Suddenly picky eater?

MickeyM04 · August 2013

DS used to be a GREAT eater. No matter what you fed him, he would eat ravenously. Then we realized maybe we needed to change it up a bit. For dinner we would give him a veggie, a fruit, and a big meatball (chicken, turkey or beef). Then he started just eating the veggies and fruit, and we thought we should try something new for his main entree. So we tried buttered noodles (either plain or mixed with veggies and meatballs), then english muffin pizzas, then pasta with red sauce, then chicken nuggets, then cheeseburger, and he pretty much takes one bite, spits it out, and then just eats the veggies and the fruit. Pretty much the only "main course" we can get him to eat consistently is grilled cheese or hot dog (the organic, non-cured, Whole Foods variety). But I really don't want to turn him into a more picky eater by just giving him hot dogs and grilled cheese 7 days a week. On the other hand, I don't want him to starve.

He clearly is hungry, because he will devour his veggies and fruit and then just leave the main food, whether it's pasta, pizza, meat, whatever. So then I'll give him a yogurt so he can get his protein and he'll eat most of that too. I'm not sure if I should just give him what I know he will eat (grilled cheese or hot dog) or if I should try to encourage healthy eating habits and just keep offering lots of different foods.

If the latter, do you guys have any good recipes? I know most people try to give their kids whatever they have, but my husband and I commute and don't get home until 6 and then we don't really have time to cook before DS is hungry (we feed him almost the instant we get home) so we usually have pretty bad eating habits (think: frozen pizza or takeout) and we don't end up eating until after DS goes to bed anyway.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

VeilSdeGTO · August 2013

DD went through a phase like that around that age. I would just keep offering the food, but like you, have stuff handy such as pouches and things you know they would like.

I know some people have just ended the meal if they refuse what you offer. If it was an earlier meal or snack, I would do that and just offer the next meal a little early. However, I didn't do that for dinner.

It lasted maybe a couple of weeks and then she went back to her normal eating habits.

MickeyM04 · August 2013

Thanks, that's good to know. I am hoping it is a phase. As much as I would like to be a hard a** and take the whole, "You'll eat what's on your plate or you won't eat" position, a) I am a completey softy, and b) I never want him to go to bed hungry...like you said, for an earlier meal or snack I would be OK with that, but dinner is kind of a big one.

Missa_g · August 2013

We offer what we're eating first then what we know they will eat if they refuse. Do you give the items separately or at once? We feed protein/main meal, then veggie, then fruit. They would ignore everything else and eat only fruit if that was offered first.

luvmyducks · August 2013

Can't tell how old he is bc I'm on mobile, but DD1 was an amazing eater as an infant but super picky as a toddler. She rarely eats meat and is just picky about everything. It is so frustrating.

densquared · August 2013

I second the advice of offering one food at a time, and giving the least favorite first. My 10 year old would have lived exclusively on peas and green beans if I would have let him. I was very concerned about him getting enough protein, but the pedi didn't seem to be. As he got older, he started to eat more meats. At 10, he still eats a pretty balanced diet, but still loves his veggies best.

KJsbabe · August 2013

DD is going through a similar phase. It use to be that she'd eat anything I put in front of her. Now she'll put it in her mouth and if she doesn't like it she spits it back out. She'll eat fruit, dairy, and carbs. Every now and then she'll eat an odd veggie. I just keep offering what we eat and try to incorporate things I know she'll eat. Tonight we had tacos and she ate the cheese, corn, and one bite of meat. I guess I'm not too terribly concerned about her nutrition because she's still nursing pretty often, so that fills in the gaps.

I found a lot of toddler meal ideas on Pinterest that I found helpful. This is a pretty good one. https://pinterest.com/pin/191403052886381118/

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