Question

melissa11015 · June 2017

I have a picky eater...mostly at dinner. I always present what we are eating as a family, first, encourage him to try it, then when we are done eating we will make him something that we know he'll eat so he's not going to bed hungry. He's 2 1/2. Does anyone else do something like this? What do you do? I would rather he just eat what we are having. I hate giving in to his "extra meal".

Marley629 · June 2017

@melissa11015 I have no advice because I'm dealing with the same exact situation except mine is 3.5 but is tiny (5% in height and weight on his curve). He is super picky and everyone says to just give him whatever we are eating and if he doesn't eat then goes to bed without but I'm so hesitant to do that. You're not alone. I wish this board was more active so we could hear others perspective on this.

nostalgicgirl · June 2017

It totally depends on your style of raising, just don't give something like spicy that hurts his stomach.

Best wishes

MeridethKimble · September 2017

I've done the same with my 2.5 year old since she started eating - just offered what we are having. She goes through phases of willingness to try new things, being a bit pickier, and refusing things I know she likes just because she can. My only advice is to try to be patient. Someone told me once that there are two things a toddler can actually control: eating and sleeping. So, as they begin to assert their independence, those two important functions come under their whims. The less we try to pressure our daughter, the more she's willing to get onboard with what is served. As far as nutrition, I try to consider what she's eaten in a week. That way, I'm not always worried because she only licked cheese on Monday (this actually has happened) because on Tuesday and Thursday she ate green beans, fruit, eggs, etc.

Things I've tried, with some success on nights she isn't so excited about the meal:
- Offering what we are eating, and letting her come and go from her plate after we are done eating to fill up as she feels hungry

- Letting her eat the stuff in the meal she does like - as much as she wants. (Fortunately, this kid loves broccoli; some nights she'll eat a whole plate and nothing else.)

- Giving her one single other option: cheerios or a PB+J. Either of those foods seem to have everything she needs for a meal, and can be a solid replacement. If we get to the end of the meal and she's still hungry, then she can have one of these. I don't offer both, just "Do you want some Cheerios?"

nackie · December 2017

We usually offer what we're eating. If he doesn't eat it then he doesn't eat it. But we always do a bedtime snack that we know he likes and will eat. On days that he ate a good dinner, it can be smaller/less filling like fruit or a snack bar. But if he didn't eat dinner then he gets a bigger snack. We've done yogurt, pb&j, cheese & crackers and once leftover pasta for "snacks" before.

emmaknits · December 2017

I try to put one thing on my 3 year old sons plate that I know he’ll like. Last night I made a rice and ground beef dish I wasn’t sure he’d eat so I put carrots and hummus as his veggie, along with a fruit he usually eats. Sometimes he’ll eat Moreno of an u familiar food if he helps me make dinner, or if I spoon feed him some (even though he’s perfectly capable of eating himself). I’ve also seen “reward” plates, where it’s sort of like a game board and they have to eat the food in each square before they get to a special treat that is covered at the end. We got one for Christmas but haven’t used it yet.

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