My 5 Yr Old Is Pickie!!!

i have 3 girls and at one point in time each one has done that to me . Whaat i did was let them help me fix dinner so they could be a part of what they ate and compliment compliment compliment they were so proud of themselves and wanted to help more . I hope it works as well for you as it did me

No child will intentionally starve themselves. If they're hungry, they will eat. My daughter will eat anything from raw onions to sushi to a stalk of broccoli to a plain old hamburger. My rule has always been "This is your dinner. You don't eat, you're not getting anything else. But you WILL sit here while we eat and will not get up from the table until we are done." I still have to say this occasionally because I'll make something new and she'll be a little apprehensive about trying it, but making her sit there while we eat always makes her eat. I guess she assumes that if she has to sit there she may as well eat. On a rare occasion, she'll tap the fork on her plate looking at it with a gross face as I'm taking bites mmming at how yummy it is and eventually she picks up her fork and starts eating. I'll say, "Isn't it yummy?" She'll reply, "No." as she keeps eating. LOL. I've also used the line, "This could be the BEST thing you've EVER had in your WHOLE life, but you won't know unless you try!!!!" Just last week, I ate lunch with her at school and she used that line on one of her classmates that wouldn't eat. It was really cute. So, I think what what your daughter's father is saying is the right thing to say. If you allow her to pick something else to eat, you'll become a short order cook like someone else said and it'll be harder to get away from that. You have to be stern. She'll eventually learn that mealtime isn't up for debate. GOOD LUCK!!!!

My 4 year old son is the same way. He would rather starve than eat what we eat. He can choose to eat dinner or he can have something super simple to make like peanutbutter on crackers, cheese and crackers, a granola bar, etc. I just don't want to make mealtime a battle. Maybe I'm wrong, but at least we have nice dinners together and as he gets older, I'm sure he'll be more open to trying new things. At least I hope so!!

I'm fortunate that my daughter has never been very picky.

One thing that I have always done, however, is incorporate 1 dish that I know she likes into each meal. With this 1 dish already there (her fallback dish), she was more receptive to tasting something else that was served.

Once in MDO the children were asked what their favorite foods were...hers was steak, lobster and lamb, LOL

I try to expose her to everything and let her choose what she likes. I also used to make her snacks like ants on a log, faces in a plate with fruit, etc. Anything to interest her.

Good luck...she will eat when she is hungry!!

well, barring medical issues with her or a desire within you to become a short order cook for the next 13 years, i think daddy's right. she's five years old, not a baby. my kids eat what i fix for dinner or they don't eat until breakfast - they know the drill, they occassionally choose to not eat, they know not to ask for anything. hasn't killed them yet, they're 3 and 6, very healthy, pediatrician assures me it's the right thing to do(the topic has only been discussed b/c we always talk about eating habits at well child checks) and says he wishes more parents would do it.