Picky eaters...kids...How to deal with them?

Question

Example.... Won't eat dinner (tea) so remove it.....refuse to let her have anything else until morning.....Is this harsh punishment or a good way of training her to eat at the correct times?

Answer 1

I hate to say it, but we had a picky eater and I finally had to tell him "eat this, or you get nothing until breakfast." Finally, after about 3 days, he ate what I fed him.

The key is being consistent, though. If you ever become too lenient on this rule, the kid will walk right over you.

Answer 2

Train them? do you have a dog or a child? Sorry if this seems harsh but I'm not sure you should use food as a punishment. sweets yes but not so much food. try making meal times fun, letting you child help you prepare dinner, giving them an important job of setting the table but while you're sitting at the table don't pester them. actually ignore them if possible. they will eat if they are hungry. Is your child refusing to eat anything or just healthy stuff such as veg?
This also depends on the child's age. If still a toddler/ Young child you could try hiding extra goodness in their foods. eg putting apricots in a homemade curry or blending veg up a little before pouring into a bolognese sauce.
I wish you luck, this is a hard one but punishing by not feeding your child isn't the right thing to do. I'm sorry if you disagree but I don't know about you but I'd hate to go to bed feeling hungry..... x x

Answer 3

I don't think it matters so much what you serve her, so long as you are not angry about her unwillingness to eat. Make sure that dinner time is fun with lots of laughs and conversation. In fact, make that the main point of dinner, with food being secondary. Nobody should be allowed to talk about food at the table at all--liking it, not liking it, anything. Talk about the day, the weather, anything--just not food. Also, letting your child help prepare (or even grow) food will help ensure that they want to eat.

My younger child was picky. When he was very young (9 or under), I identified about three healthy things that he always liked (spaghetti, frosted mini wheats, turkey sandwich). If he did not like what we were having he could have one of these three so long as he asked politely without complaining.

Later on I started having required eating, though I still would not serve any foods that he found particularly objectionable. If he did not want much of something he had to ask for "a small portion." And I gave microscopically small portions to start with and bragged (after dinner) about how well he ate. The more foods he tried, the more he found he liked.

Life is so short, and eating should be a pleasure. I just hate to fuss over dinner. The hardest thing for me is when my child all of the sudden decides he doesn't like something he used to eat willingly. I've gotten cranky over that a couple of times. But there is no point. All in all, his eating habits are improving. That's all that should matter.

Answer 4

I'm a picky eater, but I still eat the things that I don't particularly like. When I was growing up, we didn't have a whole lot of money and we only went shopping once a month, so we couldn't really NOT eat what we didn't like. There will be some things that your kids won't like, but just try to get them to eat a little bit and remind them that there are very unfortunate children in the world that would love to have it even if they didn't like it either. They may never grow to like it, but they will learn to appreciate what they have.

Answer 5

maybe just do it at breakfast and lunch & not be as harsh at dinner so she wont go to bed hungry. You could try putting a small amount of a few things on the plate, one thing she really likes and when she asks for more, say, "ok, one bite of this first, though" if she says no then she gets nothing. If this doesnt change within a wk you may have to slack off b/c you dont want her to lose weight. get the pediasure, v8 fusion (fruit and veg juice) and give her a variety of the healthiest foods she will eat

Answer 6

When my daughter was about 8 she never wanted to eat so I gave her some Shaklee Vita-lee, their liquid vitamin and in about two days she was eating everything in sight. When my kids got older they got fussy again and didn't like this and didn't like that so I quit cooking for them and would cook a big meal in the evening that they could choose to eat or not. What happened is that they both began preparing their breakfast and lunch and today are both excellent cooks. Yippee. they cook better than me teehehe. I suggest don't fight and let them have the consequences of their behavior. If you don't make a big deal out of it then they won't either. Have a fruit bowl with all kinds of goodies in it and nuts and they won't starve to death. Wishing you well. Mmm

Answer 7

That's what the experts say! Super Nanny and the other one (sorry, its late and my brain is starting to shut down) where families move into that house for a week or two while CCTV and nanny watch and train the parents!

They definitely say that the child will eat it if he/she is hungry enough!

I never plucked up the courage to do it, but then my kids were'nt and aren't too bad. Could usually just restrict them to fruit if they were hungry so they were at least getting some vitamins. I still do this from time to time though, as they have gone off casseroles and mince dishes!

Good luck!

Answer 8

My son used to be very picky but then we talked about what it was he didn't like about the food and I tried different ways to make things. Example, he hates cooked veggies, but will eat any of them raw and in obscene amounts. So I always put his off to the side, cook the rest of the family's and everyone is happy. He wouldn't touch white rice, so I cooked some brown rice instead and he loved the nutty flavor it has. Now he will eat white rice, I cook it plain for the family because most of us like soy sauce on ours (and he hates it) but he likes chopped up sun-dried tomatoes and basil in his, so when it's cooked, a little bit comes off to the side and what he likes is added.

He likes canned mushrooms, not fresh, white onions but not red ones.

You get the idea, just experiment. Prepare a dish the way your child would like, and then take some off to the side for them and add things the rest of the family likes.

Offer foods, even if you know they don't like them. Eventually they might. Try not to make a big deal out of them not liking something...I'm sure there are things you don't like.

A couple times a week I make one of his favorite dishes. He does have a handful that he absolutely loves and the rest of us enjoy.

Have your child help you cook. If they can claim it as their own creation they're more likely to eat it. I'm also a big fan of "try it, you might like it". He has to have at least one bite of everything now that he's older, but I don't bother with even putting things I know he hates (because he has tried repeatedly) on his plate, like peas...I just crack open a can of cream corn and call it a day.

Answer 9

hummm its a tough one. I was a REALLY fussy eater when I was young. My mum tried your technique and I lost LOADS of weight and if I got like the tinyest cut I would faint because I was weak and fragile. Eventualy she desided to leave food around the house so like on all surfaces their was fruit and things and there was always a meal in the fridge. So if I was hungary I would choose what I wanted and eat it, I could go to the fridge picked what I liked pop it in the microwave and eat it. Now I LOVE food! It realy worked for me because the main reason I guess that I didnt eat what I was given was because I didnt have the choise. Given the choice I would choose lamb chops over a choc bar. but it really does depend on the child. Food is a sensative issue though because eating disorders are so common and they all stem from how you and your family relate to food durring your childhood.

Answer 10

Well, not liking one thing doesn't make a child a picky eater. Not wanting to eat EVER does.

Allow the child to use their hands and get messy when they eat. Place a variety of foods that are in small sizes (chicken nuggets, sliced carrots, peas, etc).

Whatever amount she eats, praise her. If she won't eat anything, make her take something like castor oil. I'll bet she'll start eating her yummy food right away!