Fusy Eater

My son is almost three and we have the same problems with him. He just got off baby food at two years old and he really only eats chicken nuggets and fries. He never trys anything new. He won't even try ice cream or cookies. Forget fruits or veggies. My doctor told me that in time he will start trying new things. He's healthy and there is nothing to worry about. I give him vitamins which he wouldn't take at first but now he does. I still feed hem oatmeal with bananas baby cereal which the doc says is good for him. I swear I think he is actually scared of new foods

Gerber makes a "veggie bite" and fruit bite" that is real veggies and fruit. It is in a bag and is part of their "Graduate" foods. Is like the toddler "puffs" but they aren't puffs. THis might give him the fruits and veggies you would like him to have but without that hassle.

I would becareful of the amount of frozen and processed foods you are giving him. They have a lot of sodium and fat-- the Raman noodles esp have a ton of sodium.

Have you tried cutting up the food into shapes and making faces on his plates? Keep giving him fruit and veggies and he will eventually eat them. I would eat chicken nuggets and chips over green beans too! It's hard to get them eating healthy (my son is 2 1/2) but we have to set the example and know we are doing what is best for them. My son asks for ice cream and popsicles every night for dinner and then ten times after. A few times a week he gets an all fruit popsicle (which he thinks is ice-cream). He thinks crackers are cookies too. They really don't know the difference until we teach them. I wish I didn't know the difference a lot of the time!

Good luck....

Sorry to hear about that!
I have an 18 month old and have never had that problem. However, I have never fed him any of those foods you mentioned. He has only eaten healthy/natural foods since the beginning. Hard to break bad habits. I would get rid of all that fried food and snacks for good. If he doesn't eat what you prepare, then he is not that hungry. He will eventually eat when he needs to. Romen noodles are terrible for you. He may not be hurting for nutrition, per sey, but he is acquiring terrible eating habits. Sorry to be so blunt.
Does he like milk, yogurt, cottage cheese stuff? Those are always good w/ fresh fruit. I only use plain yogurt and add the fruit and sugar myself.
What about cereal? Will he eat whole grains or cream of wheat w/ banana or strawberry?
Snacks can be fruit and whole wheat crackers w/ cheese or natural peanut butter.
It sounds like he likes pasta. You could buy the semolina and/or veggie-based pastas and serve w/ your favorite sauce.
Bread should be whole wheat and/or whole grain.
There are so many casserole dishes you could prepare w/ chicken and veggies. Also, I like to make fruit salsas to go w/ meat and my son loves that.
I have an educational background in this and may be able to help more.
All the best!

Hi M....my suggestion is to give him the fish sticks or the chicken tenders...but give him canned greenbeans (with no salt added) or try steamed broccolli. Let him know that if he is hungry that is what there is to eat. My daughter was picky too....I talked to the doctor and she said to give her two choices for a meal....and include a veggie in both. I would recommend a different veggie in each one. I go through cans of green beans like you wouldn't believe. I also go through broccolli ( I get the 2lb bag of frozen from Marcs)! I put a handfull on a plate and then put a cover over it and put it in the micro still frozen for 2 nimutes and check it ....if it is still frozen I will put it in for another minute. I have to tell you...my kids don't like soggy broccolli...they like it just tender. I would also recommend giving him graham crackers rather than chips or fries. For a snack we tend to have grapes and fishy crackers or blueberries and graham crackers or plain animal crackers and yogurt. I also offer as a reward pudding I have made with whole milk....they love that!
I guess the best thing you can do for him to make sure he has the nutrition he needs for good development is....offer two different options for each meal....take away the fries and chips. Offer other things that are similar but better for him...like the graham crackers, a small bowl of cheerios, fishy crackers, and always include a fruit with them! My daughter is always asking me for a snack...and she wants a cookie....I tell her that she can have a cracker and either grapes or blueberries....or apple slices, or bananna. I know that I am typong things over...I hope this is helping. I know that all kids are different and these things may not work for you...but it is worth a try!
The other thing I was suggested to do was to make her a smoothy....using yogurt and fruit. If you have a juicer...you can add carrot juice to it with out him knowing.
Remember....not every day is a balanced day....keep track of what he eats during a week and it tends to balance out.
I hope you succeed in getting him off the fries kick and onto the veggies and fruits! You are right...it is important to get him started young. I was struggling when mine was not eating anything healthy. The only way I could get her to eat any veggies was to feed her soup and to feed her some sort of stew with chick and a white sauce with carrot chunks and peas...etc. I used to feed her at that stage...the Gerber Graduates Little dinners. The stews or the waggon wheels with the veggies....that was it. I finally got her off...I am sorry I don't remember exactly how....but I think I told her that she had a choice of two different things....and if she was hungry....she would eat.
I rambled...and I am sorry for that. I hope that this helps...if you have other questions that you would like to ask me...I would be happy to answer them!
Good Luck!
R.
____@____.com

