Children and Food Texture

Have you read this article? If not, try reading it:
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/extremely-picky-eaters-st...
Its about kids and eating....

My son is a picky eater. And texture picky etc.
Anyway, he is now 6 years old, and we have never battled about food.
But over time, naturally, he has expanded his palate of what he eats. And he is healthy, so I don't fret over his "picky" eating. Even our Pediatrician says, he is fine.
And interestingly, lots of my friends have sons, who are "picky" eaters.
Like my son.
So when they are all together for a play-date, its sort of funny... because they all like or dislike, that same foods.
But they are all tall, healthy, lanky, solidly built boys, and are in the upper percentiles for growth.

I go by my son's cues. We don't push... food on him. Nor do we punish or reward for eating. This just sets up a child... for emotional eating. Which is dysfunctional.
My son does eat. But he likes plainer foods. So whatever I cook, I just make his plain, which isn't hard. Its the same thing I cook for everyone but without the sauce or seasoning etc.
My son DOES eat varied... but is more minimalist in what or how he eats. Fine. I don't expect him to eat like me.
But at school, he does eat his school lunch.

My youngest, 2, has Celiac disease...so besides being limited in my choices for her (no wheat, rye, barley, or oats...found in incredible places...you'd never even guess how much of our food has gluten in it...), anyhow...besides that, she's extremely picky and has sensory issues.

What does she love? Tuna, tamales, apples, bananas, gf fish sticks, gf waffles with peanut butter, gf whole grain pancakes plain, corn on the cob, chicken rice and broccoli casserole, and very few cereals (one of which just got taken off the market, and I want to cry.) Oh yes, and she loves LF yogurt, but only vanilla.

So I do make sure she has one of these things every breakfast, and every lunch. I always put something else on her plate as well, even though I know she won't eat it...and every once in a while, she takes a bite.

For example, she's eating lunch right now, and she has a pile of tuna salad, a banana, and a pile of peas. I know she will eat the tuna and the banana and leave the peas, but maybe she'll try one.

I let her "try it and spit it out." I know that's not maybe ideal in some people's eyes, but she's not everyone else's child. I count it a win for me if she puts it in her mouth and then takes it back out. She has discovered several foods that she's liked and NOT spit back out this way. So that's my new rule...put it in your mouth, then take it back out. I have also taught her not to "spit" it out, but to take it back out and put it back on her plate. Gross? I don't care! We certainly aren't eating at restaurants or other people's houses!

Continue to offer foods he likes and foods he doesn't, foods he will try and foods he won't, and consider implementing my "in and out" rule. For a child with sensory issues, it gives them the rule to try it and the option of not keeping it in their mouth if it's too much.

I make a point to visit a buffet style restaurant with the kids every so often and let them choose from the buffet. I swear that each time we visit a buffet my kids discover a new food that they will eat. As far as cooking at home I find my kids prefer plain food that is not mixed together, so no sauces or casseroles. When I make those kinds of dishes I will keep the ingredients out for the kids (ie pasta with no sauce). They like meat, veggie and starch. They also prefer their veggies raw, so I don't cook their portion of veggies. They are starting to grow out of these things on their own. My older son has recently started eating sauce on his pasta, and will eat dishes like lasagna.

In our house, I have NEVER been the kind to hide healthy food in unhealthy-looking packages, nor will I only make what I know they'll eat without fail, nor will I put up with them picking something and then refusing it.

I choose a meal and cook it. If they don't like what I make they don't have to eat it...but they don't get a special meal. They can wait until the next meal.

I also no longer load their plates for them. If I'm eating at someone's home, and there's something I don't like much, I'll either take other foods, or take only a small amount to try it out. I've taught them to do the same. But they WILL eat what they take.

Today I have a 10 year old and 11 year old who eat well and make healthy choices. Yay me.

I'm with you, food isn't a battle that I choose to fight with my kids. I can't get on board with the 'eat it or starve' thing either, honestly. I've just always been consistent with encouraging them to try new things. Some days they'll do it, and some days they won't. Through the years, I've been adventurous in the recipes that I try. We're always having something we've never had before. There are a lot of nights that they don't eat their dinner and are digging in the fridge for yogurt, or a sandwich or something. And then some nights they try something and love it. My oldest is turning 9 this weekend and she is just now starting to embrace trying new recipes. They'll get there. I swear I was like 20 when I finally quit being stupid about food.

I think all of our kids get into this..

I have found, when I leave someting out for him.. he will be curious and say.. mmm this is good mommy. or what is this..

I have also discovered that my son is better at breakfast and lunch.. I think he is full by the end of the day. So I make his snacks as healthy as possibe, mixed with fruit and veggies. And let it go.. So if I am really trying to get him to eat something new, I try it at lunch vs dinner.
ETA: If my son will not eat diner and I am looking to get that protein in him, I give him a peanutbutter sucker (put spoon in peanut butter, give to kid). he gets the protein in him.
Good Luck

My MIL famously did the eat it or starve technique with DH. She offered him egg fried or scrambled. He chose one, then refused it and demanded the other. She put her foot down. He was excused from the table after two crackers and water. For snack, that same plate was brought out, he refused, back in the fridge it went. Same for lunch, snack, and at dinner. The following day it was offered again for breakfast, he still refused. MIL offered a small concession, at lunch, she offered to mix the egg in with mashed potatoes. Hubs relented, and ate the whole thing. He has never had issue eating what was put in front of him since.

Eat it or starve might have its merits.

My mother on the other hand was a veritable short order chef for me, a very picky eater. I remained picky well until grad school.

