How do you get a stubborn 3yr old to eat different foods?

Question

My son is 3 years old. He will only eat a few foods such as mac and cheese, grilled cheese, hot dogs, all kinds of fruit. No veggies and no meat other than hot dogs.Of course he will also eat french fries.I only discovered he liked hot dogs this summer at a cookout. I dont typically serve hot dogs at home, but do now. I try to keep offering different things he just hands it back to me and says no. I am frustrated. I cook a balanced dinner everynight and have to make something special for him. I forgot one other thing he eats is peanut butter sandwiches also plain pasta with grated cheese. Some days he eats almost nothing. The foods I listed are the only things he will eat but sometimes refuses them . He is a typical weight for a 3 year old. He weighs 38 lbs. Does anyone else have this problem with their kids? How do you deal with it? I keep thinking he will outgrow it but it persists. It has gone on for months. Hope to get some good advice.

Just curious Some one said used uncured hot dogs. What is it?

Answer 1

First I would introduce veggies into his pasta; cut small pieces of zucchini up, yellow and green, quickly saute in olive oil then add to his pasta. My daughter will eat veggies if they're in pasta or mixed with rice but not generally by themselves. I would also introduce him to tomato sauce on the pasta, a little at first, and add a dash of salt for more flavor. Second, introduce him to yogurt, which is a great snack on days that he doesn't otherwise eat. It also comes frozen, which is a healthy treat, esp. if you buy organic yogurt. Third, I would focus on breakfast as that's when he'll be hungriest and serve him a variety of foods like bagels, with tomatoes, french toast, hard boiled eggs (my daughter calls them "circle eggs"), oranges and grapefruit (my kids love to squeeze the juice out of a half grapefruit at the end), waffles, pancakes (try Arrowhead Organic Buttermilk mix), just make sure he had a full meal in the morning and put less pressure on him later. Fourth, try organic cheese pizza for a change instead of hot dogs. Finally, I would lose the hot dogs, unless you're buying uncured wieners as too much sodium nitrate is not good for your boy. Good luck.

Answer 2

I would call this a VERY long phase. My son went almost 7 or 8 months without eating ANY meat other than hotdogs. He was also very particular when it came to the fruits and vegetable he would or would not eat.
I would give him small amounts of the foods I knew he would eat and small amounts of the foods that we were eating. I did this for every meal except breakfast. There were some days that all I could get him to "eat" were yogurt fruit smoothies.
Just put small amounts of "new" foods on his plate at every meal possible. I have read (and learned) that kids have to see a new food at least 7 to 8 times before they will even try it. And it takes at least 10 to 14 times before they will eat it.
One way I have gotten my kids to eat many veggies is to cover them in a béchamel sauce. You can add white or yellow cheese to it and it camouflages veggies into something fun!
If you are really worried about the vitamins and nutrients he is getting, you might want to talk to a nutritionist and see how you can "hide" the good stuff in the foods he will eat.

Recipe for Béchamel Sauce
This is a good sauce to go on pasta and vegetables. This kids love it on steamed broccoli!
1 Tbs. butter (NO margarine!!)
1 Tbs. flour
1 cup milk
1-3 Tbs. grated cheese (you can always add more cheese!)
Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Add the flour and stir. This makes a roux. Cook the roux for a few minutes while stirring frequently. Slowly pour in the milk. Whisk the milk in the roux. Bring up to a boil. Add the cheese and remove from the heat. Stir until the cheese is melted.

Answer 3

It's good to have serve a balanced dinner with a variety of foods, making sure there is at least one thing he likes. Since he likes pasta & cheese, try baking it with some veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, carrots, etc) cut up bite size or smaller.

It's normal for a toddler's appetite to decrease from when they were a baby because they just don't grow at the same crazy rate as when they were a few months old. As long as he gaining weight steadily, he's getting enough to eat - your battle is to increase the variety.

Try letting him help you shop, "Which bell peppers should we get: red or yellow? Should we have chicken or hamburgers?" You can even let him help "cook" - he can wash the veggies and help measure ingredients. He will be far more interested in eating something he "cooked".

Answer 4

Well I am having the same problem with my 3 yr old daughter. You have to be persistent and not make something special for him when you've already made dinner for everyone else. What I do is leave my daughters food on the table if she doesnt eat it, because nine times out of ten, she will complain about being hungry in 30 minutes. So, I remind her that her food is still there and I am not making anything else. She will usually eat it now that she sees there is no other option for food.

Or, if I have sweets in the house, I will remind her that she will not be getting any of that if she doesnt eat all of her dinner. That usually works as well.

If it helps, I am sure it is just a phase. I have a 7yr old son as well and I remember him going through the same thing, he is still picky about eating but since he is older now and growing so much he will pretty much eat whatever when he gets hungry enough.

Good luck! And don't worry, he is healthy and getting enough to eat. If you are worried about nutritional value, however, then get him some vitamins, they have all sorts of yummy flavored vitamins now.

Answer 5

You have to realize that you are the parent and stop asking him what he wants-parents are not short order cooks. You really do not have to do this anymore. He will certainly not let himself starve. Your job is to fix wholesome nutritional food and offer him small portions of everything, then TAKE THE EMOTIONAL WEIGHT off yourself for his choices. Keep a neutral face and don't react when he refuses, also do NOT insist he eat or try anything. Just say "I'm sorry, that's what we're having" if/when he complains, and then focus on something or someone else. Do not engage in discussions of whether or not any particular item is good or good for him. Let him observe the other family members eating it, be polite to him but neutral about the food. He may fuss about it, it is fine to tell him "from now on I"m fixing the same foods for everyone" and of course occasionally include his favorites, but do NOT cater to his whims or tempers. Be firm and consistent.
Do not make the mistake of rewarding this behavior or bargaining desserts or sweets as rewards for eating veggies-that just reinforces his perception of veggies as bad stuff. REALLY LIMIT SWEETS to special occasions or to small amounts at ONE meal a day. Way too much juice, sweets and junk food is served, and these worsen the very problems you are struggling with.

best wishes,
cryllie

Answer 6

My son is almost 8 and still is a picky eater. At least your son eats fruit. My son only ate peanut butter and jelly, mac and cheese, and meats. He still eats very little fruit and hardly any vegetables. He does often try different foods. Going to school helped him a lot. His doctor said kids are like that, just to continue to offer the new foods to him, but not to pressure him. He'll eat more in time. As long as he's healthy, that's what counts. But it is frustrating, I know.

Answer 7

He is three he is old enough to know exactly what he is doing if you let him get away with it he will continue doing it, my three year old don't like vegetable so when I cook dinner and he don't want to eat something I say OK fine then don't ask for anything else and I take his food away and tell him if he gets hungry later then that is what he is eating, sometimes my son will say fine I will eat it sometimes he wont eat, but I also get him to eat stuff he don't like by saying you want me to help you eat it, and I will feed it to him but only when he isn't doing it.

Answer 8

Let him eat what he'll eat. Doctors say that's the best thing to do. If all he wants is hot dogs for 2 weeks straight--let him have them. Believe it or not, he knows what he needs, when he needs it, and how much he needs. It's not going to harm him to eat grilled cheese sandwhiches for 10 days straight. Trust me--all doctors recommend just letting them have what they want to eat.

Answer 9

My 3yr old has the same problem! He refuses veggies, and meat only certain types and once in a while. I hope this is a phase. If I force them in, he'd just gag, and then spit out. They say just make them eat whatever you eat, or they go hungry. And he'd rather go hungry or just eat a fruit. So that didn't work for me either.

Answer 10

tell me when you find out. My 3 year old will only eat grilled cheese, yogurt and fruit!