Ooooo.... see, it's not so bad, now is it?

[Stacykins]

I remember the tactic my parents used. My sister and I had to have TWO BITES of everything on the plate. Some nights we were just not hungry or whatever. Two bites of the vegetables, meat, etc. and we could be done. Nothing special was ever made if we didn't 'like' the dinner (very rare, my sister and I were not picky eaters!). The only time we'd balk as little kids was if something very alien was served. This was more my sister though, especially when we moved to Japan. I embraced living in Japan, which meant exposure to new and awesome foods, but she didn't like it so much.

Be strong! I hope your 9 year old gets out of that belief that vegetables are going to kill her. I have read that children's taste of bitter is much stronger than an adults, so often a poorly cooked vegetable (not bashing your cooking stills!) can leave them with a bad memory of that bitter tasting vegetable. What was a defense mechanism against eating poisonous (and often very bitter) plants when we were hunter/gatherers has turned into a nightmare for parents trying to get vegetables into their kids!

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

Congrats!

Now I have to know, are those your really kids' names?

 

[Mehpenn]

Quote:
LOLOLOLOL!

No, that's not their real names, although I think the two year old thinks so... guess I need to start calling her by her real name so she'll know who people are talking to when she gets to preschool and such.

Elizabeth is the oldest and Eleanor is the youngest.

 

[Mattemma]

We always ate what my mom cooked or we did not eat.It was not until adulthood that my brother ever admitted to hating liver and onions,lol.

My ds is VERY picky.Little carnivore. I keep telling him how important it is to put the right kind of *fuel* into his body to keep it running well. I was happy he tried some almond milk last night! Little steps.

 

[Animalian]

haha my mum told me a story of how she forced me to finish a bowl of weet-bix when I was really little. I really didn't want it but she was sick of me being so fussy. Then I projectile vomited all over her and she never forced me to eat anything again lol

Now I've grown up incredibly fussy AND a vegetarian.... lol people hate feeding me!

I find I like things more if I know what's in them (so you know what that mystery lump or texture is), maybe get your daughter to help cook if she hasn't already?

I've also heard of people blending broccoli or other vegies etc and putting it on a chicken fillet like you would batter, so you end up with a crispy vegie skin on one side.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
You got to be kidding me! If a kid won't eat and you still take him to the pediatrician and you have tried other methods that does not require much thinking about the seven foods...if he likes processed foods, maybe sneak a homemade nugget or two in the processed ones.

What seven foods does he eat? Sounds like my nephew, a very, very picky eater. Chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, chips and NO veggies, any other meats, etc. My daughter loves to eat but she tries that tactic like the other kids do ewwwwwwwww broccoli....well, you like broccoli! NO, she said, because my friends said they hate broccoli or green beans. Well, you dont have to tell them you ate broccoli for supper, its between you and me!

 

[runsw/scissors]

I think he may be an Aspie kid, but that remains to be seen...

He will eat:
mac -n- cheese (the big name blue box, NO butter or milk)
Top Ramen chicken flavored (the broth only)
he will drink milk (but only drink it. I have no idea how he knows when I use milk to make mac-n-cheese.

)
infant formula
Tillamook cheddar cheese
the bottom piece of hamburger buns
spaghetti noodles

He will NOT eat candy, ice cream, chocolate, any meat, any fruit, any veggies etc... He has always been this way too. He is 4 yrs old and weighs 32 lbs. His pedi turned me in 'cuz I didn't get his permission and by just doing that I "endangered his health and well-being".





Quote:
You got to be kidding me! If a kid won't eat and you still take him to the pediatrician and you have tried other methods that does not require much thinking about the seven foods...if he likes processed foods, maybe sneak a homemade nugget or two in the processed ones.

What seven foods does he eat? Sounds like my nephew, a very, very picky eater. Chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, chips and NO veggies, any other meats, etc. My daughter loves to eat but she tries that tactic like the other kids do ewwwwwwwww broccoli....well, you like broccoli! NO, she said, because my friends said they hate broccoli or green beans. Well, you dont have to tell them you ate broccoli for supper, its between you and me!

 

[zippitydooda]

When my children were younger (between the ages of 2-10) they tried the "ewwwww, what IS that????" game. I simply said this is your dinner. It's a LONG time until breakfast so you had better eat.

If they fussed or complained I didn't make them eat it. BUT, I didn't give them anything else. I would tell them:

"THIS is NOT a restaurant. You will eat the food that I cooked and your father worked so hard to buy. If you don't like it, too bad. That is what our family is having for dinner tonight. You WILL sit here until everyone else has finished before you may be excused. You may NOT have anything else. If you do not eat this food, I guess you will go to bed hungry tonight."

While I know it sounds quite harsh, and like I was potentially starving my children, I had always put a wide selection of things out to eat (protein, carbohydrate/starch, vegetable, fruit, milk or juice, rolls, etc). They had to TASTE something new. If they didn't like it, I didn't force it. I felt like it was more of a control issue than a hunger issue. Our pediatrician said he had never met a child who purposely starved themselves, and not to worry.

Another thing I did was to include them in the meal preparation. That way they took some ownership on the completed meal and had a little pride in an accomplishment.

My children are all grown now, and eat all kinds of different things. They are adventurous with new foods and even enjoy cooking.

Hang in there, this is just a stage and WILL pass. Be strong!

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
You got to be kidding me! If a kid won't eat and you still take him to the pediatrician and you have tried other methods that does not require much thinking about the seven foods...if he likes processed foods, maybe sneak a homemade nugget or two in the processed ones.

What seven foods does he eat? Sounds like my nephew, a very, very picky eater. Chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, chips and NO veggies, any other meats, etc. My daughter loves to eat but she tries that tactic like the other kids do ewwwwwwwww broccoli....well, you like broccoli! NO, she said, because my friends said they hate broccoli or green beans. Well, you dont have to tell them you ate broccoli for supper, its between you and me!

My nephew is Austisic but I was very certain that he has Asperger's as well. He is taking Ex Lax liquids in his grape juice or grape Gatoraide three times a day, has Pop Tarts which my SIL said, it has plenty of fiber. (Oh really?! All I see is 1% fiber in that package!) and has to eat four times a day of fiber filled foods like Muselix cereal in the morning, hotdogs and mac and cheese or chicken nuggets and FF, and the same for supper......been that way for four years. He will NOT eat any spagetti sauce, just the spagetti noodles. That kid I swear is about forty lbs and he is already reaching seven years old.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

A kid that loses 15% of his body weight refusing to eat is a special kid, either Aspie as you mentioned or perhaps food sensitive. I am a hard line strict parent, but even I know you have to be careful of forcing some kids to eat food because they can be sensitive, note that I did not say allergic which is a whole different ball game. When I was young eggs gave me migraines. My mother was so convinced that I would die if I did not eat enough eggs she kept finding new ways to get them into me. One egg in a casserole or something was fine, something like a quiche with lots of eggs gave me a headache. I did not eat many baked goods for years. Luckily for me the doctor finally said no eggs. Eventually I outgrew it.

But, kids will eat what is available to them. No fruitloops in the house they can't eat em. I have an underweight drama queen of my own.

I refuse to fight over food. I make sure she gets her vitamins and Ensure and she makes do. But, I could hug Andrew Zimmerman! Watching that show has made my kids so much more willing to try new foods. Now we are doing meals around the world. One night a month we have dinner of something completely different from another country. Fun!

This week was Indian. The kids now love Tandoori bread. And they like Samosas. And I fed them vegetarian with no one noticing there was no meat in the meal....