Our DS is 2 and change. We offer him a few spoons of a favorite to start a meal, then a new, or less liked food. The favorite will get him started eating. If he's still hungry, he'll put down the new or less liked food. But at two, he's really fickle, and changeable. He'll turn his nose up at yesterday's sure fire favorite. If he refuses to eat at mealtime, we remove the food from in front of him. We have him sit with the rest of us for as long as we can all tolerate it, then we excuse him from the table and carry on eating. Nothing but water between meals so as not to hamper his appetite.

Some days he eats heartily, others less so.
We live with that.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

If you child has sensory integration then it may be trickier for you than others.
I once read a child may have to try a new food 10 times before they accept it! So don't give up too quickly. Keep serving it and the hope is it will look familiar after awhile and a taste may be acquired.

Also take your child to the grocery and let him pick out something different. He may be more likely to try something if he picked it out.

I have pretty much failed in this area with my younger son and now have a 13-year-old who is a very fussy eater. Good for you for working on it. My son also has sensory issues and a very strong gag reflux. If you think your son's sensory issues are significant there is OT available for the sensory stuff and even feeding therapy for the eating and texture issues. My son went through feeding therapy for a year and was unfortunately discontinued from the program for insurance reasons and "failure to progress." He's a really tough case. However, I just wanted you to know that other kids have made progress in this area and there are programs available should you find it necessary. Good luck!

Well, my almost 10 year old told me yesterday that oatmeal reminded him of boogers. This is the same kid that requests spicy leftover Chinese for breakfast.
Literally, I can only list about 3 or 4 foods he will NOT eat.
I never cooked him separate food.
I just cooked.
Non issue.
No cajoling, bargaining, punishing, making deals.
If he didn't want it, he could have a Sammie, veggies & dip, bowl of cereal.

I know your son has more specific issues with texture, but I really feel that the reason my kid eats everything is because EVERYTHING has been "normal kid food" to him since he was sitting at the table & eating. That's everything from steak to shrimp to homemade soups to real chicken to broccoli to asparagus and on and on.

So my best advice is not to "prejudge" what you think he'll eat and just offer WHAT you're having!

Good luck!

I'm with you P.-- I don't see the point in forcing a child to eat something. We joke that we have a 'no bite' rule in our house--Kiddo is not forced to try anything he's just dead-set against. He actually has quite a variety of things he likes.

Atypically, it is nothing in nugget form. :)

My 'formula for success' is to make sure my son has at least two things on his plate I know for sure he'll eat, and then that third item can be a new item-- introducing or re-introducing.

Proteins are tricky at our house too, as my son is mostly veg by choice. Morningstar makes some great alternative foods-- their chick'n starters are easy to heat up and come in a bag so you can just try a bit to begin with. Kiddo likes this "pretend chicken", as well as soft-boiled eggs or hard-boiled with yolks removed; he'll also eat 'egg in a hat' (Fried in a bread 'frame') or scrambled eggs.

Sun butter with carrots or on bread (as another alternative to peanut or almond butter) is a big favorite right now. Also tastes great on graham crackers.

Grilled cheese is another way to get some protein into him. Cheese and lunchmeat or tofurky sandwiches is another one that goes over pretty easily.

I like to also buy a pound of firm tofu; slice it up, press it to drain out the water, marinate in a soy-vey or soyaki sort of sauce and then bake in the oven. I just put a little olive oil on the baking pan...this really reduces the amount of oil used compared to frying. We like the tofu with some yakisoba noodles and stir-fried veg.

Would he be interested in some milder-tasting fish, such as sole or rockfish? We love salmon at our house; Kiddo has only recently come round to it, but now can out-eat us easily. Halibut and catfish have thicker, meatier meat and richer flavors-- would he like those?

Once again-- three choices on the plate, two being known and accepted entities, the other can be a new experience. I believe if we let them eat what they like from that plate, have seconds on what does work for them, they usually do okay without us cramming new foods down their throats. (Said by a person who developed some profound food aversions because of those 'must clear your plate' type feeding techniques as a child.)

My 5 year old son is also a sensory seeker, although he seems to defy most of the OT advice about what to feed him - carrots ("too crunchy"), intense flavors ("too spicy"), big chunks of something ("too long to chew"). Sigh.

But one thing that works in the short term is this:

Put one bite of a familiar, preferred food on one plate (B) and one bite of a new food on a different plate (A). One bite really means one bite: 1 noodle, a teaspoon of applesauce, a grape, etc.

Tell him he can have a bite from Plate B after he takes a bite from Plate A. Refill the plates and repeat for as long as you determine/he cooperates. Don't make a big struggle out of it or a big deal. A simple first this, then this, without a lot of pressure, explaining, pleading, whatnot.

I say this works for us short-term because my son has not suddenly decided he is going to eat more of these foods on his own or I can just start mixing up meals willy-nilly. But it does get him to try new things, realize that I will listen when he says he does or does not like something (I get it; there are MANY foods I won't eat!) and puts him in control.

An alternative could be a regular meal for him with one bite of a new food on the side. At some point, he has to eat that one bite before he can be excused from the table. The rest of his meal is his choice to eat or abandon.

I am a vegetarian married to a carnivore but we mostly eat the same things at dinner (e.g. my son and I have a veggie burger, daddy has a hamburger, but we are all eating burgers). I do not make separate meals for pickiness, but also do not purposely make more than one thing I know he won't eat to give him a chance. However, one of his sensory issues is that he doesn't really register hunger sensation unless it is very deep so he doesn't eat a lot of anything. He is only offered food when it is food time and so far, no starving. But I seriously thinks he lives on air.

And yes, even though my husband does not like couscous, I am still having him set a good example by eating one bite as well. Who knows, maybe after the 10th time I make it he will be on board, too!