Guest guest Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 > " Madeline White " <madeline_killian > > I have a question for someone/anyone out there...how do you deal with it > when your child refuses to eat some/cretain foods. I do try not to make an > issue of it but sometimes...(snip) > ...I feel that there has to be a happy > medium somewhere. Also, sometimes he says he *hates* a food and then after I > insist on one bite he gobbles it all up and asks for more. > (snip) other people tell me that it should be eat what > is on your plate or go hungry. I do not agree with this and would never go > this far but would like some other ideas. You might try setting up the rule ahead of time, not at the moment. The rule can be 1 or 2 bites of everything, and *then* if he doesn't like it he doesn't have to eat more. Knowing in advance that that's the rule may help both of you feel better about it. And then, if he decides he loves it, he can save face. With kids, sometimes they have to taste something quite a few times before they decide it's palatable, but if that never happens, at least they don't have to suffer a full portion and you'll know, after a few attempts, that they really *do* dislike it. I don't agree with those " it's all or nothing " parents - makes for a miserable meal, and besides, do *you* want to be forced to eat something you hate? Does it matter that he may not really hate it? I was forced to eat butternut squash one night, I was 7, and I threw it all up all over my plate. To this day I won't eat butternut squash, although I love all other squashes. BTW, my son (5yo) is going thru a very picky phase, and also does the HATE IT - LOVE IT thing.... Peace, Doh ---------- All beings tremble before violence. All fear death, all love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do? ~ Buddha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 I was blessed with 3 hardy children who eat everything. Very rarely do they " hate " something I fix. I don't worry when they decide they don't want to eat as much as I want them too becuase they ARE healthy. If they were pale and super skinny I guess I'd worry, but well my grandma was right, they'll eat when they're hungry. If they only eat noodles for dinner one night, they'll make up for it at breakfast. I have friends who do everything but beg they're kids to eat, and boy do those kids enjoy the power struggle. If you let them make a big deal about it they will. At our house you don't have to eat your salad if you don't want to, but then you don't get pudding for dessert. jodi Doh! [dohdriver] Wednesday, September 01, 2004 12:09 AM Re: Kids 'n' foods > " Madeline White " <madeline_killian > > I have a question for someone/anyone out there...how do you deal with it > when your child refuses to eat some/cretain foods. I do try not to make an > issue of it but sometimes...(snip) > ...I feel that there has to be a happy > medium somewhere. Also, sometimes he says he *hates* a food and then after I > insist on one bite he gobbles it all up and asks for more. > (snip) other people tell me that it should be eat what > is on your plate or go hungry. I do not agree with this and would never go > this far but would like some other ideas. You might try setting up the rule ahead of time, not at the moment. The rule can be 1 or 2 bites of everything, and *then* if he doesn't like it he doesn't have to eat more. Knowing in advance that that's the rule may help both of you feel better about it. And then, if he decides he loves it, he can save face. With kids, sometimes they have to taste something quite a few times before they decide it's palatable, but if that never happens, at least they don't have to suffer a full portion and you'll know, after a few attempts, that they really *do* dislike it. I don't agree with those " it's all or nothing " parents - makes for a miserable meal, and besides, do *you* want to be forced to eat something you hate? Does it matter that he may not really hate it? I was forced to eat butternut squash one night, I was 7, and I threw it all up all over my plate. To this day I won't eat butternut squash, although I love all other squashes. BTW, my son (5yo) is going thru a very picky phase, and also does the HATE IT - LOVE IT thing.... Peace, Doh ---------- All beings tremble before violence. All fear death, all love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do? ~ Buddha For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 My current food problem with my daughter is that we will make a meal that I KNOW that she likes. She will eat a few small bites then say she is full. I will try to get her to eat more but at most will coax one more bite out of her. Then, about 10 minutes after I have cleaned up her plate she will say she is hungry and wants a snack or desert. Erghhhh! If she didnt eat good I will say no desert, but she spends the whole night after that complaining that she is hungry. I will try and fix her a healthy snack but still it is frustrating because I know that she liked the dinner, she just wouldnt eat it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 Friends who have heard me talk about my son's pickiness but have never witnessed it firsthand are amazed when they sit down to share a meal with us at his complete lack of interest in anything I put in front of him to eat. And I mean almost a militant refusal to eat one single thing on his plate. He has never been an enthusiastic eater, but he has gotten much more extreme in the past couple of years -- he just turned five. I can sometimes get him to eat a little breakfast (cereal or toast) or a bit of a peanut butter sandwich or baked tofu for lunch. But he seldom eats anything for dinner, even though I make him sit down with my husband and me, and serve him whatever we are eating. If he had his way, he would not even come to the table; he'd much rather stay in his room playing with his dinosaurs or Legos. Though I believe strongly that my son should eat what is being served, I often give in and coax him to eat a mouthful of yogurt or a corner of a piece of bread, but that's about it at dinnertime. Although he is proud to be a vegetarian, he wants no part of the wholesome, delicious veggie meals I cook. And if there is something he tells me he likes, he *never* takes more than two or three tiny bites. As an infant, he tried all kinds of foods -- homemade baby foods, tofu, fruits, vegetables, cereals. Now, at five, he is severely underweight but healthy and extremely active and full of energy. I've read all the books, consulted four different nutritionists and countless doctors, cajoled, begged, pleaded, and bribed to try to get my son to eat. At this point, I have decided not to stress about it any more. I make sure he gets a good multivitamin and beyond that I simply cannot force him to eat. I continue to send a lunchbox full of healthy food to school with him each morning, and most of it comes back untouched. I worry about his weight and his lack of interest in food, even foods that picky eaters are supposed to love. I suppose I'd say that the one thing I will not relent on is that my son must come to the table and join his dad and me, even if he does not want to eat. I figure that eventually he will give in and try the food and maybe over time he will decide he wants to eat with us. We just keep making up the plate for my son each night, and our two very happy dogs sit under the table at his feet, waiting patiently. