What is the best way of dealing with a child whose diet is extremely limited?

Question

My 8 year old son will only eat sweets of any kind, chiken nuggets, pizza without the cheese, peanut butter sandwiches, waffles and pancakes (there may be a few other foods but they do not come to mind). When I can occasionally convince him that a particular food is tasty, he will happily try it, but will almost certainly gag. The mere sight on an open can of chunk light tuna has made him gag. He is very sensitive to drops of water on his eating utensils and specs of food on the food he intends to eat. He seems very happy, healthy and well adjusted in other respects. What can I do? The problem may be getting worse.

Answer 1

Welcome to the picky eating years. While it was a struggle, I insisted that everything on the table be tried in small portions. (Something like a 1/2 of a teaspoon at most.) Sssssllllllloooooowwwwlllllyyyyy, my sons realized that there were other foods out there that were very good and expanded their food base. My pickest eater had a much more narrow food selection then your son does, so have hope.

Answer 2

Healthy eating is a learned behavior. Encourage your son by being an example.

Get rid of and keep the junk food out of the house. Replace with fresh fruits, veggies, whole grain products, and lean meats. No KoolAid or sodas...replace with bottled water or Gatoraide.

Invite your son to help you cook, while telling him the benefits of healthy living and the consequences of eating "empty" foods. He may enjoy planning the menus using healthy foods. Stay away from fried foods, and the use of fats.

If he is a sports fan, enroll him in some team, such as soccer, baseball or football. The coaches have a big influence on kids this age, and if you find the right coach (who encourages healthy living), he will have a big impact on your son.

Put the video games away and turn off the television. Exercise is a big factor in healthy living.

Answer 3

My 10 year old son has a very similar diet. Actually stems from me. People can't grasp how serious this is. For someone like these boys, eating a new food in like an insane phobia. People who are open to trying anything think that it's just being stubborn. It's not ! It's as real a fear as anything else . The only thing you can do is have lots of patience.

Answer 4

I would not entertain the practice of even giving him sweets (or at least not daily.) If he is fussy (and it certainly sounds it) then I would just feed him the healthy foods that he does eat. Do try to find some fruits and veggies that he likes and include them too. Explain to him how important fruits, veggies, whole grains, and dairy are for a growing boy. Try watermelon, cantaloupe, carrots, etc. Even if he is only eating a limited diet, he will be fine if it is a healthy one.

Answer 5

I am acting mother to 7 children,not all of them are mine by blood,a couple of them came from homes where bad habits were formed concerning foods ,one of them was malnourished.got one that never ate anything they didn't want to,got two that cant have their foods touch each other,one with food allergies,one with a texture problem and one who is scared to try new things.
the diet you describe seems to me to be full of sugars ,fats and processed carbs with little or no fiber,this cant be good for him.
the first thing that had to be done in my house is decide what was healthy as far as their diet,and then set down the rules .
I try to keep the meals and snacks varied yet simple choosing from fresh fruits and veggies,meat ,whole grains very little processed sugars and carbs.i try to serve a choice of veggie 1 cooked 1 raw and allow them to choose .
if I know a certain child cant handle mushrooms I dont force it but they have to have a veggie of some kind at that meal.
i lay things out on trays.(like salad things and let them build their own salads instead of throwing it all together.I go easy on cassaroles not putting too many things in it. keeping it simple.
My 1st suggestion is to take the child to his DR. to determine if there are allergies or even psychological problems,telling him the condition of the childs diet and asking for guidelines on proper diet for children.
My 2nd suggestion is remove all the sugary treats and replace with fruits and veggies.
if you have a child who has been allowed to eat whatever they want,when ever they want,(esp. sugary treats and processed foods because they dull the appetite and create an addictive craving for more of the same)
they will lose the ability to enjoy real food and it takes some time to get back to normal.
the rule part is hardest on the parent of course ,cause the child will balk at having to change bad habits, there will be crying and gagging and refusal to eat.
our rules are
1.I prepare and serve good meals with healthy foods.
2.you must eat what is prepared.
3. 20 minutes is enough time to eat a meal.if you arent done with your food by that time the meal is over.
4.there will be no food or snacks untill the next meal time.
I ignore the whining and the dawdleing and the gagging,and at the the end of 20 min remove their plate.
It takes time but eventualy when they see you arent going to cave in. they will begin to eat because they are hungry and then they ll begin to enjoy the food.
your child is old enough that you can probably sit him down and explain why changes need to be made,why how he eats is important,and help him to make better choices.
In the end you are the parent,you know whats right for your child,stick to your guns,
good luck.
some links...........
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/weeklyquestion/a/04_picky_eaters.htm

