BlogFrog

We have a couple of picky-ish eaters, so I try not to serve what I know they don't like (spaghetti saucy type foods) overly much.  We DON'T allow alternate meals, though, and explain that it is rude to refuse to eat what is served.  They don't have to eat it all, but they must wait until the next meal for any more food.

Picky eaters are really made by people not offering new and different items to their kids.

If a child will not eat something the first time, or fifth time, it does not mean they are picky.  You have to offer them something about 20 times before they are comfortable with it - and I just keep trying with everything. 

Sometimes my daughter eats it right away, or tries it and spits it out, but we keep trying!

MommyLisa-
I agree, you really do have to keep offering your kids new foods. Sometimes it takes years for them to like something, and sometimes they never do, but I always keep trying!
Toni

I am staring over in a sense. Starting over with our new baby. He is getting veggies only right now, to build his taste for veggies and not sugary fruit. He's had no french fries or bites of ice cream or any of that. He won't get white bread, he'll get whole wheat from the jump (the real stuff) so he doesn't know any better.

For the older boys who do know better, I'm taking it slow and sneaking where I can. They get green smoothies for fruits they don't like and greens they'd never eat on its own. I'm doing purees of veggies that even I have a hard time choking down, and I put those in their other foods.

I always offer veggies with their meals, and other fruits they like for snacks. And sometimes they eat it, and sometimes they don't. Sneaking helps me feel better about the day because I know that at least they did get some of what they need.

We just moved to whole wheat bread for the kids, and plain oatmeal flavored with raw honey or mashed up fruit. I know it takes time. I would say, sneak where you can, always offer the veggies and fruits you think they'll eat, and be consistent. That last one is the hardest for us.

Nell
CasualFridayEveryDay

Picky eaters are really made by people not offering new and different items to their kids.

I completely disagree with this statement.

My husband I fix all sorts of different things for our meals.  We do Morrocan, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Cuban, and other ethnic foods a lot, and I do mean a lot.  Every month, we have at least a couple of new recipes to try on our menu.

However, our children do not like trying new things.  They are picky eaters, no matter how much we have tried to cultivate their palate. So, this is what we do.

If the children do not eat what is offered, they get that very same food for the next meal.  If they don't eat it then, they get it for the next meal and so on and so forth.  For instance, if they don't eat their cereal for breakfast, they get cereal for lunch.  If they don't eat it for lunch, they get it for dinner.  If they don't eat it for dinner, they get it for breakfast the next day. 

On Sundays, we reset.  Sunday is a day of rest, a  day to start over.  So if they don't eat something on Saturday, they get a day of rest on Sunday and we start with new food.

Nell-
I agree with you, consistency is the key and start when they are babies. I have a few kids who don't like as much of the healthy stuff, and I occasionally sneak, but not too much.
I think a lot of kids go through a picky phase, but if you don't cave and continue to try healthy foods eventually they will get over it.
Toni
PS - great picture of you Nell!

Our table mantra is "You eat what's served, or you don't eat."  Our kids can choose not to eat, but I'm not a short-order cook.  And if they want seconds on an item, they must eat everything on their plate to get those seconds.

We keep serving sizes small... especially so if it's something new or something we know they're not fond of.  Two bites max.  If they want more, power to 'em!

I don't have a chance right now to read all the other comments, so perhaps this is already included there somewhere, but I saw your request for comments and felt I just had to share... 

I have 3 kids (thus far) and the two oldest (now 9 and 7) went through phases of real pickiness when they were about 3 and 4.  Of course, you can't help but think about your own experiences when you are faced with parenting dilemmas, so I looked back before looking forward.  I never had a choice as a child but had to eat everything on my plate, like it or not.  I don't really feel that's the best approach because we are all unique after all and we all have individual tastes.  BUT, I also think that kids have a tough time distinguishing between their druthers and the things they hate.  Lots of kids say they 'hate' something when what they really mean is that they don't LOVE it.  For these reasons, we implemented an exemption list for the kids.  They were each allowed to pick three things that they absolutely do not need to eat, with the suggestion that the 3 spots be saved for the things that really just make them want to gag.  :o)  The list is on our fridge and currently includes broccoli, cooked spinach (raw is fine) and kidney beans for Gabriel and asparagus, snow peas and peppers for Caleb.  The list changes once or twice a year, but they aren't allowed to switch anything out on the day they are faced with something they want to add to the list.  For example, if we're having cauliflower and they don't want to eat it, they can't switch it out at that time, but they have to wait for the next day.  We do periodically have them try their 'exempted' foods and every now and then they end up liking them.  This system has worked very well for our family and I highly encourage giving it a try! 

 

Trina-
I like the idea of an exempted food list! Even as an adult I have a few foods I try to avoid, but I could eat them in a pinch... or if I was starving!
Toni

Picky eaters are really made by people not offering new and different items to their kids.

As a child nutritionist, I disagree with this statement as well. Granted, this may be the case for some kids, BUT it is a proven fact that most kids have 'food jags', where they will only eat certain foods for a period of time. Some don't like their food touching each other, some don't like orange foods, some just want plain ol' spaghetti for EVERY meal,whether you started them on pureed sweet potatoes or gave them bites of your fries while at McD's.

 I agree you should try to discourage giving them the same foods over and over and try to get them to eat all sorts of healthy foods. The more you give in to their food 'demands', the harder it will be to break them of their habit and get them to enjoy everything. Always try to introduce new, healthy foods to your children, if they don't like it once, try again next week, and the week after. But, really, most of the time it is just a phase and once the child realizes that you are not going to give in and give him pasta for breakfast, lunch and supper, he'll be more apt to try the foods you put in front of him.

Remember: The parent is in charge of what's on the plate - the child is in charge of how much he eats. Don't force feed the child into eating everything on the plate, but do encourage him to try a bit or two.