Picky Eater - Ankeny, IA

It sounds like you recieved a ton of good advice already. I just wanted to add that my 2 and 3 year old boys love frozen peas! We call them peasicles and they eat them as I'm preparing dinner or as a snack. :) We also eat a lot of soups that I can pack the vegies in for luches and sometimes it's more fun to eat with a toothpick. My boys often eat their soup with their pokers and catch the little fishies (carrots, potatoes, noodles, etc.) It's a game. :)

Just a suggestion-my son really didn't like veggies either. I used to steam little broccoli florets and give them to him with a little dish of ranch dressing. He used to dip his 'little trees' in the dressing so they'd have snow on them. He loved eating them, and it made it more fun for him calling them trees with snow.

All kids go through stages of eating. If you child is happy, healthly and growing I wouldn't worry so much. There are some cookbooks out there about mixing veggies into cooked food and the child never knows they are in there. I will try to find the names and add them on to another response. Good Luck!

I have the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. She creates her own purees from vegetables and uses "hides" them in food.

Also, there is a great supplement I give my son called Complete Greens. It is like he is having 3 or 4 servings of green vegetables each time he drinks this. I mix the powder with orange juice and it tastes really good. You can get it from a friend of mine, Cindy, at www.cbalbright.unfranchise.com.

Good luck! I know how important it is to create health eaters right from the start.

Kids are quite sensitive to strong foods. Things that adults like such as garlic, vinegar, onions, etc. kids normally avoid because their taste buds are so sensitive compared to ours. Try and fix him more bland foods. If you are already doing this, try serving him non-mixed foods, if your already doing this, serve him mixed foods.

Raw fruits and veggies (or slightly cooked veggies) in the summer are more abundant and he may be more apt to eat things without much seasoning. Or he may "need" some sort of dipping sauces. Make eating them fun. Make "ants on a log", "lady bug apples", "cucumber caterpillars", etc. Have an "indoor" picnic. Get him involved in meal planning. Let him choose one item on the menu and make him try 1 bite of everything else. To make sure you remain healthy, give him options (begin with all healthy foods).

You may just have to get tough and teach him to eat what he's been given, but apealing more to his sensative taste buds should help alleviate the tension.

Good luck!

My 19mo old is the same way. Used to eat peas and carrots every night if you'd let her, but now NOTHING that resembles a vegetable. I don't know much about eating organic, but I too want her to eat well balanced meals and she will rarely even try anything I prepare for her. To ensure she gets at least some vegetables, I give her V-8 Fusion juices (the light-less sugar), and we have been experimenting with "dipping sauces" for just about any food as she thinks that's neat (she'll eat ketchup by the spoonful). The other thing you might want to try is Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook "Deceptively Delicious". She has many recipes on how you can add fresh pureed vegetables into a number of foods from french toast to brownies to help your family get some health benefits without really knowing it. In the end, my Pediatrician tells me that it's my job to OFFER healthy foods to my daughter, it's her job to EAT them. Good luck!

E., Your doing fine. This is normal, if you continue to show the other foods but not force him to eat them (just put them on his plate) with his monthly favorites he'll eventually eat them maybe not all that you suggest but some. I think the more they see somthing the more inclinded they are to try.This is actually going to work out in your favor because it sounds like your already doing the best for your child by eating organic. I used to play a game with my picky eater ( truth be know i still do )if there was somthing he was choosing that was just like ok that's enough(even iam tired of smelling and seeing it) i would make sure to run out and when he would ask i would be like oh my gosh buddie we ran out is there somthing else i can offer you. We would look through the frige and panty together sometimes we would find somthing and others NOT. In the not situation i would say you know what buddie when we go out today we have a mission to find somthing you might want to try and could you help me find (add somthing you would want him to try) give him a picture if you can. Kids love choice and being helpers. Good Luck