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 what I do is put the food in the refrigerator.. if she is hungry later she can eat the rest of her dinner. And it means no afternoon snack the next day because that is what spoiled her dinner. Eventually she gets the idea if she wants her snack she needs to eat her dinner. Reneee --- smartgirl27us <thesmartfamily3 wrote: > My current food problem with my daughter is that we > will make a meal > that I KNOW that she likes. She will eat a few > small bites then say > she is full. I will try to get her to eat more but > at most will coax > one more bite out of her. Then, about 10 minutes > after I have > cleaned up her plate she will say she is hungry and > wants a snack or > desert. Erghhhh! If she didnt eat good I will say > no desert, but > she spends the whole night after that complaining > that she is > hungry. I will try and fix her a healthy snack but > still it is > frustrating because I know that she liked the > dinner, she just > wouldnt eat it. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 I can relate to all the latest responses. My (vegan since age 10 and vegetarian his entire life) son is now 13 (almost 14) and weighs 85 pounds. And this is quite amazing because he has never had much of an appetite. Most of his friends weight over 100. He did start eating more of a variety at around 5 to 6 years-old, but it varied from day to day. He still loves bread and carbs the best. We have done a mixture of " encouraging " him to eat thru the use of dessert after dinner and backing off at other times. He has always loved waffles (frozen kind) for breakfast . Ie elementary school he would hardly eat any lunch, but have toast for snack when he got home. Dinner has gotten better and better thru the years. Meanwhile he's very healthy and plays soccer at the highest level for his age (this summer we travelled to Las Vegas, North Carolina and Boston for him to play soccer). Part of the problem with weight gain, I'm sure, has been that he has a difficult time having any extra calories around at the end of the day. He just doesn't have a huge appetite. It's getting better, but no where near his peers. My advice is to do your best to get healthy food into your child. I know it's frustrating. You don't know how many great smoothies have gone down the drain undrank! (and then the next time he would drain it!) Don't resort to junk food too often. Try not to worry about it if the child is healthy and energetic. Give them vitamins. His latest thing is Cliff Builder bars. Have you guys seen them? 20 grams of protein in each! And he likes them which is amazing. I try to only give them to him during tournaments and they are great for travel. Here is a snack my kids invented and were eating for awhile. They have forgotten about it recently and are eathing other things. Kind of junky, but if your kid is really picky.... Toast some whole wheat bread. Put some vegan choco chips on one side of the bread and put it back in the toaster oven for a few seconds to melt the chocolate. Put peanut butter on the other side. Fold over and you have a Reeses Peanut Butter toast! I think the choc. chips from the health food store have less sugar than the ones from the grocery store, but I may be wrong and just be fooling myself Good luck! Tracy - " Terry Somerson " <terry Wednesday, September 01, 2004 8:19 PM Re: Re: Kids 'n' foods > > Friends who have heard me talk about my son's pickiness but have never witnessed it firsthand are amazed when they sit down to share a meal with us at his complete lack of interest in anything I put in front of him to eat. And I mean almost a militant refusal to eat one single thing on his plate. > > He has never been an enthusiastic eater, but he has gotten much more extreme in the past couple of years -- he just turned five. I can sometimes get him to eat a little breakfast (cereal or toast) or a bit of a peanut butter sandwich or baked tofu for lunch. But he seldom eats anything for dinner, even though I make him sit down with my husband and me, and serve him whatever we are eating. If he had his way, he would not even come to the table; he'd much rather stay in his room playing with his dinosaurs or Legos. Though I believe strongly that my son should eat what is being served, I often give in and coax him to eat a mouthful of yogurt or a corner of a piece of bread, but that's about it at dinnertime. Although he is proud to be a vegetarian, he wants no part of the wholesome, delicious veggie meals I cook. And if there is something he tells me he likes, he *never* takes more than two or three tiny bites. > > As an infant, he tried all kinds of foods -- homemade baby foods, tofu, fruits, vegetables, cereals. Now, at five, he is severely underweight but healthy and extremely active and full of energy. I've read all the books, consulted four different nutritionists and countless doctors, cajoled, begged, pleaded, and bribed to try to get my son to eat. At this point, I have decided not to stress about it any more. I make sure he gets a good multivitamin and beyond that I simply cannot force him to eat. I continue to send a lunchbox full of healthy food to school with him each morning, and most of it comes back untouched. I worry about his weight and his lack of interest in food, even foods that picky eaters are supposed to love. > > I suppose I'd say that the one thing I will not relent on is that my son must come to the table and join his dad and me, even if he does not want to eat. I figure that eventually he will give in and try the food and maybe over time he will decide he wants to eat with us. We just keep making up the plate for my son each night, and our two very happy dogs sit under the table at his feet, waiting patiently. > > Terry > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 My daughter is doing this too. So instead of throwing her dinner away, we put it in the microwave and if shes hungry she can finish it. She would rather have snacks all day instead of meals. Sarah Mommy to: Alexin~ my big 3 year old Homebirthing momma to Cameron~9 months _____ smartgirl27us [thesmartfamily3] Wednesday, September 01, 2004 10:17 AM Re: Kids 'n' foods My current food problem with my daughter is that we will make a meal that I KNOW that she likes. She will eat a few small bites then say she is full. I will try to get her to eat more but at most will coax one more bite out of her. Then, about 10 minutes after I have cleaned up her plate she will say she is hungry and wants a snack or desert. Erghhhh! If she didnt eat good I will say no desert, but she spends the whole night after that complaining that she is hungry. I will try and fix her a healthy snack but still it is frustrating because I know that she liked the dinner, she just wouldnt eat it. For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 I feel that it is better that children learn to listen to their bodies, eating when they are hungry, not eating when they are not. It should not become a control issue between you, unless you want to set her up for future weight/eating disorder issues. Our country has such an obsession with food/control, constantly bombarding our children with unhealthy choices(either binging on unhealthy snacks, or suggesting that everyone diet or loose weight! It's just crazy, we need to get back to balance... As far as your daughter is concerned, maybe she is a grazer, eating smaller amounts every two hours or so, this is actually healthier for the digestive system, as it does not get over loaded. My daughter & I tend to fall into this category. We are both lacto-ovo-vegetarian, eating mostly organic, whenever possible. She is almost 14yrs old(early October) has always been very healthy, vibrant, energetic, athletic, has never had food or weight issues. I've been vegetarian since I was 13 years old(things