my 9 year old son is so faddy!?

Question

my son has always been a fussy eater but i thought as he got older he would grow out of it!...but no he has not hes just got worse...he will not try new foods but now and again i can bribe him to at a push....he tried new potatoes once and when he swallowed it he ran out to be sick..i have to other sons as well and they eat normal but my partner(boys dad) has the same problem..all he eats is chips, cheese sandwiches..he wont sit down with us at meal times and eat a normal healthy meal...could it be a herederity thing?...what do i do for the best?...help

Answer 1

You will need to be really firm with your son - he will get away
with his behaviour because he is allowed to - keep your partner
away while you are eating and explain to your son he will be
treated like your other children and he will eat the same as them -
he may object at first but he will eat when he is hungry. Its
really not good for him and he will thank you in the long run.
You need to be strong and consistent.

Answer 2

My friends son is an incredibly fussy eater he only eats lamb or chicken and potatos with no butter or seasoning. He was under the doctor because he was so underweight etc etc.

He came on holiday with us and was not given a choice in what he could eat, food was put in front of him and if he didn't eat it, it was taken away.

I don't think he ate for the first two days but we were very busy, days out, walking, swimming and hunger won out by the end of the two weeks he had eaten fish, pasta, chinese, curry (which he really didn't like) and lots of vegetables.

As soon as he got home he went back to his old habits, aided by his mother who said 'but he doesn't like pasta' etc.

As he is good friends with my son he eats here maybe once or twice a week and without making any fuss he is offered what everyone else is having and he eats it.

Don't allow your son to rule your kitchen. He is the child you are the adult and you know better than he does.

Answer 3

We had the same problem.

Unfortunately, there was no "cure" but not buying any junk food like crisps etc did help, as well as making an effort for all the family to sit and eat together every day. Also, try to get him involved in setting out the table etc.

He is 15 now but still a bit fussy. Good luck

Answer 4

faddy eaters are made not born. Your son sees your husband/partner eating rubbish and refusing to eat properly and is following his lead. If you put good food on the table and you all ate at the same time and the same thing, he would eventually start to eat properly.
He was sick for the attention, not because a potato made him ill. The more your husband stays the way he is, the bigger the problem will be.

Answer 5

hi my son started out the same way. though he is only 4 he has some dental problems due to epilepsy medication so it prevented him eating some foods, we had the opposite problem no meat all veggies. was OK but he has always been small for instance he was only 4 lbs at birth and he is almost 5 and still wears a 3t. though the docs say he is fine. we pushed some meats for protein purposes. though there are replacements. the less of a deal you make it. the less of a deal he will. i will put something on his plate ,whatever we have for dinner, he may say mommy i don't like it. i tell him you may not like it but try one bite. there is times he eats every bite. dont stress it wll come.

Answer 6

We eat a lot of fish,soup,pasta,fruit and veggies. When we got our nephew from foster care he would not eat anything but the fruit but as time went on and his body got used to being healthier on the fruit his pallet changed and he started eating everything. He eats anything we put out but nuts,he hates the crunch. Keep up with the healthy meals and buy nothing else, buy things that have to be cooked. Grab it snack cause a problem make those fruit, carrots & celery stalks, this might change your big boy too.

Answer 7

I think it is more likely that your son is imitating his dad-kids learn their behaviour by watching so have a word with your partner and ask him to set a better example.! try to get ur son into a routine, also try disguising the new things egg put cheese in mash potato etc.

if he is being naughty about tea time try taking away a toy/treat and reward him with getting it back if he is good a tea time.

Good luck

Answer 8

I agree with fenland. But even if his father eats garbage, it doesn't matter. YOU TWO are his parents. Don't give him anything else to eat but what you made for dinner. It really does work. If his father supports you, the boy WILL eat when nothing else if offered to him and he gets hungry enough. Stop giving him what he wants. If the father doesn't support you and gives him garbage to eat......nothing much you can do then.

Answer 9

He is only copying his dad, have quiet word with daddy and ask him not to make too much fuss with food, he could let son think he's eating it,

Answer 10

Children do as they see. He is probably copying his Dad. Discuss your concerns about his nutrition with your partner. I think they could both benefit from this.