Son Won't Eat...

I agree with Jami and Julie. Kids will not starve themselves!! It might be really frustrating hearing them complain for the first week or so, but when they see consistency from you......they will get a clue. Feed him only when he is hungry, make one meal and call it good.

Do not let your child control you. He will eat what you give him. If you don't give him junk food like breaded meats, and ramen noodles he will eat the nutritious food that you do give him. Give him fruits and vegetables and whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, whole grain breads etc.) He will not starve. YOu will have to go through a crying transition period since you have given him junk foods with flavor enhancers that he has become accustomed to, but he will not starve, PROMISE. A growing young child needs healthy foods like fresh fruits and veggies, both raw and cooked. 5-7 servings per day is recommended for fruits and veggies. Meat, (or other protein like beans) breads,and dairy, are less important nutrient wise, so we need less of those. B. S. RN.

E.,
My 20 month old son's favorite foods are chicken strips and pizza! I know what you're going through! I was worried about this a few months ago, and in my research everyone said you have to offer new foods as many as 10 different times (or something like that) before they'll decide if they like it or not. Instead of assuming that he wouldn't eat a certain food, I'm now giving him pretty much everything we eat. He's starting to do so much better!

Hi E., dont know what it is with kids and breaded meat, but that's not uncommon, and its usually just a phase. Just try to cook the fingers yourself b/c storebought typically has a lot of additives. When my girls havent had a balanced meal, I compensate with some Boost. Mix it 1:1 with milk (straight may give him a tummy ache). They come in choco, strawberry and vanilla, and I find the kids like em better than ensure. Other than that, if you can get some fiber into him so he's regular, and keep offering new foods, you're doin good :} Tip, make foods fun and try to include him in making them. Everything went down without complaint when they made it themselves...

I am interested in the comments because this sounds like my 23 month old, but he does eats lots of fruits, yogurt, rice cakes, rice, hot dogs and mashed potatoes. How much does your son weigh? I have found with my son, who is too picky for his own good, if I can get him really hungry, he'll eat good or if I can get him to not look at the food for a very long time, he'll eat good. I do wish he'd eat more veggies though.

I am going through the same thing, my son is 26 months and loves all things breaded and hates all things good and full of nutrients. Spoke with his ped Dr Berry he said he is making his own decision and chosing his food, let him do it but make sure he is getting his vitamins. Our son Jonathan drinks olvaltine in his milk (has some vitamins) but Dr. Berry also gave me some liquid vitamins and we place this in the milk w/ the ovaltine (it taste terrible by itself). I noticed a difference when he started taking this, his eating habits have changed a little, he is trying veggies, still does not like them. I don't know if this is a result of him getting past this stage or if the vitamins help increased his appetite. Just hang in there and keep placing the good stuff on his plate also. For us fighting over it was not worth it, he would just become more difficult and would not eat anything. We also give him ceral bars for snack and peanut butter on crackers, good for protein

I have the same issue with my son, who just turned 4. He doesn't always want to eat, but the pediatrian said today at his healthy check up that adults have been trained to eat breakfast @ 7 am, lunch @ 12 noon, and dinner @ 5 pm...children do not have that time concept...they are SMARTER than adults, because they eat when they are hungry and don't when they aren't.

I agree with the other ladies about giving healthier foods. We don't give the twins a lot of "processed" foods that are breaded greasy...we rarely eat fast food, and if we do, it is more like a treat to them. We went to Chic Fil A today and they ate 4 nuggets, fruit cup and chocolate milk. Snack was a cup of frozen yogurt. Dinner we had "must go's" (whatever is in the fridge that must go). For a "dessert" they had yogurt & a granola bar.

I found that they can be picky, but they have to at least take one bite of whatever I have made. I am not a "Short Order Cook" and this is not a restuarant...they either eat what they have on their plate, or they don't eat. They will never go hungry.

Giving him healthier things, like granola, yogurt, cheese, etc. are good for him. I have to make it a game with them sometimes, but there isn't anything they dislike. They have on and off periods where they don't want to eat a particular meat...at this point it is pork, so we keep trying whenever I fix it.

Kraft foods has a wonderful magazine and website with foods that are good for them, and make eating healthy things fun. Check them out!

We also have Ramen noodles, but it is like a treat for them as well. I usually drain the juice real well and just give them the noodles, or don't use that salty packet...but add chicken broth instead, since they LOVE chicken noodle soup. They don't know the difference!

Good luck and don't worry...you are doing a great job as a mom, just get back on track and everything will be just fine. We take things so hard as moms sometimes and don't get enough praise! After all children do not come with instruction booklets.

He may resist the change at first but it is only normal. Don't beat yourself over it...you are doing the best you can and at least you are concerned enough to ask other moms for advice!!! :)

Keep doing a great job!!!

Take care,
God Bless,
J. D

Blessed Momma to Ash & AJ ~ 4 yrs old

I know a nurse who let her child eat whatever he wanted (cereal) for five years. He is now a healthy child. Your son is still young, and I do believe he will grow out of it in time. In the meantime, indulge him. Just don't give him real hot food, make sure it's cooled off a little. And I am a 26 yr old mom with five little girls, I know how hard it is. Maybe if you can let him graze with different kinds of foods now and then, you can get him to eat better.