http://www.ucsfhealth.org/childrens/edu/pickyEaters/index.html

Answer 6

Hey, I think you just described my stepson! He is also 8 and I'm hoping it's a phase. My husband and I are addressing this issue right now with food rules. Basically, he chose a few foods that he won't eat and we won't force. Everything else has a two bite rule. He is required to keep the making faces to a minimum. He can drink something to help get it down. We basically have modified his favorites to make them healthier and keep them palatable. So, for example, he was only into the foods you described but we have introduced grilled chicken, baked chicken instead of nuggets. We make our own pizzas with low fat motz cheese and marinara/pizza sauce. When you make it yourself, it's much less likely to be greasy. We found he will eat corn and amazingly, steamed carrots (or raw). At meals, we try to include one vegetable he tolerates well, and introduce one other new one every once in awhile. He has to try it, but he can do two bites and then have raw carrots or corn for a veggie. He chose lettuce as his absolute won't eat it food.

I think this stems from two issues with him. One, he is becoming more and more independent and wants to have some control. So, we let him choose a veggie he can tolerate, and ones he cannot. We both win.

Two, I think he has just gotten away with being catered to. When we were kids, did we get so many choices? If my mom cooked, we either ate what she cooked, or we didn't eat. He may have to suffer one evening to really get it. Food is not always about pleasure, it has to be about nutrition and taking care of yourself too. Trust me, when his tummy growls, he'll eat something on that plate. If he misses a meal, and then refuses the next, then you need to have a heart to heart and maybe compromise while he adjusts.

We don't make it all or nothing, we still cater to him some by not making him suffer through every meal, but we are moving my stepson slowly to start accepting new foods. Maybe someday, he'll even like them. :)

One last thing, we are also focusing on manners. Sometimes, you have to eat something you don't like to not hurt someone's feelings. I have given him examples of things I have had to eat at fancy work dinners (like fish eggs in a sac wrapped in bacon and served on grits!). We are going to grandma's house next week and it'll hurt grandma's feelings if you don't at least try the food she makes. We also are teaching him that he doesn't need to give us a critique of everything on his plate. If you don't like something, just don't eat it. No need to tell everyone at the table how much you don't like it's smell, consistancy or taste. LOL. Basically, some of it has to be manners too. Two bites rule, good manners, learning to accept things. This is such a good opportunity to teach him so many things.

Good luck.

Answer 7

What about getting him involved in meal preparations? Take him to the market and tell him he HAS to pick out ONE thing to try for a meal that week. He doesn't have to like it, he just has to try it.

Take him to a farm market when you pick out the veggies for dinner and ask him if he sees anything interesting. Or, see if there's something he wants to grow in your backyard.

If kids have a hand in it, they often want to eat it.

When all else fails - sneak it in. Put pureed apples or bananas in the pancake or waffle batter... Pureed veggies in the pizza sauce....

Answer 8

my son has additionally been reported a kin centre to be assessed as he didnt fairly verify each and all of the packing packing containers at his 2 12 months assessment, his assessment grew to become into 3 months in the past he ought to slightly say 10 words and refused to declare "confident, no or hi, bye bye" and wouldnt renowned whilst human beings have been speaking to him, honestly as he grew to become into too busy working around, he's on the circulate each and all of the time mountain climbing, working away, touching each thing he can see! he grew to become into hitting different babies interior the delicate play, he's fussy together with his foodstuff and wont consume some textures and his tantrums whilst he doesnt get his own way have been ridiculous people who see him in all possibility blame us and think of "what a foul behaved baby, his mom and father cant administration him". We all started taking him to little ones two times a week, till we pay attention from the centre, he has stopped hitting babies, his speech has come on, its no longer large yet hes speaking extra perfect now he nonetheless has no interest in potty coaching that's large at this element, he now waves bye bye and says confident/no. He does naughty chair whilst he's taking a tantrum so he's conscious its incorrect, he continually basically needs each thing his own way and its a conflict of wills. Your son continues to be very youthful, that's in all possibility why the pros are no longer in a rush to diagnose as an occasion, autism, he might have a put off. Goodluck

