Picky Eater - Waipahu,HI

I talked to my sister about this and she has the same issue with her son. She says that she tells him that if "you don't do what I ask you then you aren't going to get things that you want" i.e. video games, toys, etc. She lets him know that he has choices like this food or that food, but if he chooses not to eat then eventually he will get hungry and make a choice. I hope this helps.

Hi,
I have a daughter who is like this, but she eats her vegetables, rice and hardly eats meat, she loves water, and hardly drinks anything else, sometimes green tea, but in your case, i'm not sure how to solve this one, except trying to tell him to try it and maybe he will like it, or just be glad he is eating anything.lol I have 4 boys who love ramen soup,with crackers and a sub sandwich, one does not like tomatoes, one doesn't like mayonnaise, and well they both don't like lettuce, but I try to at least get them to try it at least a peice of it, and who knows maybe one day they will love nothing but vegetables. have you tried them in mashed potatoes? my daughter eats them like that and she loves them. maybe put a little bit of melted cheese ontop and hopefully he will never know they are hiding in there.lol also on the energy thing, mine do basketball,soccer and anything else they can through rec center's, my hubby works for the city of henderson and we try to keep them involved with sports and they love it, so you might want to try through the recreation center's to see what they have for your child and his age.
good luck*Ü*

i have same problem...my pediatrition told me to give her a pediasure every other day for vitamins...she is so picky won't even eat a gummy vitamin or flintstones!!! but just stick to things she likes (very very few) and give her one of those every other day (we call it chocolate milk) lol good luck..i know how frustrating it can be.

Consider having him help you "cook." At five years old he is just about the right age to follow simple directions with your guidance. Get a kids cookbook and flip through the pages with him. Let him choose a meal with the agreement that he will at least try a small portion. Teach him how to make a sandwich, maybe open face with peanut butter and bananas, or a tortilla wrap wtih peanut butter and jelly. Pizza is a another great joint cooking project, and a fun way to sneak in healthier food, just remember to finely chop things,and you might have him make faces out of the ingredients. Just don't expect a mess-free time in the kitchen!
Also, remember this: at this age kids are beginning to assert their independence from Mom-you can lead him to the table but you can't MAKE him eat, to paraphrase a famous proverb. He is testing his decision making and preference choosing skills. But you can set limits-like letting him know that "this" is what's for dinner and he is welcome to join you or wait til the next meal. Stay calm if he balks. Empathize when he decides to leave the table only to come back hungry later, but let him know that dinner/lunch/breakfast is done and he will have to wait until the next meal. Give him choices, but limit those to two only, ie; "Okay, you can have a grilled cheese sandwich with carrot "fries"(cut the carrots to look like French fries) or you can have PB&J with ramen (a smaller helping than if he were to eat the ramen alone)." Try giving him smaller portions of the new or chanllenged food you want him to eat, but then let him take it from there. If he fights it, don't worry. Kids will not starve themselves. The Pediasure thing is a good suggestion, but you might also try fruit smoothies (you could add some carrot juice or freshly juiced carrots for some added nutrition).

My best advice is to avoid making him overly self conscious of his eating habits. Make meals and eating a seemless and natural part of your daily routine, and make sure he sees you enjoying your food without being obvious about it. He may always be rather picky when it comes to food, but when you think about it aren't we all?

Buy a blender, blend flavorful fruits with ice 100% juice and toss in some veggies. If u use flavorful fruits like strawberries and pinapple he won't tast a veggie. Plus u can call it a treat and it taste like one too.

My 2 yr old is also VERY picky. We figure it's just a phase and Im sure it's just a phase with your son also. What we have done with our daughter is we bought a juicer. We buy all sorts of vegetables and fruits and we juice them. We make sure we make the juice sweet so she cant taste the vegetables and she doesnt even know the difference and we atleast know she's getting some vegetables everyday... I would give it a try. Just tell him it's juice, most kids will gulp juice up no problem :)

I can sympathize with you 100%! I, too have a picky 5 year old(actually he turned 6 today). He won't touch veggies or fruits of any kind, not even potatoes! After many long battles over this subject, I did the only thing I could think of. I gave up. It's a losing battle. I cannot make him eat what he will not eat! I can continue to offer him a variety and hope that he will try new things, but that's all I can do. I remember when I was young I wasn't too fond of any veggies or fruit. But as I grew older, I started liking them. Now as an adult, I am a fruit lover!! So don't stress your child or yourself, and make it easy. Your child will not die if he doesn't eat a certain food or foods. We think that if they don't eat this or that, they'll be in jeopardy somehow, but this just isn't true. My parents made me eat what was put on my plate, like it or not, and as a result, sometimes I would dread mealtimes for fear that I would have to eat lima beans or something like that. I surely don't want my son to be afraid to sit down at the table with us! And I'm sure you don't either. Good luck!

K.

Don't worrie about it. My son is 5 also and he is the same way. The doc told me it is just a stage and he will grow out of it. You could try the pedia sure drinks. My son love's them.