Hi,
My 4 year old has heartburn (reflux) and has recently become a picky eater. I am all out of ideas. He refuses to eat pasta without tomato sauce (tomato sauce is a big NO for him). He isn't too into meat lately (plus it is a little cold to grill). He will eat peas, carrots, avocados, corn.... But other than that he will only eat sliced american cheese, turkey, bread, cereal, waffles, pancakes, french fries (not good for reflux) and some fruit. I am all out of ideas on what to cook! I grew up in an Italian American family with lots of dishes that my son simply cannot eat. I dread fixing meals now. You would think I would be used to it, but with his new preferences, his increased reflux, and myself being pregnant I am just over it. Any ideas would be sooooooooooo appreciated! Oh, just so you know I am pretty strict about the whole thing of eating what is served or not eating (so his change in eating preference probably isn't so much the problem it may be more to do with his reflux)
Thanks,
R.
Think German or Norwegien... lots of really bland foods. Have you tried mashed potatos? Hot dogs, beef seasoned with bulion, salt, pepper. I have noticed that my son prefers those foods even potato salads and maccaroni salads.
Good Luck~B.
I think when there is a medical condition, you have to learn to be more flexible. I have always allowed my kids one alternative to dinner - they can choose to have a bowl of cereal instead of dinner if they ask right away when dinner is served. It eliminates power struggles and fights about dinner, and it is a relatively healthy alternative. Over time, the kids have used it less and less frequently. Research on eating disorders suggests they are less likely to develop when kids have some control over their food choices - not making kids finish every bite, for example, when they say they are done eating sooner. for my kids, I never make them finish their main course, but I do ask them to finish a drink and their veggie or fruit in order to get a dessert, just to ensure some nutritional balance in their diet. If they choose not to finish their veggies, that's fine, they just don't get dessert after dinner.
More food options for your kids = my picky eater son adores pasta with just butter and parmagiana cheese. I also make the baked french fries, as someone else suggested - I use the oil spray, to further lessen the amount of oil I use. I make turkey meatballs ( ground turkey, 1 egg, bread crumbs, oregano, parsley, Mrs. Dash seasoning (no salt)), and cook them in the microwave, without any oil. Use the broiler to grill meat if you don't want to grill outside. I make grilled chicken and pork chops with BBQ sauce or teriyaki sauce in the broiler all the time. What about oven baked chicken fingers? My kids also adore breakfast for dinner - at least once or twice a month we have scrambled eggs in tortillas for dinner.
I have serious reflux, by the way, which is well controlled by Prilosec. I make tomato sauce from scratch using No Salt Added tomato sauce and Mrs. Dash seasoning - it is wonderful. Jarred sauce has too much salt. Just a thought.
I have a 4 year old who has become a picky eater. For him and myself, I make Herbalife shakes. We absolutely love them. It's easy and tastes good. This way we get good nutrition in. As far as acid reflux, we don't get any and we drink aloe and that really helps naturally with acid reflux and indigestion. If you'd like more information, feel free to contact me at 888-236-4453 or ____@____.com or www.shopherbalife.com/O.
if you relax your rule a little and provide healthy fruits and veg etc that he can access, you may find he will show you what he eats.
you can change your rule to, 'this is what I made, you are welcome to help yourself to what's on the bottom shelf of the fridge and cabinet if you don't want it. the kitchen will be closed when your dad and I are finished.'
fours are old enough to fix their own simple snacks. provide him with healthy alternatives and limits and you will be suprised.
rarely its worth the battle to be right. almost always its worth compromising to get food into your child.
A.
I don't want to be out of line, or seem harsh, but am more concerned with what is causing a 4yr old to have reflux. With 3 moves in his 4yrs and now a sibling on the way, seems he might be having some internalized anxiety issues. At 4, it's almost an impossibility for him to form the thoughts to be able to verbalize what bothers him about lots of moving and what must be seemingly constant change in his life. I'm surprised you don't have some reflux, yourself!!
It appears to me you are doing your best to accomodate what he can tolerate eating. Seems he does have fairly balanced and healthy diet, although must be blah for you. I would be more inclined to advise you to have some kind of calming, daily activity with your son. Something he can count on every day. I would schedule this for mid afternoon, before you have to begin evening meal preparation.