Do you make him eat everything served? The rule in our house was you always had to have a No Thank You Helping. At least a small amount (1 or 2 bites) of everything being offered. You only needed to eat that 1 or 2 bites of something you did not like before you could have seconds on what you did like. And each time the food was served (another day) you still had to have the no-thank you helping. Kids tastes change frequently so making them try it everytime it is served usually helps them get used to a new food as well as the different ways they are prepared- usually after a couple of times they will eat it without a fuss or find a way they like it. Have you watched for trends - textures that they do not like, colors they do not like, fresh versus cooked vegetables, sweet (corn,carrots) versus less sweet vegetables (beans, peas)? Some kids also tend to be routine eaters- they will like something for a couple of months and not want anything else and then move on to something new. My doctor siad that was never a problem - as long as it they got a little from each food group over the course of a couple of days. And lastly making as little fuss over what they don't eat usually makes it less exciting to not like something. Combine that with positive reinforcement for what they do try and/or eat and usually they will want to try and eat more than they don't want to eat.

E.,
The best thing to do is not to make a big deal about it at the moment because it will become a control issue. What I did was keep with what my child liked but added things on the side with different colors and textures as well as making shapes like a lion's face. He loved it so started to expand the food he liked because he thought food was fun. We are an organic family too and I increase the vegetable by adding purees to pasta etc. I make my own purees out of cauliflower squash and beets. It is a great way to sneak in the vegetables and they don't even know.

Hi,
You probably will hear this one again.
There is a couple cook books out now that puree the vegetables and use it in recipes or coating. The other part of this was to keep putting a few pieces of vegetable on the plate yet.

First and foremost, don't worry. Everyone...I mean everyone in my house is a "picky-eater", including me when I was a little kid.

As long as they are not indulging in sweets, pop, or fast food, I'd say don't worry if they eat 3 servings of yogurt a day (as an example). Afterall, they're getting nurishment, calcium, depending on the type of yogurt maybe fruit, and good bacteria for their digestive health. With my kids, I give them a multivitamin, and still serve little samples of other things along with their food of choice. I ask them to at least eat one bite of everything on their plate, and call it a meal. Most of the time, after one sample bite, they usually eat it anyway. Sometimes its just a matter of not liking the way it looks versus, not liking the food itself. Besides, if they get hungry enough, they will eventually eat more.

Another trick that works for me is to name everyting, using their favorite books, and movie characters. Grilled cheese is "tubby toast" and yogurt is "tubby custard"(the teletubbies have some food called tubby toast and tubby custard). Southwestern style scrambled eggs with hash browns is called "Dora Cake" as in Dora the Explorer. We have "Thomas the Tank Engine" pancakes, and even use an actual imported Thomas the Tank pancake shaped pan to make them. We have Dino PBJ sandwiches and use a Dinosaur shaped cookie cuttter to cut the sandwiches in dino shapes, etc.

I have recently invested in two really great books that have kid-friendly yet really smart and healthy recipes geared toward the picky eater. Check out "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld, and "The Sneaky Chef" by Missy Chase Lapin. Both books utilize a variety of ways to take pureed vegetable combinations and "hide" them in kid favorites like mac and cheese, pancakes, cookies, grilled cheese sandwiches etc. Both books break down nutritional and calorie value which helps you keep tabs on if your kids' are getting balanced meals...even if they pick at it.

What I remember most when I was a kid was the "pressure" my mom put on me about eating. I was a kid who aimed to please, and I came from a home where my mom expected everything to go by the book. I was very skinny, and tended to get sick often. My mother was manic about this. Her intent was good, but she was too intense! This all culminated into my beginning to resent mealtime and food. Sometimes I'd wind up sitting at the table until 9pm because she'd make me sit until I'd eat. It didn't work. The more she punished, the more I dreaded eating. Even away from home I refused to eat. She had the principal of the school sit with me at breakfast at school to make sure I ate. It didn't work. In fact, he did get me to eat my pancakes before 1st grade homeroom, but minutes later, I barfed all over. Eventually, I subconciously began to just not eat, probably out of rebellion, and later developed a serious eating disorder (anorexia/bulemia) at a the very young age of 7.

Extreme I know, but it all started with me simply not liking but a few things to eat. My paternal grandmother was of the school of thought that you should let a child eat as the please, what they please as long as its not candy or pop. It wasn't until at my pediatrician's urging and my grandmother's intervention, did I finally overcome my refusal to eat at all. When I was finally allowed to eat as I pleased, I relaxed, and began to enjoy eating better. By the time I was in high school, I finally ate "normal". But getting to that point was not easy. I'm still skinny. I'm still picky. But I do eat.. and more than one thing. All I'm saying is to take things in stride.

