My niece won't try anything new to eat and I'm worried!?

Question

Please someone, I need someone who has actually experienced this. My four year old niece won't try anything new. All she eats is processed chicken nuggets, hotdogs, and lunchmeat. That's IT. If you're going to say it's okay, leave now. She will not try anything and her health is not that good. I just need to know how to get her to eat different things. When we put stuff in her mouth for her to try, and she chokes and gags on them and acts like she's dieing. She tries to spit the food out with everything she has and cries. I need serious help, so don't tell me she'll be fine because she DOES need help. She should at least be eating hotdogs on buns and lunchmeat on sandwhiches.

*Rewards and treats will not work on her.

*She won't even try one bite.

*It's not normal, it's not common for a kid to not eat but three things everyday. Her health is declining!

Her mom doesn't live with us. And she gags and chokes on fruit and veggies like everything else.

Answer 1

Don't put anything in her mouth or she'll NEVER try anything new and she'll start to think of you as a mean person.
Since she isn't your child, there isn't much you can do, except let her see you eating a variety of healthy foods. When she is with you, offer whatever you are having on a plate. If she doesn't eat, she doesn't eat.
Good luck and best wishes.

EDIT: I just read some of your other questions about your neice. Is she living with you, ae you her guardian? or is she living with your family and you babysit her? Also, is she in preschool (she should be)? If so, does she has problems in school?
She needs to go to the doc.He/she needs to know about all of her issues. If her mom doesn't live with you, but mommy has another baby, this could be causing her lots of problems. BTW, did you guys sell her dolls or something?

Answer 2

This is normal for a child her age. Some wind up very picky for a while.

Check out the books "The Sneaky Chef" by Missy Chase Lapine, or Jessica Seinfeld's new book "Deceptively Delicious". These books show you ways to sneak in nutrition in things the child will eat...and perhaps expand her diet by chance with other good recipes.

Other than that, keep offering different foods - and make the rule that she has to TRY one bite. If she still doesn't like it, fine but she has to try it.

Also, get her involved in making some food...if a kid has helped make something, they're usually more interested in actually eating it.

Good luck. My friend's son has gone through a year of eating only one kind of chicken nugget and grilled cheese sandwiches...that's it. My kids will generally eat anything I give them.

ADDITION - Rewards and treats haven't worked YET. She won't even take one bite YET. What someone else said is true. This has nothing to do with food (although the child thinks it does)...it's about control.

Also, it is normal and very common - if you don't believe that, you haven't been around many kids.

Answer 3

What about making the food into puree? Maybe the texture of other foods is turning her off.

What have her eating habits been like since she started eating solids as a baby?
What did she eat during the first few times?

If she has been offered only these foods so many times, it will be a hard habit to get out of.
Does she see you eating a good variety?

I would suggest leaving out good, healthy foods for her in the kitchen that she can grab on her own, in time, and stop buying the processed stuff.
What about making a game of it when you go grocery shopping? Go around the store(avoid the junk aisle!) and tell her to pick out foods that look yummy to her..maybe she will be willing to try them.

A trip to the ped. won't hurt either, maybe they have some good tips for you.

I am not going to say it is ok..because it's not. The way she eats now, is going to set her later on in life. She needs to learn healthy eating at this point to ensure good choices later on.

Answer 4

if she absoulty wont eat anything then i would talk with a pediatrician about it. im sure she hasnt always been this way, maybe she is acting out cause she isnt with her mom and dad anymore. do you think she needs some sort of therapy...not sure of her situation but its just a thought.
start by not giving into the 3 things, she will continue to gag and be dramatic if she knows she will get it in the end. cook the meal everyone is eating, place it in front of her, either she eats or she goes hungry (well that may not work if she is at a health risk right now). im not sure, id talk with a pediatrician or two to get some thoughts from them,

Answer 5

Adventure Bites. My nieces children didn't like trying new things but the preschool once a week would have adventure bites. That is when the children are presented with new things to taste. If a brave child will try something new they get great applause and praise for being so brave, if they aren't brave they don't get any attention.

Answer 6

unfortunately at 4 you have a control issue on your hands. The only way to really deal with this in the long run is to throw out the junk foods and only offer healthy foods. I would start out with healthier versions of things she already likes. Also at that age they LOVE having a sauce to dip their foods into...Mind you it may sound gross but ketchup or ranch makes plenty of otherwise nasty foods (in their opinion) go down easier. Also her caregivers need to put their foot down and insist she has to eat at least one bite before she can say she doesn't like it. Tell her no spitting or fits over the food or she can go to bed. At 4 there is no reason to tolerate her acting like a 6month old baby with a new food.

Answer 7

a reward chart 4 every new food dhe trys and swallows she gets a star after 10 stars a little treat and so on ignore the bad praise the good

Answer 8

her mom needs to stop offering her crap food. children wont starve themselves. there are healthy food that taste good, from now on ONLY give that.