Answer 9

The worst thing you can do is encourage or excuse this behavior. DO NOT say "He does it because....(fill in the blank)" If he ears it, he hears "He doesn't have to try new stuff because....(same answer as the blank above)" It gives him reasons. For instance...if you say and he hears you say it...."he doesn't like it because he thinks he's eating bugs" then now he has your permission to not want to eat it! Do NOT give him a reason!!! Because that reason will be in his head and it will be nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get it out!!! DO NOT justify this!! You need to put your foot down! And tell him "You have gotten away with eating X junk food because we have let you for far too long. Now it's time to eat what you are served. You're not going to like it very much at first but you will get used to it. The harder you fight it, the harder it's going to be. Just do it with out fighting and it will be just as easy as eating the junk food. And the junk food will be given as a treat only."
The utensil issue is most likely a germ-a-phobia, which can't really be dealt with outside of a shrinks office...to him it's dirty, and that is probably the same thing with the specks in his food, he feels like it's dirty. You might be able to get him away from the utensil issue by having him hand dry the dishes so that way he himself is getting rid of the "dirt and germs". Don't let your dishes air dry...and if you use a dishwasher, get jet dry...or again, wipe down all the utensils before you put them away.

As far as the junk food...get rid of it. If it's not there, he can't eat it. He will have no other choice but to eat the food he is served. The gagging he does when he's trying that new food...yeah, that's because he knows it gets to you and will get you to say nevermind, you don't have to eat it. Same thing with the faces he makes. It's a control thing. He is trying to control one aspect of his life because he is getting more independent. And by doing this seemingly innocent "because I don't like it" or "because I'm afraid of it" hullabaloo is giving him the control he desires. And it's working!!!
In the long run, his teeth will get bad, his blood levels will run amuck with vitamin and mineral levels, and eventually diabetic (this is happening earlier and earlier these days) Kids are being diagnosed with stage 2 diabetes which is also called Adult Onset...Bad eating habits also contribute to early heart disease as well..and people are having heart attacks severe heart attacks as young as 35!! Kids these days eat about a cup or more of added sugar just in the junk food they eat A DAY!!! And that's not including the koolaid they drink or the soda, the candy bar, the extra scoop of ice cream etc. A CUP!!! And that's just in a normal breakfast of cereal, a snack, lunch, a snack, dinner and a snack....a normal day right? A cup of sugar. I read this in Parents magazine...July's issue!!
Get rid of the junk food and introduce the healthy stuff one at a time. He has to try it...2 bites at first. Once he gets used to it..if he likes it WONDERFUL!!! But if he doesn't keep with the 2 bite rule...you don't have to eat it all BUT you have to eat 2 bites. Wash it down if you want to but the first taste has to be without a "chaser". He has to taste it. How is he going to know what he likes and doesn't like if he doesn't try it? Does he like riding bike? If he never tried it, then he wouldn't know. Lots of fruits are excellent in smoothies...maybe try a few of those...and if he likes them, use them in place of the junk and use them as incentives..."wanna make a banana berry smoothie? Then eat your 2 bites" Or a trip to his favorite picnic spot if he eats his 2 bites for the entire week (WITHOUT incident!) Its a hard road, but, he needs to be reminded who makes the rules...he needs these doors open for him because he's leaning on them to close them and if these opportunities aren't given, then he's going to have a very small world.

Answer 10

Stop buying the sweets..you have complete power over his diet..not him. Serve him what you eat and if he does not eat it, too bad. He is too old for special meals.