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Picky eaters-older kids

BrittanyCupcakesBrittanyCupcakes member
in October 2013 Moms
My sister moved in with her kids recently. DH and I are their daycare during the day, and we also cook most meals here.

My 3 year old niece is great, she'll eat most fruits and veggies and will at least try most things. My 5 year old nephew used to be like that, but right now he just wants cereal, Mac n cheese, hot dogs, cookies, etc.

My sister and her soon to be ex work long days and the kids are used to eating a lot of pre-packaged snacks and take out. I'm working on re-programming my sister when she shops. She doesn't need to buy individually wrapped snack foods, since she doesn't need to pack lunches for the babysitter. I want to transition them to more family meals and I want them to be open to try new foods, or at least be more willing to eat vegetables. My nephew has a serious poop problem and a history of clogging toilets, and I know he needs a better diet.

Any tips on "fixing" an established picky eater?
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Re: Picky eaters-older kids

  • bkeane619bkeane619 member
    When u find out let me know.
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  • IzziesIzzies member
    My nephew is a EXTREMELY picky eater. He only only wants cereal or noodles/or rice with LOTS of butter. My sister lets him eat like this but he spends a month with me in the summer and a few days at Christmas. While he's with me he eats what we eat, for the most part. I try to have rice or noodles most evening meals but don't serve them the way he wants. For example pasta is served with veggies and sauce (red spaghetti sauce with mostly veggies)or the rice is topped with veggies and meat.
    He tried to fight it but that's the rule at aunties house and he generally will take a few bites knowing that if he does not try it he won't get to do something fun in the evening.
    He's not going hungry I offer tons of healthy snacks throughout the day but I do not keep junk in the house.
    This may not work for your sisuation but it works for us :) good luck
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  • catycatecatycate member
    I agree with crunchy- be firm. This is what's for dinner and there will be no second dinner. I try to have one thing he will eat on the plate, even if it's a piece of cheese. If he wants more of what he likes, he has to take x amount of bites of what he doesn't like. I also think that kids have a right to have tastes and preferences, just like adults, so if he tries it, he can have a bowl of Cheerios, but I'm not a short order cook and that is the only option.
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  • Lee81Lee81 member
    My sister is fighting this battle with my nieces now. She's doing what the other ladies have said. This is what's for dinner, eat it or don't. I think they're going out of their way to make things the girls currently don't eat (which is almost everything) for at least part of each meal and making sure they at least try it.
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  • skyla13skyla13 member
    Following as I am curious too.
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  • catycatecatycate member
    cdhaslag said:
    First off- what does your sister say? If she's not on board then it doesn't matter.

    DD1 isn't picky and loves all foods; however there are times when she wants to be a butt. When she goes through that phase I just don't give in. This is what is for dinner...period. I don't make her eat it because I don't believe in making food a battle. So she has to sit at the table with us but she doesn't have to eat. But if she doesn't eat she doesn't get anything else. I put her plate in the fridge and when she is hungry I offer her plate. Sometimes she ate her dinner for lunch the next day and went to bed without eating dinner.

    I also have a rule that she has to eat everything on her plate before she can get seconds, but once she eats everything she can have more of whatever she wants.
    @crunchymama11‌ what age did you start this? Asking out of genuine curiosity - I was raised this way and plan to hold aria to the same standards but right now we are still fighting the weight gain battle so I cater a lot to what she will actually eat (if that makes sense).

    Not Crunchy (obvi) but we started saying this dinner or 1 other very boring option pretty much as soon as DS started eating the same meals as us- so I'd say 15-18 months? I always do a sippy of milk right before bed so I know they aren't starving.
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  • bkeane619bkeane619 member
    O just doesn't care. Even if I take food away at dinner he just refuses to eat. I try to sneak in a pediasure during the day. He's so skinny. In 16th percentile for weight but 75th for height. It's a real pain.
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  • bkeane619bkeane619 member
    PharmTechMom1216 said:

    bkeane619 said:

    O just doesn't care. Even if I take food away at dinner he just refuses to eat. I try to sneak in a pediasure during the day. He's so skinny. In 16th percentile for weight but 75th for height. It's a real pain.

    Hugs! I know it's not easy. Our 5yo also had to drink pediasure daily. It was a struggle for us because she doesn't live with us full-time. However, she is officially gaining weight and eats everything that we give her now.

    I give them small portions and if they want more then they can get seconds or even thirds or they have the option to get a snack.

    It will get better! Just continue to offer him "good" foods but still feed him what he likes.
    O didn't gain any weight for like 10 months. Then he gained 2lbs right before his 3 year checkup thank goodness.
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  • sooner1981sooner1981 member
    Agree 100 percent with crunchy. I have only very, very rarely cooked a meal just for the kids. They eat what we eat, to the greatest extent possible. And we do the same about putting out 2.5 year old's plate in the refrigerator and taking it back out later (or at the next meal) if she doesn't want to eat it on the first go 'round. So far, food has not been a battle ground in our house--hopefully if we continue to act completely uninterested in engaging in power plays over dinnertime, it will remain that way....but who knows!

    I will say that at our 2.5 year check up, our doctor asked our daughter what her favorite food was, and our daughter answered "meatballs, spinach, and blueberries," and the doctor just turned to me and said, "did she just say "spinach," and I laughed because she really does love spinach!
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  • Jenball717Jenball717 member
    I have heard that kids can go through eating "regression" when other changes are happening in their life. They can tend to stick to "comfort" and "safe" foods, maybe something to keep in mind?
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  • Jenball717Jenball717 member
    My kids are both pretty good eaters, here are some things I do:

    1. DD1 cooks with me. I bought her some kid safe knives that she uses to chop veggies (typically the softer ones because the knives aren't very sharp). She loves to measure and stir as well. She is more likely to eat something when she helped create it.

    2. I boast to her about how adventurous an eater she is. Don't label kids as picky as they may try to live up to that label.

    3. I talk about the different health benefits of foods. What vitamins the different colored veggies have and what those vitamins do in your body. How protein builds muscles and muscle is needed to run and jump and play. How fiber works to clean our bodies, and yes, helps us poop and get rid of stuff we don't need.

    I have more but I feel I have gone on so long as it is...
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  • Jenball717Jenball717 member
    Get the book "Eat This Not That for Kids" it has a lot of great info for parents. Might help your sister get on board with it all.
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  • BrittanyCupcakesBrittanyCupcakes member
    Sorry I haven't replied yet. Between the house full of kids, work, and helping out a neighbor, I have barely had a minute to pee!

    Last night the kids helped DH make spaghetti with zucchini, carrots, and onions in the sauce. They didn't eat much last night, but cleaned their plates when it was served again for lunch today.

    The next shopping trip will include celery and carrot sticks, more fruits and healthier snacks, and no more cookies and chips.They snack constantly so we are not giving them free access to snacks anymore. I am limiting them to two options for snacks now, and if they don't want what I offer, they get nothing.

    My sister is on board with this. She wants them to eat better but kind of just gave up. They spent so much time at the babysitter's, and she had to pack food for them, so convenient packaged snack foods because staples. DH and I are really trying to improve our own diets and so this is really important to us.

    I keep hearing "I don't like yucky stuff" and I tell them, we don't like yucky stuff either, so there is no yucky stuff in this house.

    And now my break time is over. Thanks for the input so far, I appreciate it!
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