my daughter wont eat anything but chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, hot dogs and i dont know what to do.!!?

Question

she is 3 yrs old and i feel like a bad mother..i try but she pushes everything away!!

Answer 1

Just take a breather! it is not the end of the world and most defiantly you are not a bad mother. As a mother of two myself I know how children can be. Don't force her she will try new things on her own with time (hey just look at it this way she had to try the chicken nuggets to like those right?), but mean while I would try to introduce her to some new ways of eating different foods or letting her help prepare lunch or dinner to let her see what all goes in to the food and letting her taste the different items. and reward her when she tries something new. Remember the more you force her the more she will push it away

Answer 2

Children are really stubborn at that age. It's best not to make the dinner table a battleground. Make sure she gets a daily multivitamin with minerals. And try to introduce her to slowly new foods that have a distinctive taste and do not look exotic. She just might like Mexican food. It has the cheese the other foods have but some more vegetables with a little salsa to give it some taste. A lot of the "heathy" foods are insipid. Most vegetables have far less taste and aroma than they has just 20 years ago. The agrifood business have developed veggies that have great shelf life and not much else. (they have found that some of these "foods" have one third the vitamins and minerals that they did 20 years ago. Buy them at a farmers market. A lot of people are now doing that. She may get to enjoy them later.
Please remember this saying no child ever starved in a house full of food.
Have patience and persevere, it will change for the better.
Dan

Answer 3

I have three chidren: a three (almost four year old) and twin two year olds. It a hard age and they're stubborn as rocks but its important to assert your authority. All three of my kids eat just about everything. We've always served food with expectation that they will eat what's in front of them. If they don't want it, fine, there's another meal not too far away.

I would talk with your daughter about nutrition in a way she understands. My four year old knows that fruit and vegatables help her grow up "big and strong" and that candies don't. We still have ice cream and candies but she knows that if you eat "too many snacks" you'll get a belly. During the talk I would tell her she needs to start eating whatever the family eats.

What I do with my daughter to get her to try everything is this: She gets a little of everything on her plate. She's allowed to get more (within limits or she'd only eat bread) of anything she wants. If she clears her plate she can have a snack before she goes to bed - this is the time we have ice cream, cake, hot chocolate, etc. If she doesn't clear her plate, no snack. I never make her eat but if she's not hungry for spagetti, she's not hungry for ice cream.

The first few nights I would make some fairly kid friendly food - spagetti, broiled chicken with cheese and tell her she can eat this or nothing. She will cry, she will scream and generally be a terror. If you hold your ground it'll only last a couple of days. If your worried about her starving feed her the food she likes for lunch. Don't give into her to her pleas of hunger. Save some dinner, if she's hungry later warm it up for her.

This is not about hunger or even really about what she likes, its about power. She's in control of mealtime and is not going to let go easily.

Answer 4

I just asked a similar question about my daughter who is 14 months. I know she's a bit younger than yours but she won't eat anything but grilled cheese, peanut butter sandwitches, crackers and fruit. Everything else she pushes away too. Have you tried making deals with her? Tell her to take a few bites and then she can have her nuggets. Or have her help you go shopping and then cook something. Someone suggested fun shapes. That's a good idea too. You can also look at answers to my question and see if any of those help you. But just know you are not alone.

Answer 5

Guess you've already caught on to the fact that they all do this. Yes even the posters who claim that if you don't stuff her with spinach she will grow up to be a street person. You are a good mother to be concerned, she is doing what they all do for a while. Offer her one of the things she likes at each meal along with whatever else the family is having. Its really not worth getting crazy over, when she has her next growth spurt she will start eating again. just keep a variety in front of her. Make sure during this period that she has a good multivitamin and stop worrying about it. One day she may love sushi!

Answer 6

You are not a bad mother! At least you are trying. And it's not that bad - she's still eating, and still getting nutrition from what she is eating. I haven't had to deal with it yet, but I hear kids often go through phases. What about trying to make it grilled ham and cheese to add a little bit more nutrition? And I've always heard you can add things like shredded veggies to breads and muffins when you bake them. Just keep offering like you are, or maybe try to get her to help you make something different, and maybe that will make her want to try eating it. The foods she is eating now aren't all that bad. Try your best, and try not to worry about it too much. Good luck!

Answer 7

Dont worry about it! Let her eat whatever she wants at least she's eating. She's only 3 so if it's her weight you are worried about then dont worry about it she's still little. My daughter likes that stuff too and she's not over weight and is very healthy. She also eats other things though. If you are worried that she isn't getting enough vitamins then thats a good reason. You should try buying her the pediasure shakes. My daughter drinks them all the time also and she loves them. They have many flavors such as strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. And don't worry nor listen to everyone saying you're a bad mother, you aren't.

Answer 8

It's fine...no worries! Most toddlers and preschoolers go through a phase where they only eat their favorite foods. As long as you keep offering her other options and show her the things you are eating she will come around eventually. My son (3.5 years old) boycotted everything but PB&J and Mac & cheese for months...now he will eat almost anything except some red meats. If we are having something I know my son probably won't eat for dinner I put things like mandarin oranges or peaches on the side so he doesn't go hungry :)

Answer 9

Your daughter is just going through a stage. My daughter is 4 and is finally getting out of the chicken nugget, hot dog and fish stick stage. Sometimes she would not eat anything and her doctor told me that it was just a stage and that she would eat when she got hungry. Every morning when she woke up she was straving!! My daughter loves all breakfast foods!!! So I knew she was at least eating something. Don't worry, you are not a bad mother. All kids go through these stages. It is normal kid stuff. When my son got out of the stage (he is 5 now), he ate everything. Now he eats all his veggies, his meats, desserts, everything. All kids go through the stages at different times and they end the stages at different times. As long as she is eating something, she is okay.

Answer 10

If that's all she will eat, it will be ok. With my 2nd son at 2-3yrs old, he would only eat cereal bars, peanut butter & jelly & chicken. Doc said as long as he eats, it's ok. You can substitute for tofu dogs for hot dogs. Try Pedia Sure, that will give him the extra nutrients he needs. There's no need to beat yourself up. All kids go through phases of not eating. They will eat when they get hungry enough. Yu are not a bad mom.