that I read about the meat back then convinced me to give it up!)My parents were shocked at first, but very resonably listened to my case, then let me follow my convictions, even though the rest of my family continued to eat meat. I rarely get sick, & when I do catch a " bug " , it does not last long. As a small child, my parents & grandparents used to have you sit at the table until everything was eaten on our plates(even though the portions they gave us were more adult sized portions) If it was not finished, it was in the frig for the next meal, & the next to infinity,,,,if need be, you were not allowed anything else. This pattern, to me, only speaks of a struggle for control, which is not the eventual outcome most of us as parents want for our children. I therefore never did this to my daughter, I chose instead to teach her at a very young age, to make good choices. She was given very small portions to begin with(they can always go back for seconds). Allowing them room for choices in their small world is very empowering for them. Things that she did not like, or new foods, she would at least have to have one or two bites of. My daughter made an amazing choice for herself last February(for Lent she gave up soda, previously she drank 1 per night, mostly Sprite), she has not had one since. Sometimes her friends tease her, but most are supportive, & some have come over to the healtier alternative of drinking water too! Sorry this is so long....hope it helps.....good luck & may God Bless......Dawn Renee Carroll <renecarol25 wrote: what I do is put the food in the refrigerator.. if she is hungry later she can eat the rest of her dinner. And it means no afternoon snack the next day because that is what spoiled her dinner. Eventually she gets the idea if she wants her snack she needs to eat her dinner. Reneee --- smartgirl27us <thesmartfamily3 wrote: > My current food problem with my daughter is that we > will make a meal > that I KNOW that she likes. She will eat a few > small bites then say > she is full. I will try to get her to eat more but > at most will coax > one more bite out of her. Then, about 10 minutes > after I have > cleaned up her plate she will say she is hungry and > wants a snack or > desert. Erghhhh! If she didnt eat good I will say > no desert, but > she spends the whole night after that complaining > that she is > hungry. I will try and fix her a healthy snack but > still it is > frustrating because I know that she liked the > dinner, she just > wouldnt eat it. > > > > For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 , " smartgirl27us " <thesmartfamily3> wrote: > My current food problem with my daughter is that we will make a meal > that I KNOW that she likes. She will eat a few small bites then say > she is full. I will try to get her to eat more but at most will coax > one more bite out of her. Then, about 10 minutes after I have > cleaned up her plate she will say she is hungry and wants a snack or > desert. Erghhhh! If she didnt eat good I will say no desert, but > she spends the whole night after that complaining that she is > hungry. I will try and fix her a healthy snack but still it is > frustrating because I know that she liked the dinner, she just > wouldnt eat it. Sounds like a power struggle to me. How old is she? My kids went through a phase of doing that. I would offer to warm up their food for them, and suddenly they weren't *that* hungry anymore ... I would quit the coaxing, though. If she doesn't want to eat at dinnertime, and she's older than four years old, I'd let her be the judge of her hunger, but with a clear warning that she cannot fill up on junk later. Most kids in Western countries are not likely to starve to death from missing one meal! Be well, Hadass, supertaster but not pushover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 On Wed, 1 Sep 2004, smartgirl27us wrote: > My current food problem with my daughter is that we will make a meal > that I KNOW that she likes. She will eat a few small bites then say > she is full. I will try to get her to eat more but at most will coax > one more bite out of her. Then, about 10 minutes after I have > cleaned up her plate she will say she is hungry and wants a snack or > desert. Erghhhh! If she didnt eat good I will say no desert, but > she spends the whole night after that complaining that she is > hungry. I will try and fix her a healthy snack but still it is > frustrating because I know that she liked the dinner, she just > wouldnt eat it. In this case, I would pack up her leftover dinner and then if she says she's hungry offer the leftovers to her instead of a new snack. ---- Patricia Bullington-McGuire <patricia The brilliant Cerebron, attacking the problem analytically, discovered three distinct kinds of dragon: the mythical, the chimerical, and the purely hypothetical. They were all, one might say, nonexistent, but each nonexisted in an entirely different way ... -- Stanislaw Lem, " Cyberiad " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 My 3 yr old is the queen of the 2 bites. However, if she doesn't eat dinner she DOESN'T get a snack, or dessert of course. She does eat a good breakfast though. IF she were sickly I probably wouldn't do it like that, but since she is a healthy yet picky kid I feel ok doing it this way. Yeah, she can whine, but we have seperate rules regarding whining. Kids will eat if they are hungry, and I'm not going to let mine turn into snackers. smartgirl27us [thesmartfamily3] Wednesday, September 01, 2004 12:17 PM Re: Kids 'n' foods My current food problem with my daughter is that we will make a meal that I KNOW that she likes. She will eat a few small bites then say she is full. I will try to get her to eat more but at most will coax one more bite out of her. Then, about 10 minutes after I have cleaned up her plate she will say she is hungry and wants a snack or desert. Erghhhh! If she didnt eat good I will say no desert, but she spends the whole night after that complaining that she is hungry. I will try and fix her a healthy snack but still it is frustrating because I know that she liked the dinner, she just wouldnt eat it. For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 Another tip I have heard often helps with picky eaters is to have them help to make the meal. Kids often will take great pride in their acomplishments and therefore are more likely to eat it. This is also helping to give them a choice of what to eat. If they choose it themsleves their excuses of not liking it are invalid and even young children can understand this (within reason) Try and give them choices and see what happens. If you know they need x vitamin, or nutrients give them a choice between two or threee things with it,. in other words give them choices , that you can live with. It sounds like some of your kids may just be asserting their power " not to eat " .. I don't know how old all of your children are but at least the five year old is old enough to ask... " why is it that you do not want to eat? What would make you want to eat better? What are your favorite foods and would you like to help in planning and preparing them? " My advise if my guess is even just a little acurate would be to find out what the root of the problem is... I would guess it may not even be the food but somthing else that they can not control.... eating is one of the few things kids this age do have power over so here is where they exert it.. It could be sothething else like maybe by not eating they get more attention, or maybe taking a long time they will get more time with you. Maybe they know if they don't eat it they will get somthing else ( becuase you fear they