you have to cook for them. It is also a turn off for me to date one. The guy I married started to say I don't like this and that and I got him to try it and he likes so many new foods now. It is usually just a mispreconception. Mind over matter. I also think your child might be craving or enjoying the attention from all that you are doing to cater to his behavior.
Hope this helps...

Answer 9

Oh my God! My husband gets so mad at me for making so many different things for supper. I basically give the kids a menu to decide what they want to eat everynight. With 2 adults and 3 kids it's kinda hard to make just 1 meal that they all eat. Plus my son rarely eats meats of any kind. And he eats no fruits or veggies. Kinda limited there but we handle it all ok. After so many years of it all, Im used to it.

Answer 10

Don't cater to your kids. Make a meal that has something from all of the food groups and serve it to your entire family. Let them eat what they want as long as they TRY a bite of everything. By making each kid a special meal you are allowing them to be "picky eaters".

Answer 11

I don't waste my time making diffrant stuff for each child I have, at my table, it is " Eat it or Starve", If they don't like what I made, than they just don't eat it, BUt, I do try to cook all things for that meal that everyone likes the same so, I don't have to spend hours in the kitchen, Heck, I have 3 kids ages 4 and under, I don't have a lot of spare time to spend in the kitchen !!!!!!!!!!