I really did not have this problem when my child was 2 but I was wondering did you see seinfelds wife on oprah, she has a book out where she makes brownies and different sweets and they are made from vegestables. I believe seinfeld said he loves them. Why don't you see about getting the book and see what it says. Maybe your little one will eat a brownie not knowing it is made with foods he wont eat. Good luck.

R.

My two year old does similiar things as well. I think it is a phase that they go through. Sometimes when all he wants to eat is "corn!" I will hide vegetables in the form of puree in sauces. One that he never turns down is squash in spaghetti sauce. I also discovered that the more I try to encourage him to eat something the worse it gets. Now I put it on his plate and try not to pay attention to what he is doing. I have found that he will eat more and secretly try something if I am not making an issue of it. His daycare provider has noted the same thing with him. Good luck!

Hi E.,

I, too, have a picky eater who is now 6. I think we caved in to his tastes/demands too much & then ended up with a kid who would ONLY eat three things. Finally, just before he turned 4, we started talking to him about how he would need to eat the same dinner as us once he turned 4 (he's an only child, so I didn't really have to make extra meals for him for breakfast & lunch, so he did at least get calories). It took about 3 looooong weeks of him eating literally no dinner, but he finally realized we weren't going to give in and grudgingly started eating. He often eats whatever's on his plate solely in order to have dessert, which would not be my first choice, but by the time we insisted, it was too late to go with any other approach. He's still not a fantastic eater, nor does he love trying new things, but he's much better.

If I had it to do over again, I think I would have insisted from the beginning that he have some of all the food we were having for dinner on his high chair tray or plate, and if he ate, good, and if not, there's always tomorrow. I worried too much about him being hungry & not enough about what kind of eating habits we were setting up. Experts say (what experts? I'm not sure, but I have read it several places) that you sometimes need to offer a food 10-12 times before a child will like it or even taste it, especially at your son's age. It sounds like everything you offer your son is probably healthy, so it's not like he'll only be eating dessert, you know?

One book that was recommended to me was Child of Mine: Feeding with Love & Good Sense by Ellyn Satter. I didn't read it, as I was told it was more how to set up good habits & we were way past that point, but it came very highly recommended.

Good luck! It's a tough problem to deal with, but I think it's good that you're figuring it out sooner rather than later!

Get Jerry Sienfeld's- wifes book! She tells you how to sneek healthy food into thier fav's, and your everyday cooking! I have not read it, but seen it on oprah.... saposed to be good!----

S.E.

I also am an organic mom and have watched as my kids have refused to eat good foods. It's funny, but the best advice I got was from a Natureopathic Doctor who told me to relax about it.

One thing I did that helped was not expecting my kids to always sit at the table to eat. I would put snacks within reach in the living room or pay area: sliced apples and other fruit, steamed broccoli, snacking carrots, etc... They would grab one absentmindedly as they played and before I knew it they were all gone.

Little ones really like shelling English Peas, which should be coming in fresh soon. They also enjoy finding the nuts in the whole peanut or pistachio. I found it easy to leave out craisens, raisens and dried fruit as well.

Thinking of food as a fun and interesting thing for them that can be part of their moving around, rather than sitting at table, helped me to offer snacks that were healthy... that way when they sat down to toast, macaroni and eggs over and over, I knew that throughout the day they were getting a balance.

Dear E.,
I remember my youngest of 4 going through similar things. He is now 27, so that was quite awhile ago, but I remember thinking that he ate "about every 3 days", which of course was an exaggeration, but he was pickier than the other 3. I just didn't let it bother me, because all toddlers go through that picky stage, and it seems like they aren't eating, but they are. Just keep cooking the healthy foods. He will eventually see that you and your husband eat them, and they always want to do the things that Mommy and Daddy do, so it will change. If he can help in some of the preparating, that might give him a desire to try something too.
Good luck.
C. H.

