My 4 year old won't eat?

Question

My 4 year old will only eat certain things like hot dogs, chicken nuggets, french fries, grilled cheese, PBJ sandwhiches...ya know the typical things all kids like. He won't for the life of him even so much as taste a hamburger, grilled chicken, or god forbid any vegetables! I am worried about his health. He weighs about 35 pounds and he just looks skinny to me. I've started refusing to give him anything like junk food and whatever everyone else is having for dinner is what he's having but he won't eat it. If I make him take a bite of something he'll say he doesn't like it and he's actually sat at the dinner table with a bite of food in his mouth and held it there for almost 3 hours!! He's sooo stubborn and I just don't know what else to try. PLEASE HELP!! And does anyone know what a normal weight for a 4 year old should be?

Answer 1

Welcome to the picky eater club, it's fabulous isn't it?! LOL! I have one better for you though, my daughter, if I make her try a bite of something and she doesn't like it, she will make herself throw up. So be thankful. Anyway, just keep offering the good stuff along side the things you know he will eat and just don't provide the things you don't want him to eat. Flintstone vitamins are great, too. It makes me feel better to know my daughter is getting something of value. Some things that have also worked is bribery, "if you try a bite of asparagus you get one M&M after dinner", and taking the same number of bites as her age is good one, too, she loves that one actually. She's 5 and weighs about 45 pounds, I'm not sure what is good for a 4 year old, but I bet my daughter was about 35 pounds at that age, very tall and skinny. Good luck!

Answer 2

THe average weight for four year old boys is 39.75. SO in that department you have nothing to worry about. It is better for your child to eat what he wants than to eat nothing at all. Maybe you can disguise new foods to look like something else. Shape the hamburger meat into a hot dog or make it a little fun and create a fun distraction with it. Such as shaping it into an animal or a car. Your child may just be a picky eater. He may grow out of this as he gets older or he may stay that way. Just keep trying to get him to eat different food, but don't worry too much if he doesn't. If you are worried about him not having the right nutrition then talk to a doctor. There are vitamin supplements and things that will help with getting him the proper nutrition. I hope this helps and good luck.

Answer 3

My 3 year old does the same when he's feeding himself so I sometimes put the timer on and tell him he has 10 minutes to finish his sandwich etc then either the dog or the bin gets it. This worked for a while and used to freak him out a bit, now he's quite happy to give it to the dog!! He's quicker and eats more when I'm in a hurry and feed the kids myself (our daughter's 2) so they often get fed off the same spoon like a little production line! Also if he can't manage his main meals in reasonable time I quite often don't allow snacks or morning/afternoon tea so he's hungry at tea time. Good luck.

Answer 4

It's a shame that he has got to this stage - those kind of foods are really best left for treats when children get older and have already established good eating habits. You need to "wean" him off them gradually, and above all do not turn this into a battle, because you will lose. Perhaps try calmly telling him he can have the food he wants after he has eaten one or two mouthfuls of "good" food, and increase the amounts gradually. Start with something relatively inoffensive and slightly sweet, like carrots or sweetcorn. Put the food on a plate and don't pay him much attention until he's eaten it - don't hover over him and cajole constantly. It's best if all the family are sitting down together eating the same food. I hope this helps!

Answer 5

Seriously, you just have to not give him those unhealthy things. He WILL eat something else, if he gets hungry enough.

You're really not doing him any favors by continuing to let him eat junk food. If he doesn't want to swallow the bite of food, then you need to just let him sit there until he decides to finish it. If he doesn't eat any dinner, then he'll be that much more hungry at breakfast.

Kids do what works. If you let this pattern continue to work for him, he'll continue to take advantage of you. If you put your foot down, and don't let it work anymore, he'll quickly come around, and eat what you put in front of him.
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The answerer above me said her son went for 2 days without eating, until she caved and fed him something he wanted. It would have been better for everyone involved if she had just let him go hungry for a bit longer. Seriously, the doctors are right - he won't starve himself, and feeding him the other junk is less healthy than making him wait for a few bites of veggies.

Answer 6

That's very common for kids his age, my son was a very picky eater at that age, now he's 9 and still a little picky but he eats a much bigger variety of food like rice, chicken, steak, a few vegetables and fruits. I wouldn't force him to eat certain foods but keep offering him different things, if he doesn't like it, try it again in a month and keep doing that until he wants to try it. Always offer something new when he's hungry and not at the end of his meal when he's full. Give him his vitamins. I think he's in the normal weight range for his age but you can check with his pediatrician.
Another tip: if he likes peanut butter he might want to try apple slices dipped in it.

Answer 7

We are in the exact same situation! My 5 yr old has never eaten meat, because he refuses, and never eats veggies. I have consulted drs who have all said "just give him veggies and meat and if he refuses to eat it, don't give him anything else. He won't starve himself to death." They don't know my child and the hard head and will he has. I tried that, and the kid went 2 DAYS without eating anything before I caved and gave him a pb&j sandwich.
My child is at the 99th percentile in height, a very tall and solidly built child, and he weighs 50 lbs. The dr said his weight is perfect for his height. But like I said, he is very very tall. I'm not sure what the average is.

I'm anxious to see the answers on here!

Answer 8

My children eat what is put in front of them. I serve them dinner and if they don't eat it, they get it for breakfast. Then for dinner again. They get nothing else until their meal is gone! They get a certain amount of time at the table, say 30 minutes. Then they get down and are served the food they refuse with the next meal.

I started this when they started refusing foods they had previously eaten. I don't make them eat stuff like oysters or spinach, but they eat the normal stuff... carrots, peas etc.

Answer 9

Honestly with my 4 and 6 year old...that is what I have to do. Our problem is that they are my step children and their mom will go get them McDonald's, Sonic, Wendy's, etc. every night if that's what they want. For the first few months I felt so bad because they would go for ridiculous amounts of time without eating, then they would only eat a few bites. I promise we aren't curel, we just won't let our children run our household.
The key is to remain firm. He really won't starve himself, I promise! Fix him a plate of what everyone else is having...if he doesn't eat it, then he doesn't get anything else.

Answer 10

Oh good grief. Don't listen to anyone that tells you to starve your child.

My son has a severe feeding disorder. We see a speech therapist weekly for it and we've had a lot of time to discuss other types of problems she sees in kids.

If his eating habits are getting in the way of his welfare, nutrition, etc you might consider finding a good speech therapist that specializes in feeding/swallowing disorders and getting an evaluation.

While my son has a mechanical issue, I know for a fact she sees a lot of kids that have strictly behavioral issues. We found the speech therapist at our local children's hospital.

It's one thing to have spurts of pickiness but if it's getting in the way of his health an evaluation can set your mind at ease.