will starve). If they are just more interested in playing or doing somthing else than eating perhaps you can make eating the ticket to do that or set up a reward system where by eating they can earn more time doing those things or X number of good meals earns getting more legos. If it is indeed the food try and find out what bothers them about the food.... often kids will not eat for silly reasons like the arrangement of it on the plate, the shape, the color, perhaps they like more seasoning.. or less seasoning. When my kids were younger I couldn't get them to drink orange juice... for my older one I started freezing it into popsicles and suddenly she couldn't get enough. For my younger one it turned out that he didn't like pulp, so I got a pulp free kind and now he's fine. Also, both of them have favorite brands of products that they like, when I can find them that helps a lot. I also try and get creative with the food, for some reason them choosing how the sandwich is cut changes their " ability " to eat it. It's amazing how almost anything cut with a cookie cutter goes down much easier. Foods that can be eaten with fingers (forgoing forks and spoons) get past easier.themed meals such as only yhings that start with " B " , or creating pictures on the plate or foods served in edible bowls ( try green pepper bowls, lettuce wraps, stuffed pita bread, things served in bread bowls or taco shells instead of on a plate.) some times we have mac and chreeze surprise where I will hide somthing under the pasta. They know there is somthing but the fun is finding it... and then they eat more than just the pasta. This can be done with lots of other things as well. Let them create their own combinations..some of the things my kids come up with I would have nver thought of but if they do... they like it and I have a clue to whta they like. This is how I discovered my son liked peanut butter and cheese sandwitches. And both of them do not like to eat deli or cheese slices on sandwiches but they will eat them separate from the bread. or rolled in a tortilla. Things that can be dipped are fun, and smoothies can be both healthy and fun. Smoothies can also be frozen to make popsicles. Freeze fruit. Serve food on novelty dishes or try eating it a different way, like with chopsticks, or toothpicks, or drink soups or cereal from a cup instead of a bowl. Use crazy straws. perhaps let them make or personalize their own dishes ( at a ceramics shop or they have kits in which you can have their drawings made into dishwear.) decorate the outside of cups with stickers. My kids favorite cups are the type where the core opens up and they can color the insert ( often used as parent gifts from school). In other words try to make meal times as exciting as possible so that they will want to be a part of it. I hope some of these suggestions help... good luck. Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 I don't understand what all the hub bub is about making kids eat. Forcing kids to eat when they aren't hungry, bribing them or offering rewards are all setting them for eating disorders. Growing up, my sister brother and I were all encouraged to EAT, EAT, EAT, so we did. We were told that if we ate all of our food, then we would get to make our own sundaes and the ones who ate the most food were praised beyond belief!! That may not sound bad to most of you, but my brother and I both have eating disorders!= Kids should be allowed to eat when they are hungry and what they are hungry for, now, I am not saying to let them live on chocolate ice cream, it should be done within reason. If your kids don't like what you made or they just aren't hungry for that, then what is the big deal over letting them get some soy or regular cheese, make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, snack on some veggies or heat up a frozen meal for them? If they are snackers, then be grateful, that is the healthy way to be, as long as they snacking they are doing is healthy and not potato chips and candy bars. While in LLL, one of the leaders lent this advice for parents of picky eaters. She said to make up a plate of healthy foods that your kids will eat, let them have easy access to it and then you will know that they are getting enough. Our kids have access to nuts, carrots, soy cheese, soy yogurt and peanut butter whenever they want, if they aren't hungry at dinner time, then they don't have to eat, we do have them sit at the table with us though. We do ask that they taste everything, my two year old will eat anything, my four year old is alot pickier. If either of them doesn't like what we are having and they are hungry, then I will make them an alternative, but they usually have to wait until I am done eating to do it. Think about how you would feel if you went to eat somewhere and you were served a hamburger. What if you had to sit there until your plate was clean and they refused to serve you anything else? You wouldn't like it, so why do it to your kids? They are people too and their likes and dislikes deserve as much respect and consideration as yours, just because they are smaller doesn't mean that their voice shouldn't count. Sara - Sarah Glenn Thursday, September 02, 2004 10:58 AM RE: Re: Kids 'n' foods My daughter is doing this too. So instead of throwing her dinner away, we put it in the microwave and if shes hungry she can finish it. She would rather have snacks all day instead of meals. Sarah Mommy to: Alexin~ my big 3 year old Homebirthing momma to Cameron~9 months _____ smartgirl27us [thesmartfamily3] Wednesday, September 01, 2004 10:17 AM Re: Kids 'n' foods My current food problem with my daughter is that we will make a meal that I KNOW that she likes. She will eat a few small bites then say she is full. I will try to get her to eat more but at most will coax one more bite out of her. Then, about 10 minutes after I have cleaned up her plate she will say she is hungry and wants a snack or desert. Erghhhh! If she didnt eat good I will say no desert, but she spends the whole night after that complaining that she is hungry. I will try and fix her a healthy snack but still it is frustrating because I know that she liked the dinner, she just wouldnt eat it. For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 I have not posted for a very long time, but I had to respond to this post because I am in the same situation. My son is 3 and as a infant he almost inhaled food. Over the past year or so, however, he seems to have lost interest in food. At most meals he will take one or two bites and then announce, " I'm all done. " He exists almost entirely on pasta, bread or muffins (but only certain kinds), and mac & cheese, and fake chicken nuggets. No beans (except for a little bit of refried beans), no tofu, etc. He would be happy if we simply let him drink (juice or chocoate soy milk), and he often fills up on that and then does not eat. I think he might do better grazing, but that just doesn't work most of the time. He is in daycare, and they are not going to let him do that. Also, the snacks they provide tend to be on the unhealthy side, but he wants those and not the healthy snacks we send. I have given up on that as they just come home uneaten. He is 3-years-old and weighs 27 lbs. 2T pants fall off of him because he has no waist to hold them up. He is immune to all threats, bribes, incentives, whatever. The only vegetable he will eat is an occasional carrot. As for fruit - sometimes he will eat some apple or a banana or grape, but that's about it. Recently, he has announced, with his head on his hand in the highchair, " I'm a very tired boy. " Well, he goes to bed around 8, but is