Hi M.,
Another Mom asked almost the same question two days ago. Look here to read some good advice http://www.mamasource.com/request/8109580939899699201
The request was from: Vikki Date: Thu. Aug. 10, 2006

Good luck!

Hi M. -

Have you tried disguising veggies in other foods?

My little one is a sucker for Velveeta Shells and Cheese with tiny broccoli pieces in it. I also mix in chicken breast and sometimes tomatoes.

I also make spaghetti ruffles in sauce with peas and cheese.

He's not so keen on the sweet potatoes with peas and chicken, but he'll eat it.

And much to my surprise he ate broccoli in cheese sauce by itself yesterday.

I'm finding that if I give my little one the veggies (or good stuff) first when he's hungry and will eat just about anything, he will eat it and will continue to eat when I give him what he loves (chicken nuggets, fish sticks, pizza).

Good luck!

I have a son about the same age and we have also experienced fussy eating. My son is extremely picky with vegetables, but he will still eat baby food veggies, so that's what he gets everyday. I mix up a jar of green veggies with a jar of orange veggies everyday for lunch and the crazy kid actually likes it. Go figure! I don't care if people think it's weird at his age to still be eating baby food - if that's the only way he'll eat vegetables, then that's fine by me. The important thing is he's that he's eating them one way or the other, and I know he'll eventually learn to like eating regular veggies.

I will also sometimes mush up regular veggies and mix it in with his baby food veggies - like cooked brocolli, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc. I've also mushed up some cooked brocolli - so it's almost like a paste - and put it in the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich and that's worked well. If your son eats spaghetti or lasagna, try mushing up some vegetables and mixing it in with his marinara sauce. Oh, and another trick I've used is giving him a "dipping sauce" for his veggies or meats. I've tried a mild bbq sauce, ranch dressing, and ketchup (which is his new favorite). It makes eating more fun for him since he can dip his own food (and yes make a mess sometimes.)

For fruit, try mixing up some fresh fruit in a blender with some whole milk, yogurt, and a little OJ to make a smoothie. He may think it's cool to get such a special "treat" and if he drinks it, it's a great way for him to get a good dose of fruits, calcium, and protein all at once.

As far as meats, my son loves chicken nuggets and hot dogs. I buy the organic kind that have no nitrates and are low in sodium so I don't feel bad about him eating those kinds of foods all the time. You can also find frozen deli meat that is minimally processed with no nitrates as well - Applegate Farms is the brand I get.

For snacks, you can find crackers and other snack-type items in the baby food aisle at the grocery store that are specifically made for toddlers...like veggie crackers, freeze dried fruit bits, etc. They are lower in sodium and cholesterol than other snacks, and my son absolutely loves them.

Good luck!

Keep doing what you are doing!! Keep giving your little one a variety of foods. every once in awhile he will taste something and like it. Mine (who is 2 1/2 now) is still going through this...and because of his food allergies, there isn't much left! Try serving things differently. Chicken nuggets cut up tiny, or bake chicken breast strips (dip raw breasts cut in strips in flour, s&p and pakrika and bake for 30 min in 425 degree oven (flipping over after 15 min)- my son loves this one. have you tried mashing foods together? fruits with fruits or mango and mashed potatoes? or sweet potatoes ( cut like french fries, and pan fried in olive oil- more nutritious than just fries).My son hated bananas, but loved it mashed (even wiht a little juice mixed in). Juicing veggies and fruits and making smoothies is another way to get in the nutrients (add sweet apple juice). Good luck! hope i was of some help.
Chrissie

