Those Picky Eaters!!!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Debbie on April 9, 2008 at 9:52am

Natalia Rose has an awesome post on her site re: kids and healthy eating.
I referenced it in my blog post.. how we get better @
debbiedoesraw.blogspot.com
Deb

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jill on April 9, 2008 at 10:01am

There's a couple of books out on exactly that subject. One is called "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld, and the other is called "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals" by Missy Chase Lapine.
I haven't read them so I'm not sure how healthy these meals actually are, but it couldn't hurt to browse through them at the local bookstore.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Anita on April 9, 2008 at 12:25pm

My two girls will eat literally anything I serve, but my boyfriend's two boys are very picky, and can be downright rude about the food being served if they don't want/like it.

This is down to their paternal grandmother, who believes that convenience and junk are king, and who will also jump through millions of hoops to get them fed. She's set a HORRIBLE precedent (and had wickedly bad health due to her own food choices), and now the rest of us have struggles with the boys as a result.

Our rule is that you don't have to eat what's available at breakfast/lunch/dinner, but by making that choice, you acknowledge that you won't be eating again until the next mealtime. And if the next meal rolls around and they object again, they again have the option to not eat it--knowing that there won't be any more food or snacks until the next meal. and so on. . .

No kid will choose to starve--ultimately they will get the fact that they had better eat what's offered, when it's offered, because feeling hungry isn't super-pleasant.

The hardest part is getting the a parent who is used to conceding to demands NOT to cave in when it gets hard. Everyone has the instinct to make sure their kids are fed, and can struggle with taking a path that can be misconstrued as "denying" their kids food.

My boyfriend fits into this category. If one of the boys won't eat, his first thought is to begin cajoling, bargaining, and bribing, which just opens the door to many wasted hours of negotiations--and ultimately gives the kid control over the situation. He also occasionally offers snacks an hour later to the whining, hungry child that refused his meal--which of course defeats the purpose.

He and I still struggle with this, and his kids can be admirably stubborn. More often than not nowadays, when he and I present a united front and don't allow any exceptions to the rules, we have success.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lisa on April 9, 2008 at 12:50pm

We have two dinner "rules": what I make is what we are having for dinner... it's not a buffet; and, the kids have to try a little bit of each dish - I don't want to make them eat things they truly don't like, but I don't want them to dislike something because it looks wierd or because it is green.

5 y.o. is a tough age... boundaries are important, though. It will be tough at first, but perserverance is the key!!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by MomX3 on April 9, 2008 at 1:43pm

Thank you everyone for your great advice. What you have said so far definitely gives me some things to think about. I appreciate it much!!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by genie on April 9, 2008 at 5:49pm

I would like to toss a few suggestions your way, as "food" for thought:

Get rid of the TV. It's almost impossible to get kids to eat a natural/healthy diet if they are watching commercials for junk food.

Grow a garden. Five year olds are perfect beginning gardeners and then will actually consider eating the food when she helped to create the miracle.

Get some like-minded friends. Your probably very social five-year-old needs to know other kids who eat like that. No little girl is an island!

In the case of my own children, all this led to home schooling, but that is another ball of radical wax.

P.S. Please don't take the tough love approach with your daughter -- I'm sure she's much too much of a beautiful and spiritual being for that!

▶ Reply to This