still wide awake2-3 hours later. He stays in bed, but does not fall asleep. Apparently he is not napping much at daycare either ( he used to be a very reliable 2-hour napper). So, by dinner he is almost falling asleep in his plate, but then he is still awake at 11:00. It is very frustrating. The doctor said that he is between 10-25% for weight, and although he had dropped off from the previous year, the doctor chalked it up to 3-year-olds being notoriously bad eaters. I'm concerned not only about the amount he eats, but also the lack of variety. I've tried letting him help me cook, but then when I give him the food he says he doesn't want it. What is also annoying is that after he has taken his bite or two, he wants to get down. We won't let him do that, so dinner time consists of him pestering to get down and looking miserable. Karen - Terry Somerson Wednesday, September 01, 2004 9:19 PM Re: Re: Kids 'n' foods Friends who have heard me talk about my son's pickiness but have never witnessed it firsthand are amazed when they sit down to share a meal with us at his complete lack of interest in anything I put in front of him to eat. And I mean almost a militant refusal to eat one single thing on his plate. He has never been an enthusiastic eater, but he has gotten much more extreme in the past couple of years -- he just turned five. I can sometimes get him to eat a little breakfast (cereal or toast) or a bit of a peanut butter sandwich or baked tofu for lunch. But he seldom eats anything for dinner, even though I make him sit down with my husband and me, and serve him whatever we are eating. If he had his way, he would not even come to the table; he'd much rather stay in his room playing with his dinosaurs or Legos. Though I believe strongly that my son should eat what is being served, I often give in and coax him to eat a mouthful of yogurt or a corner of a piece of bread, but that's about it at dinnertime. Although he is proud to be a vegetarian, he wants no part of the wholesome, delicious veggie meals I cook. And if there is something he tells me he likes, he *never* takes more than two or three tiny bites. As an infant, he tried all kinds of foods -- homemade baby foods, tofu, fruits, vegetables, cereals. Now, at five, he is severely underweight but healthy and extremely active and full of energy. I've read all the books, consulted four different nutritionists and countless doctors, cajoled, begged, pleaded, and bribed to try to get my son to eat. At this point, I have decided not to stress about it any more. I make sure he gets a good multivitamin and beyond that I simply cannot force him to eat. I continue to send a lunchbox full of healthy food to school with him each morning, and most of it comes back untouched. I worry about his weight and his lack of interest in food, even foods that picky eaters are supposed to love. I suppose I'd say that the one thing I will not relent on is that my son must come to the table and join his dad and me, even if he does not want to eat. I figure that eventually he will give in and try the food and maybe over time he will decide he wants to eat with us. We just keep making up the plate for my son each night, and our two very happy dogs sit under the table at his feet, waiting patiently. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 I think that most of us who populate this list are educated enough to understand the risks of putting pressure on our children to eat. I was one of the posters who expressed frustration and some resignation at my son's lack of interest in food. While I have never " forced " him to eat, I have tried lots of different methods of getting him to eat, and his refusal to eat has been a huge issue that hovers over our household at all times. In our case, my son has been off the bottom of the weight chart since he turned one. At five years old, he weighs about 29 pounds and wears size 2T pants. As his growth began to slow down at 12 months, we took the advice of his pediatrician and began a long, long journey of medical exploration to try to discover why he has such an aversion to food. Because my son is adopted and we have virtually no information about his biological lineage, my husband and I were understandably worried. I will not recap everything we've been through in the last four years, and are still going through, but believe me, if it had been as easy as " letting him get some soy cheese.... " etc., I would have been delighted. I appreciate all the suggestions regarding making food a game, offering choices, hiding things in the food, and so on. I've tried everything and more. My son loves the games, as long as they don't have to end with him actually eating the food. Please understand that I and other parents who are in similar situations are not simply talking about our kids missing an occasional meal. If only that were the case. Terry - Sara Friday, September 03, 2004 5:49 PM Re: Re: Kids 'n' foods I don't understand what all the hub bub is about making kids eat. Forcing kids to eat when they aren't hungry, bribing them or offering rewards are all setting them for eating disorders. Growing up, my sister brother and I were all encouraged to EAT, EAT, EAT, so we did. We were told that if we ate all of our food, then we would get to make our own sundaes and the ones who ate the most food were praised beyond belief!! That may not sound bad to most of you, but my brother and I both have eating disorders!= Kids should be allowed to eat when they are hungry and what they are hungry for, now, I am not saying to let them live on chocolate ice cream, it should be done within reason. If your kids don't like what you made or they just aren't hungry for that, then what is the big deal over letting them get some soy or regular cheese, make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, snack on some veggies or heat up a frozen meal for them? If they are snackers, then be grateful, that is the healthy way to be, as long as they snacking they are doing is healthy and not potato chips and candy bars. While in LLL, one of the leaders lent this advice for parents of picky eaters. She said to make up a plate of healthy foods that your kids will eat, let them have easy access to it and then you will know that they are getting enough. Our kids have access to nuts, carrots, soy cheese, soy yogurt and peanut butter whenever they want, if they aren't hungry at dinner time, then they don't have to eat, we do have them sit at the table with us though. We do ask that they taste everything, my two year old will eat anything, my four year old is alot pickier. If either of them doesn't like what we are having and they are hungry, then I will make them an alternative, but they usually have to wait until I am done eating to do it. Think about how you would feel if you went to eat somewhere and you were served a hamburger. What if you had to sit there until your plate was clean and they refused to serve you anything else? You wouldn't like it, so why do it to your kids? They are people too and their likes and dislikes deserve as much respect and consideration as yours, just because they are smaller doesn't mean that their voice shouldn't count. Sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 Karen, Sounds very familiar, especially the part about your son going to bed and still being awake hours later. Because my son eats so little, my husband and I sometimes look at each other as our child is lying in his bed with lights out, singing, thrashing around, petting the cat, whatever, and say " how in the world does he get the energy to do this? " Especially if we ourselves are exhausted from chasing him around