My grandmother told me a long time ago, that she put a little sugar on the vegetables and then slowly put less and less on them as the kids got older. We also used to make games out of eating tress, "strings" of peas that we could line up on the plate and count as they went "down the shoot". Two is a classic age to say no and have some control. Normal, I think to say no to certain foods. My kids also have aversions to certain textures of foods. They still don't like squash or eggplant. So, I avoid the things they really don't like and keep to the basics. My son loved garbanzo beans plain, cold out of the can but wouldn't eat any other beans. My daughter would never eat any beans at all and still really avoids them. I think the other advice I'd give is to not get into a power play with him. If he says no, explain the consequences and let it be. When he's really hungry, he'll eat, and I've seen kids grow and be healthy and hardly ever see a morsel go into their mouths. Keep to your own principles for yourself and your modeling of healthy eating and care for your body will ultimately influence your children. It just takes longer for them to figure it out than we wish it would. Good luck and blessings to you.

We give our daughters a supplement that not only has vitamins, but also a daily super profood blend so that I know they're getting more than they need in the fruit and vegetable categories in case they don't eat what's offered to them. I'd be happy to get you the info on them if you're interested. Good luck!

We also have a 2 year old who is oddly picky (won't eat potatoes but loves tomatoes; he also doesn't like foods to touch but likes soups and salads with things mixed in).

I'll pass on some good advice that we've received. Cook how you would normally cook for yourself and your husband, but try to include one thing that your son will eat, even if it's just bread or rice. Offer him some of everything, but don't be upset if he only eats what he likes. The repeated offerings and watching you eat those foods will eventually pay off.

You can also try to get him involved in the meal planning, either at the store or by giving him choices or letting him "help" make dinner. My son recently requested that we get artichokes at the store because he has a book that has A is for Artichoke. So, I got artichokes and made them and he ate one or two bites. I don't think he loved it, but he was willing to try. If I had just made them and put them on his plate I don't think he would have tried it at all.

If all else fails sometimes a little reverse psychology is helpful, but not something to use all the time, obviously. Yesterday at lunch we were having leftovers, so I had given him something I thought he would like and was eating a salad myself. He thought maybe he was missing out on something good and requested some of "mama's dinner." He then proceeded to eat a good portion of my grapefruit, fennel, parmesan salad. (See? Odd.)

Also, our pediatrician said to think about balancing a toddler's nutrition over a few days or even a week, rather than on a daily or mealtime basis as you would for yourself.

I have a 9 yr old that is very picky, he doesn't like catsup and won't eat anything red, he and I made a deal years ago. He has to take two bites of anything I put in front of him and tells me he won't eat. Most of the time he finds that it's not so bad and he eats it...

He will eat what you offer if that is all that you offer. If you offer him food and he won't eat and then you turn around and give him something else to eat he will never eat what you prepared in the first place. My daughters (age 3 and almost 2)are vegetarian and their favorite food is broccoli. Mostly our success with their being a vegetarian is due to the fact that I don't offer anything else. There were a few days when they didn't eat much but they eventually decided that eating her vegetables was better than not eating. It may sound mean but they won't starve to death by not really eating at one or two meals.

Try the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Sienfield. The recipes use veggie or fruit puree in them and kids don't notice they're eating veggies. You can make the recipes and still offer a side of veggies so he won't forget what they look like. So far I've tried the chicken nuggets w/ broccoli, mozzerela sticks with califlower, chocolate cake with beets. He ate each one and they should be easy to make organically too.

Hi E.
Have you tried hiding some vegtables in his food. I would try this and also offer vegtables on his plate. There is a good book out about how to hide vegtables in your food I dont know the author sorry Good luck I also have picky eater:) T.

E., try lo cal ranch dressing or other healthy dip. Kids like to "dip" things. I know melted cheese is not exactly healthy, but maybe you could substitute it for other dairy you incorporate into his diet. Some yogurts are great for dipping fruit. If you could get him to eat plain yogurt, you could try vegetables with that. Peanut butter is great with celery & apple slices. And of course, start with small amounts. And you eat it, too, so he sees that you like it.

