HELP I have a totally picky eater, suggestions, stories??

Question

I have a little boy who is 20 months old who literally hardly likes to eat anything beyond grilled cheese and nuggets. It drives us bonkers.

We tried the whole "he'll eat eventually" thing and he doesn't! He's pretty stubborn and would drink milk all day if we let him.

Advice?

Answer 1

Keep feeding him the things he likes- so he doesn't lose weight, but don't stop introducing him to new foods. Eventually you'll discover a few more things he's willing to eat. You can also try bribing him to eat something new by offering him a food you know he likes if he is willing to just taste the new one. I worked with toddlers for years... some kids out-grow picky eating, others not so much.

Answer 2

I have a cousin who is just like that, but he's 9 years old. Luckily, my parents, from a young age, fed me everything, lots of veggies, etc... so I am not picky, nor are my siblings. My parents had a "you either eat what you have or you don't eat" policy, and that was how I learned to just eat it.

Here's what I would do:
Make more than just grilled cheese and nuggets. If you just make what he wants, then your sun will know that he doesn't have to go out and try new things because he can just have his normal food whenever he wants. Don't be alarmed if he refuses to eat what's there. He needs to learn that he can't get away with throwing a fit and getting what he wants. He may refuse to eat what you put on his plate, but when he gets hungry enough, he WILL eat. It s a fact of life. Make sure to stay strong and don't let him weasel his way out of eating other food. Normal things:
not too much sugar, nothing too processed, high fructose corn syrup is not good, whole grains are good. If you start your child on good eating habits, chances are he will continue them (as long as you are consistent) into his later life.

This may sound harsh, but it's the only way I know. its the method my parents used on me, and of all of my 10 cousins, myself and my 2 siblings are the ones that eat the best and the most variety of different foods.

Answer 3

I have a 19 month old who used to be a great eater and is now doing the same thing. He just throws everything. My daughter was the worst though. One day the only thing she ate was some ketchup! My doctor said don't worry when she's hungry she'll eat. As long as they are happy and healthy in other ways I think everything is alright. Maybe you could give him multivitamin drops for his age. If he likes them though, my little guy just spits them out. This is just a phase and I'm sure it will pass. Maybe try sneaking in some veggies in his grilled cheese that he wont notice. Experiment with different kinds of meatless nuggets that taste like the real thing. Good luck

Answer 4

You need to get smaller meals and feed him more times during the day. Do not make a grilled cheese. Offer things he wouldn't normally eat. If he doesn't eat it that's fine but don't feed him again until the next feeding. My son did not eat a lot when he was that age. I would open just a cup of green beans or applesauce and if he ate it all I was happy but I fed him 6 times a day. Don't allow snacks, especially sweets and start giving more juice than milk because it isn't as filling.

Answer 5

There are a few cooking books that just came out designed to help parents "trick" their kids into eating healthy foods. One is called "The Sneaky Chef", or something like that. Also, Pedialyte makes these fruit drinks for children; to me they're like the kid version of V8, or V8 Splash. You can also try what I like to call "The Dr. Phil" method. Whenever your child doesn't want to eat a certain meal at lunch or dinner, but later on, he wants something, bring back the same meal he refused before in order to let him know that he will not get anything different to eat until he finishes the first meal.

Answer 6

My kids are kinda the same way.. They only like certain foods.. Mac n Cheese, spagetti, grilled cheese and pb and j... That sorta thing so sometimes it hard to get them to eat other things.. I've found that "hiding" fruits and veggies in their favorite foods really helps.. They love mac n cheese and if I add a jar of butternut squash to the noodles they gobble it up! It also helps the kraft box mixes reheat creamy i nthe microwave.. I've also added tunafish and mixed veggies andt they like that. I also add puree of carrot/peas to spagetti sauce w/o it being detected by my husband/kids... I give my children ages 1 yr. and 3 yrs. Carnation Instant Breakfast with banana in the morning.. They drink that up and they are getting extra vitamins/minerals.. My children are underweight so it's a challenge getting them to get everything they need.. Just be creative and keep offering them the good stuff. I also make a really good pancakes... Using instant oatmeal, applesauce or ripe banana. Follow Bisquick directions but, omit the oil... Use 1/2C of unsweetened applesauce.. I also add cooked oatmeal to the pancakes for extra fiber... It's a very good panacake.. I add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar so I don't have to add any syrup.. Just keep trying to make things interesting..

Answer 7

take away the milk. limit how much he's drinking to 3-4 cups of milk a day and that should help increase his appetite. he's not hungry b/c he's filling up on liquids.

it is a phase. my son did it, my step daughter is doing it now, all she'll eat is some rice. i wouldn't really worry about it, i know that's hard. keep giving him a variety of foods and don't make a big deal about it if he won't eat. he could be teething again too (2 year molars) which would inhibit him from wanting to eat.

Answer 8

My 3 year old is pretty picky.At that age we let her put ketchup on everything.Really everything even veggies.It was hard to watch but it got her to eat.If your son likes cheese you might try melting cheese on veggies or anything else that seems appropriate.My husband taught me a great trick with our munchkin.Recently I was trying to get her to eat dinner and my husband told her if she ate all her dinner she could have a cookie.I know it sounds pretty simple but I'm so against using food as a bribe I never thought of it.You might want to ask your Dr if you should be giving your son a vitamin supplement to make sure he gets all his vitamins.Good luck.I hope this helps.

Answer 9

It appears he need more fruits and vegetables. Heres a suggestion. Sneak vegetable puree into his food. If you go to Reader's Digest.com they have a great recipie for healthy chicken nuggets. I also suggest sneaking butternut squash into mac n' cheese if he likes that. Also, don't let him fill up on milk. Give him water. Don't forget to limit sweets, but let him have dessert once in a while. Hope this helps!

Answer 10

attempt utilizing canned straightforward spaghetti sauce without the beef or vegetables in it. As for the orange element. i appreciate orange juice, yet oranges are yet another tale. The juice (so long because it truly is organic) is such as eating an orange.