If the cause of the reflux isn't anxiety based, I would check into a bacteria villian. Could be he has some leftover bacteria from an old infection/cold in the digestive tract. It is possible a stout treatment of antibiotics could be the answer. I really recommend alleviating the cause of the reflux before your 4yr old becomes a 6yr old with full blown ulcers.
I would try making meals around the things he does like, like cheese. Perhaps you could make a fetticcine sauce instead of an acidic tomato sauce. I have a two-year old who doesn't like to eat because he likes to play. I try to make what he has to eat "fun" so he stays put. It sounds like he has discovered that he has a voice and can use it to tell you what he likes or doesn't. Have patience!
First you can bake french fries and not have to fry them in oil. Glaze them lightly with olive oil, cut them in strips and put them in the oven until done. sprinkle with salt. Do this with sweet potatoes too to make it healthier.
As far as tomato sauce, well, that can be his one thing he doesn't like. I give my kids five things they just have tried and do not like. Does he take anything for his reflux? I know my daughter did great on Zantac. He should be on something to help relieve his symptoms. He should also outgrow it at some point, or so I have read. Don't allow him to use that as an excuse to be picky either.
I am a big advocate of cooking one meal, the child has the choice to eat it or not, then not ask for anything later if they choose not to! Period.
However with reflux, he may have associated tomato sauce with the pain it can cause in reflux symptoms. A lot of spicey foods can make reflux painful. Garlic is actually healing though. Tomatos have a lot of acid in them. Have you tried just fresh tomatoes with salt? My kids love this and aren't that big into sauces either. The acid level is a lot lower fresh.
Try white sauces on pasta instead. There is white sauce for pizzas too. If he chooses not to try it, don't serve him just his favorites.
Allow him to have the freedom of choice, but don't cave when he refuses to try. Have him write down four or five things he doesn't like, post it on the fridge and just cook around those things for him.
You aren't catering to him this way, but allowing a few things they just won't eat has to be okay too. Otherwise he can just sit at the table with everyone else.
Serve what you do and tell him he has to try new things first before deciding he doesn't like it.
I have a great recipe for chicken lasagna, that has no tomato sauce in it and isn't spicey. If you want it email me.
Let him not like tomato sauce and on those times maybe have something else healthy for him. Be firm but understanding on foods, he won't starve and will learn there is a difference on being too picky and just not liking a few things.
My kids don't like asparagus, I don't cook it. My son doesn't like fish, if I cook fish for my daughter and myself, I will make him some nuggets along side with everyone, as he has tried it at least 10 times and truly just doesn't like it. He has had to always take a few bites first to convince me he doesn't like it. So he doesn't, I cannot force him to like it.
My kids don't care for certain things, I just don't fix those. If I want to fix something new, I will have them have choices on side dishes and they can just eat those. They also don't get anything else if they refuse to eat.'
HUGS! Good luck
I have horrible acid reflux myself so I know how painful it can be. There are days that even water can make the acid come up. I'd say be lenient on those days. If he only feels like cereal than cereal it is. On days when the acid isn't so bad try white sauce on pasta. Fool him by adding some diced canned red peppers. They look like tomatoes but don't cause the relux like tomatoes. We do a lot of scrambled eggs with veggies in them, omelets, and fried rice with tiny bits of chicken, pork, or bacon and scrambled egg. My daughter doesn't do meat either. We do eat lots of rice since it really agrees with me. Try www.allrecipes.com for some new recipes. I especially like that you can use the ingredients feature to weed out things you do not want to use. Here's a fun recipe for green pasta http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Green-Green-Pasta/Detail.aspx. Call it alien noodles and you may have a new favorite.
My son loves veggie pancakes. I use a basic pancake recipe and add pureed squash & chopped up veggies.
I'm so sorry to hear of your struggle. Have you considered seeing someone for the reflux? Xantac has helped our son a lot. We see a great doctor over at National Jewish. They do a lot with reflux. All that said, he still is our pickiest eater. We tend to be a bit more flexible with him, although, like you, we are pretty strict about eating what is served. I have noticed a huge difference when his reflux is under control. We do a lot of raw veggies and mac and cheese for him. Jello is always a hit with our kids. Sometimes plain, or with fruit, or with Cool Whip. Being 2, it's always a guessing game with him, but he does change his preferences often, and rarely eats well when the reflux is an issue. GL! I hope it gets better.