We started early only giving our daughter what we eat for dinner...very rarely does she have chicken nuggets, etc. She is four now and eats most anything you give her...sometime we have to give it special names...she won't eat broccoli unless we call it Monkeytrees. We just keep giving her the food and she has to try one bite of it before she says I don't like it. If after that bite she doesn't like it then she doesn't have to eat it. Sometimes she doesn't eat much, but our doctor says she will eat when she gets hungry...the child will not starve itself. Good luck!!!

Hey E., first of all don't worry...Make sure you are giving him childrens vitamins everyday and plenty of fluids. When you fix meals then you need to put him at the table with y'all and make him a small plate of everything y'all are eating and let him eat what he wants, maybe you can talk him in to trying at least a bite but if not thats ok just keep giving him his own plate of food at every meal. I don't know what your meals consist of but try to make a couple of veggies as much as possible. All my kids love veggies and even salads. You will be surprized when he finds some veggies that he likes, just no more baby food, only what Mommy and Daddy eat!! Good Luck!!

My daughter went through this very thing not too long ago...We talked with some family friends and they said that when their children were younger they ate what they gave them, as in whatever they were eating the children got, if they didn't eat it they did without...they soon learned that if they didn't eat what was given to them they went to bed hungry. They didn't substitute with the junk. We tried this and now she will eat anything we give her or at least try it and eat enough to satisfy her and us. She is 20 months and we went through this just last month. She loves fried rice, sushi, tacos, spaghetti, you name it and she will eat it. You just have to be strong when he won't eat, don't give in. It is hard but so worth it. I hope this helps....and yes she did go to bed a few times without eating and yes i was stressed but I am glad I got this advice when I did. I am a very picky eater myself and I did not want her to be. So you just hang in there and he will come around with a little encouragement. I also bought her her own plate and spoon and fork (ELMO her fav.) Just a little something else to help her want to eat!! GOOD LUCK!!

Don't worry about him E., this is perfectly normal and natural. Two of my 4 kiddos have done the same. They grow out of it. Just keep offering healthy food & in a year or so it will get better.

Don't worry. Just keep offering him fruits and veggies and different meats. He will eventually start eating again. Most kids go through a stage where they don't want to eat. They say it takes something like 18 times of giving a child a new food before they will eat it. Make sure he is getting enough fluids.

Hello,
I'm so sorry for what your son and you have been through with the burn. I pray his complete recovery goes well. Some children who have picky eating issues have sensory issues and can be helped tremendously by sensory integration therapy. There are numerous websites on sensory processing disorder that will give you more info about eating and oral issues. Also, since you are concerned about the limited foods your son will eat (I've been there with my daughter), try a healtier version of what he will eat. Chicken nuggets are available in a less processed version at many grocery stores. Though more expensive. health food stores can be a resource for healthier versions of kid favorites. Also. sometimes I have found that my children will be more likely to try something when others are eating it (a cousin, a friend, etc.) Blessings, R.

E., I'm sorry that your son was burned by the very food that he is willing to eat. That said, my advice is to immediately quit buying the high fat, high sodium and low nutrient foods he is addicted to. He will go hungry for a while but if you gradually reduce the amount of processed meats he eats and substitute them for the real thing (chicken legs or thighs, real fish, cubed beef, etc) he will eventually come around. Be sure to include vegetables and fruits at every meal. My children do not know that Ramen doesn't come with mixed vegetables in it because that's the only way it's ever been served to them.

My oldest was a finicky eater and many times went for up to three days without eating because he refused to eat the wholesome, nutritious food I served. This weekend for example I made stuffed bell peppers and the three children balked at them. Sunday I cut the bell peppers up into little pieces and rolled them and their fillings up into tortillas and told them they were burritos. Know what? They didn't even notice the green bell peppers! Sometimes it just takes a touch of creativity.

You are not alone in your struggles to get your child to eat. My youngest neice ate the very things your son does for over a year, plus as much bacon and candy as she wanted. Her mom would offer her table food and when she inevitably rejected the good stuff, her mom would go nuke her a chicken finger or fish stick while the homemade meal was thrown away. I often remarked to my husband that only in a well fed country like the US would parents throw away perfectly good food in favor of something that is 80% preservatives and junk.

I wish you well as you begin to steer your son onto a healthier path.

K.

At my sons's two year check up I asked my pediatrician about vitamin supplements for my son who did not eat a lot. He simply said there is no need. When he is hungry, he will eat. He also mentioned that his growth rate is slowing down so he does not need as much food, and as long as his weight is in a healthy category not to worry about how much he eats. He also added that the important thing at this stage of his life is to make sure that if he is not eating alot that I should make sure that what he does eat is healthy for him. He said this is the stage where alot of parents begin feeding their toddlers unhealthy choices because they would rather the kid eat something even if it is not a healthy choice rather than nothing at all. Then it is hard to change the eating habits later in life. He basically said, offer him healthy foods and when he is hungry, he will eat. And he was right! I would make a plate, and if he would not eat it, I offered it to him the next time he asked for food. After a short period of time, he understood that he needs to eat what I offer or nothing at all. It also allows me to only have to make "one meal". Instead of cooking him something different than what the family is eating. Hope this helps.