all day. I don't know what to tell you except that your doctor will most likely let you know what he or she thinks and make some sort of recommendation for further investigation if it is deemed necessary (I hope it isn't). My son has been through several years' worth of medical diagnostics, and we are still looking -- next step will be endocrine and genetic testing. The day care component makes things tricky, and we had a similar situation but like you I relaxed my standards and let my son eat the snacks the provider offered, though I continued to send his lunch with him. It's very tough. Clothes are always a problem. Try the slim jeans from the Gap, which have an adjustable waist. It's the only thing that has worked for us, because the 2T pants that fit him in the waist and the seat are too short. If you've found other slim-cut pants, I'd love to know where I can get them. Good luck.... Terry - Karen Detling Monday, September 06, 2004 7:23 PM Re: Re: Kids 'n' foods I have not posted for a very long time, but I had to respond to this post because I am in the same situation. My son is 3 and as a infant he almost inhaled food. Over the past year or so, however, he seems to have lost interest in food. At most meals he will take one or two bites and then announce, " I'm all done. " He exists almost entirely on pasta, bread or muffins (but only certain kinds), and mac & cheese, and fake chicken nuggets. No beans (except for a little bit of refried beans), no tofu, etc. He would be happy if we simply let him drink (juice or chocoate soy milk), and he often fills up on that and then does not eat. I think he might do better grazing, but that just doesn't work most of the time. He is in daycare, and they are not going to let him do that. Also, the snacks they provide tend to be on the unhealthy side, but he wants those and not the healthy snacks we send. I have given up on that as they just come home uneaten. He is 3-years-old and weighs 27 lbs. 2T pants fall off of him because he has no waist to hold them up. He is immune to all threats, bribes, incentives, whatever. The only vegetable he will eat is an occasional carrot. As for fruit - sometimes he will eat some apple or a banana or grape, but that's about it. Recently, he has announced, with his head on his hand in the highchair, " I'm a very tired boy. " Well, he goes to bed around 8, but is still wide awake2-3 hours later. He stays in bed, but does not fall asleep. Apparently he is not napping much at daycare either ( he used to be a very reliable 2-hour napper). So, by dinner he is almost falling asleep in his plate, but then he is still awake at 11:00. It is very frustrating. The doctor said that he is between 10-25% for weight, and although he had dropped off from the previous year, the doctor chalked it up to 3-year-olds being notoriously bad eaters. I'm concerned not only about the amount he eats, but also the lack of variety. I've tried letting him help me cook, but then when I give him the food he says he doesn't want it. What is also annoying is that after he has taken his bite or two, he wants to get down. We won't let him do that, so dinner time consists of him pestering to get down and looking miserable. Karen - Terry Somerson Wednesday, September 01, 2004 9:19 PM Re: Re: Kids 'n' foods Friends who have heard me talk about my son's pickiness but have never witnessed it firsthand are amazed when they sit down to share a meal with us at his complete lack of interest in anything I put in front of him to eat. And I mean almost a militant refusal to eat one single thing on his plate. He has never been an enthusiastic eater, but he has gotten much more extreme in the past couple of years -- he just turned five. I can sometimes get him to eat a little breakfast (cereal or toast) or a bit of a peanut butter sandwich or baked tofu for lunch. But he seldom eats anything for dinner, even though I make him sit down with my husband and me, and serve him whatever we are eating. If he had his way, he would not even come to the table; he'd much rather stay in his room playing with his dinosaurs or Legos. Though I believe strongly that my son should eat what is being served, I often give in and coax him to eat a mouthful of yogurt or a corner of a piece of bread, but that's about it at dinnertime. Although he is proud to be a vegetarian, he wants no part of the wholesome, delicious veggie meals I cook. And if there is something he tells me he likes, he *never* takes more than two or three tiny bites. As an infant, he tried all kinds of foods -- homemade baby foods, tofu, fruits, vegetables, cereals. Now, at five, he is severely underweight but healthy and extremely active and full of energy. I've read all the books, consulted four different nutritionists and countless doctors, cajoled, begged, pleaded, and bribed to try to get my son to eat. At this point, I have decided not to stress about it any more. I make sure he gets a good multivitamin and beyond that I simply cannot force him to eat. I continue to send a lunchbox full of healthy food to school with him each morning, and most of it comes back untouched. I worry about his weight and his lack of interest in food, even foods that picky eaters are supposed to love. I suppose I'd say that the one thing I will not relent on is that my son must come to the table and join his dad and me, even if he does not want to eat. I figure that eventually he will give in and try the food and maybe over time he will decide he wants to eat with us. We just keep making up the plate for my son each night, and our two very happy dogs sit under the table at his feet, waiting patiently. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2004 Report Share Posted September 8, 2004 I hope that you understand that my frustration was directed to those who are worried about their kids eating enough, I am sorry if you felt that way. It is towards those who do try to force their kids to eat stuff that they don't like or try to force them to eat when they aren't hungry, or don't let them eat when they are hungry. Too many people don't know how to listen to their biological hunger cues and it starts with the forcing of food. For your son, have you tried any high calorie shakes, just to get him up in weight? You can mix in fruit if he likes it. Are there any foods that he will eat? Sara - Terry Somerson Tuesday, September 07, 2004 9:29 PM Re: Re: Kids 'n' foods I think that most of us who populate this list are educated enough to understand the risks of putting pressure on our children to eat. I was one of the posters who expressed frustration and some resignation at my son's lack of interest in food. While I have never " forced " him to eat, I have tried lots of different methods of getting him to eat, and his refusal to eat has been a huge issue that hovers over our household at all times. In our case, my son has been off the bottom of the weight chart since he turned one. At five years old, he weighs about 29 pounds and wears size 2T pants. As his growth began to slow down at 12 months, we took the advice of his pediatrician and began a long, long journey of medical exploration to try to discover why he has such an aversion to food. Because my son is adopted and we have virtually no information about his biological lineage, my husband and I were understandably worried. I will not recap everything we've been through in the last four years, and are still going through, but believe me, if it had been as easy as " letting him get some soy cheese.... " etc., I would have been delighted. I appreciate all the suggestions regarding making food a game, offering choices, hiding things in the food, and so on. I've tried everything and more. My son loves the games, as long as they don't have to end with him actually eating the food. Please understand that I and other parents who are in similar situations are not simply talking about our kids missing an occasional meal. If only that were the case. Terry - Sara Friday, September 03, 2004 5:49 PM Re: Re: Kids 'n' foods I don't understand what all the hub bub is about making kids eat. Forcing kids to eat when they aren't hungry, bribing them or offering rewards are all setting them for eating disorders. Growing up, my sister brother and I were all encouraged to EAT, EAT, EAT, so we did. We were told that if we ate all of our food, then we would get to make our own sundaes and the ones who ate the most food were praised beyond belief!! That may not sound bad to most of you, but my brother and I both have eating disorders!