This is tough I'm sure...I would've said start early with really good foods but he's a bit older than my son. We've been very deliberate at giving our son a huge variety of flavors. Great book is Baby's First Foods and it goes all the way up till they are young kids. It gives great pointers of introducing new foods and how to get them to eat them. Did you ever give him vitamins? Like Poly Vi Sol? Our doc had us giving our son that after birth for extra Iron and now that we've got him on formula..so we can try for another baby, we have him on Poly Vi Sol without the added formula. I think the biggest thing is to not give in and give him unhealthy things. When he is absolutely hungry he will eat what you've given him. You may have to disguise certain things, such as veggies blended in mashed potatoes or...squash cooked with apples is a great mix and gives some sweetness to veggies. I'd love to talk more and it sounds like we're in the same situation..same age and one kid. I live on the west side of Lansing...would love to visit. Email me at ____@____.com

What about apple sauce, drinkable yogurt (I like Yo-Baby), regular yogurt, Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss (it is very soft), there are chewable vitamins you can get when he turns two, and infant drop vitamins for now, wheat toast with peanut butter (or good ole PB&J (if not allergic)), bananas, mac N cheese, melon (esp. watermelon or cantelope-the sweeter the better). My husband is a doctor and he feels good about what our kids eat, as long as they have a protein, fruit/vegetable, dairy product and a starch at each meal. Also, toddler cuisines by Gerber and such are pretty soft -- my daughter likes the raviolis. And have you tried the veggie crackers made by gerber? or their banana cookies? I like these foods because they are good snacks that are enriched with vitamins, unlike regular crackers. Oh, what about graham crackers? teething bisquits, zwieback toast?

Lastly, it is probably not necessary to put cereal in his milk at this age. What about Cherios? Will he eat those?

All kids are picky eaters, the trick is to slowly introduce them to new foods, but putting a little (for example) corn on the plate with the fish sticks along with other options that he will eat. If he tries it, great! If not, keep putting new stuff in small quantities on his plate and eventually he will venture out. Just don't pressure him, especially since he is at a good weight and healthy. Forcing him to eat, or engaging in a battle over food will only have him digging in his heels more. When he is a bit older and wants a popsicle, you can tell him that he must eat such and such in order to get one. For now, just relax and let him eat what he wants within reason. Don't offer him unhealthy options, and when he is hungry -- he will eat whatever there is, believe me.

Good luck and don't fret. I wondering how long the food sagas continue. My oldest is 3 and he is pickier than my 1 year old!

A.

M.-
Just keep introducing veggies with his chicken fingers ect. It gets much easier to reason and make "deals" with them as they get older too. My 5 year old will eat 1 bite of broccoli in exchange for jelly for his bisquet. Now he's starting to eat more then one piece of broccoli because he likes it. I made the mistake of making my first son a separate dinners every night and he is much more picky than my younger son (who I fed the same dinners as us) Make sure he's really hungry when you introduce new things too. He's more likely to eat them and enjoy the taste. In the mean time, start giving him vitamins. My sons like the gummy bear vitamins but I've given them a powder form (by shaklee) in their milk too.
Good luck,
Steph

I gave these links to another mom on here. They're a good source of recipes and nutritional facts.

www.funwith5aday.org
www.familyfun.com
www.annabelkarmel.com

My daughter and I LOVE the honeydew-kiwi smoothie and www.funwith5aday.org It's easy, inexpensive and tasty.

The book "What are we feeding our kids?" by Michael F Jacobson, PhD and Bruce Maxwell is helpful.

Since the foods you listed are favorites, but not healthy, I'd stop bringing them into the house. Your son's old enough to know if they're in the freezer or cabinet and if you can honestly hold him up to look in and say, "see? we don't have any" he might be more likely to try healthy foods.

Here's some tips that work in my house:

1. Make foods fun.

2. Let kids help as much as possible.

3. Let kids pick out a new veggie or fruit at the store.

4. Offer choices but make both choices healthy (ie would you like a banana or some grapes?).

5. Remember that some foods may have to be offered many, many, many times before kids decide they're worth eating. (It took months before my daughter would eat broccli but now it's one of her favorite foods).

