Need Help with Picky Eater

ewilliams1127 · January 2013

My DS went from eating anything we put on his plate to only a handful of acceptable options (for him, not us). These are his current foods:

Breakfast: Cereal bars, bananas, watermelon, some Cheerios, toast (with or without PB), occasionally yogurt. He used to eat eggs sometimes.

Lunch/Dinner: PB&J, Mac N Cheese, pizza (cheese only), spaghetti (no meat sauce), apple slices, some grapes sometimes, applesauce. On rare occasion he will eat a hot dog or a few bites of hamburger/taco meat.

Snacks: Goldfish, graham crackers, nilla wafers or any of his fruits.

He gets milk with every meal/snack and unlimited water. I just feel like I am failing him nutritionally. Anytime I try to give him veggies or proteins (plain, steamed, fried, dipped in cheese etc) he will touch it to his tongue, bite a little then spit it out and throw the rest on the floor. Ugh. I am so frustrated.

So, do I worry or just feed him what he wants? I will add his is in the 95% for height and weight so that is not a problem.

Soon 2 be Lockhart · January 2013

I have been going through the same thing. My DD has become supper picky and will eat almost nothing. She has slowly begun to increase her amount she eats but she was for a few months down to 6-9oz of formula, 2-3 oz of water or juice and maybe 6oz of food and some snacks each day. There were even days all she ate were gold fish because that is all she would eat. I worried about this, but I always offer her a fruit, veg and protein for breakfast, lunch and dinner (wasted alot of food). She is now starting to eat some veggy?s, fruit and protein once again and is taking 18oz of formula a day. (she is still on formula ? does not care for the milk yet and will only do a few ounces a day from a sippy cup.) I have learned to just follow her lead and it seems to work out.

I did try potpie?s with her and she seems to love it, at least she gets some veggy?s from it.

gajumper · January 2013

My son has decided all he will eat is green beans, mashed potatoes, and black olives. Anything else ends up on the floor. He will NOT eat lunch at daycare.

RedCamaro · January 2013

Its just a phase that he will get out of as soon as a growth spurt comes on. As long as he is pretty healthy, just let it run its course. DS just go over one of these episodes. Now he's eating everything the same as before and much more of it. If there's something extra that you want to do, add a multivitamin (beware of iron-it can stop up the bowels).

tonychelle · January 2013

We are having this problem too. She'd eat pasta/mac n cheese and cheese slices all day if I let her. She does eat chicken and turkey most of the time, but most things end up on the floor -- I do manage to sneak in some good things mixed in with the others. I give her some purees if she hasn't eaten well in a couple of days cos she does still eat a few of those well.

I have no advice, really, but I'm in the same boat!

mbgreenwalt · January 2013

When DD1 went through a picky phase, I would offer her everything we were eating. If she didn't eat it, then I would go to the staples she would eat, but only the healthy ones. I would cut out any of the processed snacks and just give the fresh foods she would eat.

ewilliams1127 · January 2013

Glad I'm not the only one dealing with this! I really hope this is a phase....

gina2433 · January 2013

I was just talking to DH this morning about this. Glad I'm not the only one.

smilelari · January 2013

The good news is that this is so very normal. My strategy is to keep offering the foods that we are eating (I don't make separate meals for the kids). If they eat, fine. If they don't, I don't pressure them

Allibob · January 2013

smilelari:
The good news is that this is so very normal.nbsp; My strategy is to keep offering the foods that we are eating I don't make separate meals for the kids.nbsp; If they eat, fine.nbsp; If they don't, I don't pressure them

I agree. If you give in serve Mac n cheese if they refuse their dinner, they will learn to refuse their dinner to get what they really want. Some days I feel like DD eats almost nothing, but she eventually comes around to eating again.

Natty13umppo · January 2013

From what I understand, at this age, there will be a big drop in appetite and their growth will slow (of course there will be spikes in growth/appetite). The amount of food they need most days is actually pretty small. (DD still eats like a teenage boy, but from what I've been told, it should slow down at some point...)

I trust that DD will eat what she needs and I give her healthy options - usually what we eat, but sometimes I have other stuff on hand for her. But to answer your question, I wouldn't go out of my way to give LO different stuff. Decide what you are going to offer, if LO doesn't eat, tough. Sometimes DD will wait awhile before eating what is on her plate. But I never say "oh, looks like you aren't interested in X so I'll get you some Y" I sometimes give her some Y if she finishes X but I don't play the food game with her. She gets what she gets.

The only reason I would be concerned is if your LO started losing weight or if wet diapers decreased (dehydration).

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