Four Year Old Won't Eat Anything Good!

A nutritionist instructor told us(class) "it is our job as a daycare provider(parent) to offer our children nutritionally balanced meals. It is the child's job to eat...or not! A child WILL NOT let themselves starve." It takes a child up to 21 exposures to a food before they will decide whether they actually like it or not. Children's tastes change constantly. In addition texture, the way a food is prepared, how it is seasoned, and how it smells are also big factors. Something they love this week they may hate next week. What they like at 18 months old they may not at 2yrs but enjoy again at 2.5 yrs old. But you'll never know if it's never offered again.
I always required my kids to have one penny size bite of every item offered, actually chew and swallow. If they don't like it fine, they don't have to eat more. Of course you also have to deal with little nuances of childhood....like ~5 yr olds are notorious for not wanting their food to touch. Casserole type meals typically don't go over well. Example: typical Shepherd's pie- they may love hamburg, corn, mashed potatoes all separate on a plate, but put it together layered in a casserole….forget it...won't touch it, they hate it. Give the Shepherd's pie again in 7-8 months-no issues.
We also have to limit times kids eat. Kids need to be hungry at meal time. Have set meal/snack times; breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, evening meal. Limit juices...4oz of 100% juice is the serving size for an entire day for a child! Juice is empty calories, offer plain water instead.
Watch serving sizes; see this link to guides for child serving sizes:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Care/ProgramBasics/Meals/Meal...
Many times portion we serve kids is way too much.

Buy funky toothpicks, or go to a bar, that gives out plastic toothpicks with their drinks (it seems odd, but bartenders really get a kick out why you want them) and give them to her instead of a fork------ If my son could stab it-he would eat it. Also try different dipping "Sauces" Or call your dinners funny names, or have her help you "cook", maybe if she participates, she may be "proud" of her dinner-------Good Luck

The color toothpick thing works slick. Give her some fruit to eat with them or some block cheese and square cut the meat up.
We will over react sometimes in life...Don't worry...you are doing a fine job!!

It's hard but I would ignore her protests as much as you can. She will eat. In the meantime, maybe you could offer a little bit of choice - ie pasta with butter if she likes it better than red sauce or fruit instead of a veggie if she doesn't like veggies - changes that don't require you to make a seperate dinner. My daughter protests almost every night, and most nights she changes her mind and eats her dinner before bed (she's eating right now!). It's very frustrating, but from what I head from other moms...totally normal toddler behavior. (:

What ever you do, dont get into making separate meals, or making her the same 2 things that are the only things she eats.

Plan you menus for diner, make it, and include part of the meal something she may eat. Just always serve a meat potato and veg. Even if you serve chicken nuggetts with potato, and a veg, or if she likes pasta, make pasta the way she likes, and always serve a veg or meat. I always make sure at least one of the items on the plate is something my child will eat.

Make sure you and everyone in the family eat at the same time, at the table together, if you can. Just get her into the process of sitting down with everyone, and if she chooses not to eat, dont let her leave the table til everyone is done.

You have to keep offering variety, but if she doesnt eat, then the kitchen is closed after dinner clean up. I've done this for years and my child eats 100 times the things other kids eat. There are some things he wont eat, and I respect that.

Sometimes kids like raw veggies w/ dip oppose to cooked soggy ones, I think it is more of a texture thing sometimes more so than the taste. We also will allow grated parm cheese on top of cooked veggies, sometimes a sprinkle makes them gobble it up. Dips and condiments are good too within reason. And I love everyone's toothpick idea!!!

Just dont give in, I would be firm, let her know, diner is what you make, eat it or dont eat it. If she has eaten enough during the day, she wont go hungry.

Hello there...

I just read a report that says studies show kids who aren't great eaters grow at the same rate as kids who are. Maybe that will ease your stress a tiny bit.

Anyway, I think perhaps making sure there is always dessert she likes after dinner and telling her she can only have it if she eats a little of everything on her plate. This works with my 4 year old niece all the time and she is so picky! Also, talk with your ped. about vitamins. Good luck!

My son is like that too but he will eat mac and cheese with brocolli. He also likes to dip the food in sauces or add his own spice. For example, give him egg omelette and then we let him add paprika.

It also helps if the kid is helping with the cooking, doing little things like stirring.