6. We're our children's role models. Make sure kids see the other members of his family eating healthy foods.

Help this helps!

Hi, my 23 month old is the same way. The only thing that has worked for us is doing casseroles. When everything is in one dish my son doesn't pick things out and just eats it all. Also one mom I know makes her own breading for chicken and such and she mixes in finely ground vegies with it so the kids don't even see it. I haven't tried it cause I'm not much of a do it yourselfer but she says it works. Also for fruit in there diet if you make smoothies you get fruit and yogurt...double bonus! Good luck!
K.

Throw out the fish sticks, chicken nuggets or tenders, french fries or anything like it, pretzels, chips and romen noodles. Kids learn to love what you feed them. Since your son is so young he will forget about those bad foods after a couple of days. My daughter is 34 months old and she eats all her vegetables and she loves fruits. I never gave her junk food, nor did I eat it when i was pregnant. If kids get hungry enough they will eat what you give them.

Try flavored oatmeal. my daughter loves the oatmeal with blueberries in it.

Honestly, just don't give up. Continually put healthy choices in front of him and let him choose what to eat. We try to live by the mantra, "We choose what she eats and she chooses when and how much." Believe it or not, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that it is OK to let a child go hungry occasionally. So, if he won't eat any of the choices you offer him, let him be done. Whatever you do, don't force him to eat!! I know, easier said than done.

BTW, there is a good book out there called "The Girlfriends Guide to Toddlers" with some helpful suggestions on how to sneak vegetables into your child's food without him even knowing they're there. The author is Vicki Iovine.

Good luck!

Hi M.,
There is nothing more fustrating than getting a child to eat well! What works in our family is to serve the veggie first and mandate that they eat that before getting anything else. We gave them a choice in veggies and switched to frozen/fresh foods instead of canned because they tasted better. A few times they went without eating dinner, but they didn't die from it or suffer in weight, so it was okay. Also, my husband and I sit down with them and eat veggies to model good eating habits. We don't buy chicken nuggets or keep anything unhealthy in the house - it was quite a change for us and difficult at first - but when the kids saw how serious we were about nutrition, they followed suit. It took a month of doing this, but it worked because we were consistent. With our second child, we never took them to McDonalds or fed them junk food, so he never knew that there were other tasting foods out there besides the healthy choices we made at home. It's a hard solution, but it worked for us. Good luck!

Hi M., you are not alone. In my experience as a WIC dietitian I have found that most mothers with children your age are concerned about what and how much their child is eating.

It is reassuring that your child's doctor thinks he is growing perfectly. A good resource for mothers is Ellen Satter's Feeding With Good Sense. her main point is that we need to allow toddlers to eat as much as they want without pushing them to eat more. It is the parent's responsibility to provide healthy foods, it is the child's to eat it. It sounds like your child is not "into" eating plain fruits and veggies right now. Does he see you eating them? Sometimes it may take 10 or 12 times before a child will even try a new food. You could offer the veggies with a cheese dip or ranch dressing. Sometimes they like them that way. Or you could mix some veggies in with a meat sauce with spaghetti.

One thing I would recommend is to not put rice cereal in with a bottle. For one thing rice cereal is not all that nutritious and another he probably should be weaning from the bottle soon. Has he visited the dentist yet?

Good luck and try not to worry. It sounds like both you and your child are normal.

A. Twiggs, registered, licensed dietitian

Hi M. - I'm also in the Anderson area. I think alot of what you have going on is pretty normal - toddlers are notoriously picky eaters who may love something for their whole lives then one day decide it's terrible. My advice is to just keep offering things like fruits and veggies along with the other stuff - my daughter is 17 mos and I try to give her the veggies before I give her the stuff she loves (like Mac-n-cheese or yogurt). She usually will eat a little before begging for the other stuff. Just keep a bag of frozen peas and give him a spoonful(so as to not waste tons of food) with each meal and he may surprise you or mix them into his ramen noodles :-). I also still give my daughter baby food jars I have left, but I put them in her bowl and let her do it with a spoon - she loves silverwear. The other thing you can try is put it on your plate, kids always want what mommy and daddy have! So basically just keep offering a wide variety of healthy food and he may find something he likes, but if you only offer things you know he likes he'll never get the chance to find the really good stuff.