= Kids should be allowed to eat when they are hungry and what they are hungry for, now, I am not saying to let them live on chocolate ice cream, it should be done within reason. If your kids don't like what you made or they just aren't hungry for that, then what is the big deal over letting them get some soy or regular cheese, make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, snack on some veggies or heat up a frozen meal for them? If they are snackers, then be grateful, that is the healthy way to be, as long as they snacking they are doing is healthy and not potato chips and candy bars. While in LLL, one of the leaders lent this advice for parents of picky eaters. She said to make up a plate of healthy foods that your kids will eat, let them have easy access to it and then you will know that they are getting enough. Our kids have access to nuts, carrots, soy cheese, soy yogurt and peanut butter whenever they want, if they aren't hungry at dinner time, then they don't have to eat, we do have them sit at the table with us though. We do ask that they taste everything, my two year old will eat anything, my four year old is alot pickier. If either of them doesn't like what we are having and they are hungry, then I will make them an alternative, but they usually have to wait until I am done eating to do it. Think about how you would feel if you went to eat somewhere and you were served a hamburger. What if you had to sit there until your plate was clean and they refused to serve you anything else? You wouldn't like it, so why do it to your kids? They are people too and their likes and dislikes deserve as much respect and consideration as yours, just because they are smaller doesn't mean that their voice shouldn't count. Sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2004 Report Share Posted September 9, 2004 Hi Karen, My 3yo is only 28lbs (and just hit that milestone about a month ago). My Dr. says he is very healthy. He also doesn't like veggies or fruit much. I do my best to get a little bit of them into him but mostly I try to get him to eat the few things he does like that are nutritious because he is EXTREMELY stubborn and it is nearly impossible to get him to do anything he doesn't want to. He is my third so I've had experience with kids being willful but he also have food allergies so I don't like to push too much just in case he is avoiding something he has an allergy to. We take tucks in his elastic waisted pants so that they don't fall down. He also has energy to burn although he does still nap at daycare. He is often awake until 11pm at night. I was the same way as a kid though, both about food and sleep. I'm now 5'8 " would love to drop about 10lbs but still am not much of a sleeper. Jacqueline - " Terry Somerson " <terry Tuesday, September 07, 2004 10:46 PM Re: Re: Kids 'n' foods > Karen, > > Sounds very familiar, especially the part about your son going to bed and still being awake hours later. Because my son eats so little, my husband and I sometimes look at each other as our child is lying in his bed with lights out, singing, thrashing around, petting the cat, whatever, and say " how in the world does he get the energy to do this? " Especially if we ourselves are exhausted from chasing him around all day. > > I don't know what to tell you except that your doctor will most likely let you know what he or she thinks and make some sort of recommendation for further investigation if it is deemed necessary (I hope it isn't). My son has been through several years' worth of medical diagnostics, and we are still looking -- next step will be endocrine and genetic testing. The day care component makes things tricky, and we had a similar situation but like you I relaxed my standards and let my son eat the snacks the provider offered, though I continued to send his lunch with him. It's very tough. > > Clothes are always a problem. Try the slim jeans from the Gap, which have an adjustable waist. It's the only thing that has worked for us, because the 2T pants that fit him in the waist and the seat are too short. If you've found other slim-cut pants, I'd love to know where I can get them. > > Good luck.... > > Terry > - > Karen Detling > > Monday, September 06, 2004 7:23 PM > Re: Re: Kids 'n' foods > > > I have not posted for a very long time, but I had to respond to this post because I am in the same situation. My son is 3 and as a infant he almost inhaled food. Over the past year or so, however, he seems to have lost interest in food. At most meals he will take one or two bites and then announce, " I'm all done. " He exists almost entirely on pasta, bread or muffins (but only certain kinds), and mac & cheese, and fake chicken nuggets. No beans (except for a little bit of refried beans), no tofu, etc. He would be happy if we simply let him drink (juice or chocoate soy milk), and he often fills up on that and then does not eat. I think he might do better grazing, but that just doesn't work most of the time. He is in daycare, and they are not going to let him do that. Also, the snacks they provide tend to be on the unhealthy side, but he wants those and not the healthy snacks we send. I have given up on that as they just come home uneaten. He is 3-years-old and weighs 27 lbs. 2T pants fall off of him because he has no waist to hold them up. He is immune to all threats, bribes, incentives, whatever. The only vegetable he will eat is an occasional carrot. As for fruit - sometimes he will eat some apple or a banana or grape, but that's about it. Recently, he has announced, with his head on his hand in the highchair, " I'm a very tired boy. " Well, he goes to bed around 8, but is still wide awake2-3 hours later. He stays in bed, but does not fall asleep. Apparently he is not napping much at daycare either ( he used to be a very reliable 2-hour napper). So, by dinner he is almost falling asleep in his plate, but then he is still awake at 11:00. > > It is very frustrating. The doctor said that he is between 10-25% for weight, and although he had dropped off from the previous year, the doctor chalked it up to 3-year-olds being notoriously bad eaters. I'm concerned not only about the amount he eats, but also the lack of variety. I've tried letting him help me cook, but then when I give him the food he says he doesn't want it. What is also annoying is that after he has taken his bite or two, he wants to get down. We won't let him do that, so dinner time consists of him pestering to get down and looking miserable. > > Karen > > > - > Terry Somerson > > Wednesday, September 01, 2004 9:19 PM > Re: Re: Kids 'n' foods > > > Friends who have heard me talk about my son's pickiness but have never witnessed it firsthand are amazed when they sit down to share a meal with us at his complete lack of interest in