Almost 4 Year Old Will Not Try Anything New

My son is 10 years old and is still as picky as he was when he first starting eating real food. I am also a very picky eater. I know he gets it from me and there isn't a thing I can do about it. I always make things for dinner that we both like. We never eat fruits and vegetables and I know that is a terrible thing, but I cannot eat things I don't like and I won't make my son do it either. Just offer him different things and if he doesn't want it, don't ever force it or make him starve.

It looks like you have some good advice already. I only have a couple more things to add that have helped our family. The first is a try chart. Both of my girls each have a try chart on the side of the fridge. When they try something new they get to put a sticker on the chart. The chart has about 100 squares. When they fill it up they will get something special. They love the fun little stickers.
The second thing is their role models. If you want them to eat veggies you have to eat them with them. You probably already do this. My girls have a friend they look up to that eats very healthy. I love to have her over to eat with us.
Good luck.

C. I am in the same boat you are. My six year old daughter will not try anything new. She won't eat fruit and veggies unless it is corn. To get her to take a bite of a fruit or veggie is like I am killing her because that is how bad she screams. But at every meal that we have I make her take one bite even if it is getting the taste in her mouth and spits it out. At least she tried. Good Luck with your child. I wish there was an easier way to get kids to eat these foods!

Hi C.,

I have five children but my youngest is now ten. Maybe this will help. I also started having children young and I can remember that when my kids were little they would say, "OH, I don't like that" and we would say, "Okay, then just take one bite" The next time we had it we would move it up to say, three bites. I call it, acquiring a taste for something. As they get older, like six or seven years old, they understand more and you can then tell them, "At least try it, if you don't like it,then you don't have to eat it" if it is something you know they may or may not like. You just can't say that to them at a young age, because they will fully take advantage of that statement. Most of the time I found that it was the texture of the fruit that they didn't like. With other foods, it's the look. On average we would get to the point, with vegetables, okay, you are done after you eat five bits. When they can help count it makes it easier for them to think, good, I don't have to eat it all. Now, I have five, non-picky eaters, because we helped them aquire a taste for food that they now love. If you continue to not have him at least try the foods, he will continue to be very picky. It does take time, it won't happen over night. But we have found that it was the best way for us. If you force a food on him in larger amounts, he'll only grow to hate that food.

Lots of toddlers go through this type of power struggle. The best thing you can do is *offer* healthful, nutritious foods. Don't starve him, but don't force him to eat either. Don't bring anything in the house that you would be upset if he gorged on. Offer small amounts at a time. He may be overwhelmed and scared if you put a lot of food on his plate and he thinks he has to eat it all. Make sure he's offered healthful foods so that the little bit he does eat is not loaded with empty calories (sugary cereals, fast food, crackers, juice, etc). If he doesn't finish what you've offered, put the plate in the fridge, without incident. He may ask for it later. Put a snack tray out that he has access to with a few different things on it. Yogurt, nuts, fruit, whole wheat bread, etc. He can pick at it as he likes. Remember that in between growth spurts toddlers may not be interested in eating very much. It may be suprising how *few* calories their bodies require to be healthy, so make sure that what you're offering is nutrient dense.

Many toddlers have short attention spans and small appetites, and get frustrated with sitting at the table for a whole meal. Let him get up and play when he says he's finished. Don't let food/meals be a power struggle!

It sounds like this has started to become a power struggle. Just make what you make and if they don't eat it then fine, but they don't get snacks 10 minutes after meal time. I always tried to add one food to meal time that they liked, they got one serving of it, and they also got servings (although smaller so they didn't waste food) of everything else. Then when they refused it eat it, I just said okay. When dinner was over and they wanted to munch because they didn't eat enough food, I didn't allow it until the "scheduled" snack time. Good luck. Don't let it be a power struggle, nobody wins.

I agree with Lacy. If you continue to cater to him you're never going to get anywhere. Put whatever you fix in front of him and if he eats it great, if he doesn't o'well. He'll eat it when he's hungry. Don't give options at meal time and don't let him snack on the things he likes right before a meal. Sooner or later he'll eat what you offer.

Hi C.~
Some moms may argue but I have to say, he'll eat if he's hungry! It sounds harsh, but you can't cater to his every whim. Make what you know he likes and also add a new food to his plate. He will try it eventually. My 2 oldest went through that stage, but it didn't last long b/c I made food that they liked and I refused to make everyone a different meal. Now we encourage one bite...then if they truly don't like the food, fine. Most of the time the kids DO like it and end up eating. The last thing you want is to be making separate meals for you and the kid(s). Imagine the chaos if you have more! Remember YOU are the parent!
~L.

I hear hiding veggies works wonders! If he likes pizza you could make and easy sauce with all kinds of veggies, just throw it all in a food processer until smooth, he'll never know. Same thing with pasta sauce or even sandwich fillings. Good luck!

I'm also is the same boat. My 3 1/2 is a terrible eater! My 7yo was bad too until he went to Montesorri and he had to eat healthy food. After that, he would eat almost anything. Please let me know if you find something that works. I know when I took parenting classes they said if they don't eat it just say " I can see you're not hungry right now. I'll put this back in the refrigerator and you can eat it when you are". End of story. No yelling no confrontation and NO SNACKS or MILK until they eat it. So much easier said then done. I feel like I'm always making macaroni and cheese! WEll good luck and keep us posted.
L.