Hi M. I also have a son who is 5 and he is still a very picky eater. It is very frustrating when they won't try new things but I just keep putting a small amout of fruit and veggies on his plate everyday sometimes he will try it and other times he will not. My ped said to keep doing that and eventually he will eat those things. I sometimes give him the pedia sure shakes at least that way I know he is getting the nutrients that he needs. I have also tried to offer him veggies cut up into sticks and let him dip them in sugar free pudding at least he gets some veggies that way. good luck to you.

Hi M.,
I had a friend who had the same issue with her child. She started giving her son the pediatric ensure once a day for nutrition. Also, instead of giving him store bought chicken tenders you could buy chicken strips and roll them in Shake n Bake and then bake them. My kids love them and they are so much better for you. My kids would also not eat cheese unless I bought the kind in the cheese section that are shaped like stars and moons. Also, have you tried giving your son salad dressing to dip veggies in or a home made fruit dip to dip the fruit in? Hope this helps. Good luck!

my son is 23 months old...i can get him to eat about anything. as far as veggies i have a few ideas for you. My son too likes Ramen noodles and i always add peas or corn to it and he loves it. In meatloaf add all sorts of veggies-peppers, carrots, corn. Always offer a vegetable for a side and if he doesnt eat it fine, but don't force him to eat it. For snacks i like to give my son raisins, craisins, nuts, and wheat thins. You can also try V8 juice (though my son hated it). You can do carrots or celery sticks with ranch or peanut butter to dip. Just be creative and hopefully you can get him more of the good things! GOOD LUCK!

Hi M.

My son is 16 months old, only has 1 1/2 teeth and is a fussy eater, too. However, he LOVES vegegatable hummus! It is healthy and nutritious, so give that try, maybe your fussy eater will like it, too!

P.

M.,

I had the same problem with my son at about that age. He had the same favorites - chicken nuggets and fish sticks. Although those foods are still his favorite - I can get him to eat other healthy foods now too. Around the time he turned two - I started bribing him. I would tell him that he could have a chip if he ate one of his green peppers or apples. Now he will eat a lot more food. He also likes veggies - that I don't really like - and would not have served. He will eat green peppers and cherry tomatoes. My pediatrician recommended these - and I had never thought about them - because I don't like them that much. He will also eat spinach - believe it or not. But I do have to bribe him most of the time with something that he likes. But I can sometimes get him to eat a whole plate full of good food by giving him a pretzel or something in between each bite of healthy food.

I found that I had to be persistent. Once he learned the new routine, he would go ahead and eat his healthy food and then ask for his treat. I'm hoping that eventually he will just enjoy the good food.

Good luck!

C.

One thing I found worked wonders was a product in the veggie section called Veg-all..it has carrots, potatoes, and peas mixed in a small cube size...pea sized. I put it into mac-and-cheese all the time, or my daughter ate it with her fingers. Mix it into hamburger (equal parts) or chicken diced. I also mixed chopped tomato and hamburger into mac and cheese for another tasy option. Shepherd's Pie is also easy to make, and can hide lots of good veggies in the hamburger and mashed potatoes. I added onion to flavor things, but kept it diced very small, or even shredded for the picky ones, so they don't run into it, just the flavor.
Same idea with fruit...make it finger food size. we loved mango slices that come in a jar....very sweet and very nutritious, so I didn't worry about nutrition. Sweet potatoes (no added butter or topppings) are also very nutritious, so you won't worry about the vitamins for fussy eaters. Usually kids like sweet stuff, since the baby formula was fairly sweet. Marshmallow fluff is a good dip for fruits, but can be very messy. Cooked baby carrots are good. If he is teething, frozen mini bagels are great to gnaw on...in the high chair, since they melt and can be messy too.
hope this helps
K.

Try dips, ranch, french, ketsup, kids love to dip foods. I hope my suggestion helps!