anything I put in front of him to eat. And I mean almost a militant refusal to eat one single thing on his plate. > > He has never been an enthusiastic eater, but he has gotten much more extreme in the past couple of years -- he just turned five. I can sometimes get him to eat a little breakfast (cereal or toast) or a bit of a peanut butter sandwich or baked tofu for lunch. But he seldom eats anything for dinner, even though I make him sit down with my husband and me, and serve him whatever we are eating. If he had his way, he would not even come to the table; he'd much rather stay in his room playing with his dinosaurs or Legos. Though I believe strongly that my son should eat what is being served, I often give in and coax him to eat a mouthful of yogurt or a corner of a piece of bread, but that's about it at dinnertime. Although he is proud to be a vegetarian, he wants no part of the wholesome, delicious veggie meals I cook. And if there is something he tells me he likes, he *never* takes more than two or three tiny bites. > > As an infant, he tried all kinds of foods -- homemade baby foods, tofu, fruits, vegetables, cereals. Now, at five, he is severely underweight but healthy and extremely active and full of energy. I've read all the books, consulted four different nutritionists and countless doctors, cajoled, begged, pleaded, and bribed to try to get my son to eat. At this point, I have decided not to stress about it any more. I make sure he gets a good multivitamin and beyond that I simply cannot force him to eat. I continue to send a lunchbox full of healthy food to school with him each morning, and most of it comes back untouched. I worry about his weight and his lack of interest in food, even foods that picky eaters are supposed to love. > > I suppose I'd say that the one thing I will not relent on is that my son must come to the table and join his dad and me, even if he does not want to eat. I figure that eventually he will give in and try the food and maybe over time he will decide he wants to eat with us. We just keep making up the plate for my son each night, and our two very happy dogs sit under the table at his feet, waiting patiently. > > Terry > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2004 Report Share Posted September 9, 2004 Karen, I have a seven-year-old daughter who weighs 34 pounds. She gains about 2 pounds every year (the norm as I've been told by several nutrition experts and her pediatrician is between 2 - 4 lbs) and grows about an inch or two taller. She doesn't eat very much and would love to not eat at all if she could get away with it. I try to give her things I know she will like but even with that she only eats what seems to be enough to keep a sparrow alive. I keep healthy and calorie dense snacks available for her all the time but she doesn't want much of them. We did testing on her in 2000 and found nothing physical that would cause any eating problem for her. When she was six, we almost went through it all over again because she complained about her stomach hurting every time she ate. What stopped us was finding out that she was using this to not have to eat. She has tons of energy and is healthy and vibrant. She has outgrown the asthma she had had since birth and is very active. Her ped is not worried about her because she is healthy and is following her own growth curve. You mentioned that your son's growth had slowed when he was two. Is he following his own curve now? The growth charts are good, basic guidelines, but because everyone is different there are some they just don't apply to. My understanding is that as long as they are healthy and following their own growth curve, there is no need to worry about children who are not growing according to the growth charts. I do make sure that my DD takes vitamins (Animal Friends) to try to get the nutrients I don't think she gets due to her eating habits. One thing I also found out is that some children just will not eat because it is a form of control that is within their power. They have so little control over and in their lives and this is one way that they can exercise it. The same thing can apply to potty training too. None of this may have anything to do with what your DS is going through, but I thought I'd pass it along in case it might. One thing you might find happening is what is happening to my DD now. She is in 2nd grade. She found that last year and this year she was significantly smaller than the other kids in her class. They comment about it as kids will do - as well as some adults. They tend to treat her like a little baby and she hates this. While it only mildly bothered her last year it is bothering her quite a bit more this year. Her appetite is starting to pick up, albeit not in leaps and bounds but it is picking up - because she doesn't want to be small any more. She may just be a small person for the rest of her life in which case she will have to come to grips with that but an increase in her appetite at this point cannot hurt. My sister-in-law is only 4'9 " . Some people are just small and function just fine all their lives. As far as clothing goes, I can totally relate to your problem. My DD could easily fit into 2Ts - 3Ts but then they would be too short on her. I end up sewing many of her clothes and custom fitting them to her. If I buy some, I buy ones that can easily be taken in. Take Care. God's Peace, Gayle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Sara, Thanks for your response. I was having a bad day -- a big part of dealing with my son's eating situation is managing my own stress about it. Sometimes I don't do a very good job of it. As for the suggestion of high-calorie shakes, thanks, but my son will not eat or drink anything like that. He does not like flavored shakes, smoothies, or juices with supplements added to them. He can always detect anything I've put in a drink to add calories or nutritives and he will not consume it. I've even tried powders that the nutritionists claimed were impossible to taste once they were dissolved and my son can always find them. My son will not eat foods that most kids inhale -- like pizza, macaroni and cheese, cake and ice cream, and most cookies, muffins, cupcakes, etc. He does not eat most fruits, vegetables, pastas, cereals, beans, salad, potatos, grains, or soy products with the exception of a little baked tofu now and then. He will sometimes eat a little plain spaghetti with no sauce on it, and when I say " a little " I mean about five strands. Sometimes he'll eat a couple of canned mandarin oranges. If the moon and stars are in alignment he'll eat about ten peanuts or a handful of sunflower seeds. But nothing consistently or willingly. I keep offering the food, playing the games, reading the books, and talking to the doctors, but not too much has changed since my son's weight issues first surfaced four years ago. Terry - Sara Wednesday, September 08, 2004 9:24 AM Re: Re: Kids 'n' foods I hope that you understand that my frustration was directed to those who are worried about their kids eating enough, I am sorry if you felt that way. It is towards those who do try to force their kids to eat stuff that they don't like or try to force them to eat when they aren't hungry, or don't let them eat when they are hungry. Too many people don't know how to listen to their biological hunger cues and it starts with the forcing of food. For your son, have you tried any high calorie shakes, just to get him up in weight? You can mix in fruit if he likes it. Are there any foods that he will eat? Sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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