What do you do when your good eater becomes a picky eater?

swedish-fish · January 2010

Until recently, DD would eat anything... veggies, fruit, meats, everything. All of a sudden, she'll only eat her favorite foods, which all seem to be carbs, fruits and cheese. I keep offering veggies and protein, but she'll rarely take a bite. I'm torn between making sure she eats at least something (giving in and letting her eat grilled cheese for every meal) and teaching her that she needs to eat a balanced meal (which usually leads to her eating not much of anything). How do you handle it? Does that old adage about a kid never starving themselves hold true? Thanks!

6fsn · January 2010

I just sort of let it go and DS is starting to come around again. I did do some hiding of foods- mixed chicken in with his grilled cheese, slipped vegetables into his mini quiches, giving yogurt for protein at every meal etc. I'd love to know what was going on his little mind, but he's definitely eating everything again.

swedish-fish · January 2010

6fsn:
I just sort of let it go and DS is starting to come around again. I did do some hiding of foods- mixed chicken in with his grilled cheese, slipped vegetables into his mini quiches, giving yogurt for protein at every meal etc. I'd love to know what was going on his little mind, but he's definitely eating everything again.

that's good to hear! I hope she comes around soon, too.

clayswife · January 2010

I generally give DS a couple of options, making sure that they're all healthy and that he sees something in every food group at each meal/snack. I also really try to keep things interesting, so that I know he's not getting bored...

ms_mellor · January 2010

DD goes through stages....she'll eat everything in sight, and then she'll eat nothing. I have learned not to stress about it. They're still to young to understand the whole 'you have to eat a balanced diet' thing. I refuse to fight the food battle at this age. DD gets healthy snacks, and if she fills herself up on that, then so be it. I'm all about picking my battles.

kgb1411 · January 2010

my DS did this for about a week. He would hardly tolerate even sitting with us at meals and just wanted to go play. Just when I started getting worried, he started eating again. I think they all just go through these phases.

murphyec · January 2010

I let it go at this point and give him whatever he wants, which usually means no meat, just black beans and cheese. Last night he had cheese and peas and then refused to eat anything until the spaghetti I was making for DH and I was done, then he chowed down on that. The other night I let him have a few chocolate chips, then he ate everything I wanted him to. So for me, if I give into what it is he wants, he usually eats what I want to. But if he doesn't, I try not to worry about it, give him some vitamins and call it a night. This behavior also only usually last a week or so, then he is back to normal.

swedish-fish · January 2010

thanks, guys!

inbetweendreams · January 2010

**duplicate**

inbetweendreams · January 2010

Besides pull my hair out?

DS would eat anything we put in front of him, but lately he's getting picky. He usually eats what we eat for dinner, and I'm trying to stick with that. He hates anything green, so I've been hiding it. I hid spinach in an english muffin pizza and in pasta, and I've been mixing peas with mashed potatoes.

Sometimes I'll give him a break from things I know he's not eating, but I just keep reintroducing them. I always include something I know he loves (bananas, papaya, etc.), so I know the meal's not a total wash. I know he'll eat if he's hungry enough, but it is hard to stick with that when he only takes 2 bites of something.

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