Hey, E.,

My neighbor's son wouldn't eat veggies or fruits, either. She got him to eat by buying him jars of the baby foods. The pureed veggies and fruits have a different texture. Also, there are some really good recipes out there that 'hide' the vegetables in casseroles.

Keep in mind, also, that kids go through many phases in regards to what they'll eat. Some stick to one or two 'favorite' foods and that's all they'll eat for a while, then switch to some new food. I always offered, and asked that my kids take a taste, and if they wanted more of the food they liked best, they needed to have a bite of the food they were resisting.
Good luck!
T.

You've got some great suggestions! I havea ten, four, and two year old. My ten year old always eats everything we serve, but my four year old will not eat veggies by them selves. He will however eat them in say a fried rice dish or stir fry. My daughter would refuse to eat dinner with us if she looked at the table and did not like what she saw. She would say "no thanks" and walk away. My husband and I decided that they all would eat together with us or go to their rooms during dinner. Molly figured out after two weeks of spending dinner time in her room that she would try what we were eating and now does great. She also will only get water in her sippy cup if she wont eat her dinner and she loves her milk so she now knows if she wants another cup of milk she has to eat her dinner. Seems harsh for a two year old, but since we were punishing our four year old this way we did not want to send mixed signals that it was ok for her and not him so she was treated the same way. We are happy to say that it has worked and they all eat what is in front of them. Once in a while if my husband and I want something really different or special we will make something different for the kids, but for the most part they know that it is what's there or nothing. Our kids love fruit so We do serve fruit as snacks all day, and save veggies for dinner. If they do not eat all there veggies at least we know they are eating other healthy foods, but don't get me wrong there are also plenty of chips and starbursts and m&m's around our house too:)

sounds like your doing all you can. Its so frustrating and hard when they wont eat veggies,you feel,or at least I feel like my kids are being malnutritioned when they wont eat veggies! I think if your giving him a whole food suppliment you dont really need to worry. Besides kids are way more in tune to their bodies than even we are and they know what their bodies need. They say you should wait a month or two and then reintroduce things,so just keep trying but dont force. He'll be fine! There are so many types of veggies that you can try too. Find something he does like and maybe even have a couple different veggies at each meal that he can choose from. Another thing kids enjoy is dipping things,so maybe get some organic ranch dressing and see if he likes it...if he's like my little one he may just lick off the dressing but its worth a try.

As hard as it may be give him small portions of healthy choices, don't force him to eat it but don't give him anything else if he's hungary. Eventually he will be hungary enough to eat. I let my daughter go to bed without any food when she refused her dinner a couple of times ( I did give her some water) and she's never really been picky after that...she knows she won't get anything and missing one meal will not hurt him.

My two year old does best when I feed her in stages. I put the vegetable out first, and ususally finish cooking the rest of our meal. She is the hungriest at this time and more willing. Once there is something else on the plate she likes better though we are done. I have also found to take my time, she surprises me sometimes and I think she is done but we linger and talk and she will start eating something. Don't watch too close though or they stop. Good Luck.

I'm a 65 yr old grandmother. When I was young my Dad had a rule that we (1 brother) had to try at least 1 teaspoon full of any & all food put on the table. Every time we had baked beans I had to try them. To this day I hate baked beans. Howerver I've learned to eat just about everything. Your taste changes as you get older. Have him try just 1 table teaspoon of any new food. If he doesn't like it, wait until the next time you have it. Just don't argue about it. Eventually he may surprise you.

Have you tried the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious"? The author does recipes with pureed veggies hidden in the dish. They taste great, your kids will never know they're eating sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, cauliflower, etc. It's worth a look-through.
Good Luck!

Our family has a "one bite rule" that is enforced. If you take one (decent sized) bite you don't have to eat the rest. Even if it takes many meals, your little one will eventually discover that he likes more foods. While you wait, There is a brand of vitamin - Made by Hero - that is a "whole foods supplement" that I give to my kids. They are gummies that instead of regular vitamins, are packed with fruits/veggies, esp. the greens. They taste good, too. I have found them at whole foods, but they are actually the cheapest at Cub - in their organic section by the vitmins (not the pharmacy). Check them out!