Dinner time tantrums

Our 5 yr old daughter refuses to try new any new foods and has been eating pb&j or veggie corn dogs for dinner for the past 2+ years. She throws tantrums when there is something new on her plate (tater tots instead of french fries for example) and is nearly impossible to take to a restaurant since there is very little she will eat. Thankfully she doesn't throw tantrums at restaurants but at home I am tired of it. We have tried giving her lots of choices, having her help make dinner, "dinner dice" (she rolls how many more bites she should take), telling her it's up to us to give her healthy choices but it's up to her to eat, you name it. We are just tired of the drama. She doesn't try anything new at preschool either and some days only eats crackers and fruit all day since she "doesn't like" what they offered but has never tried. She is healthy and the pediatrician always says there's no concern if she's growing, which she is. What to do? Will she really grow out of this and if so, how can we avoid giving her issues with food further down the road?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Basically you are making this an issue and you don't need to. The pediatrician gave you very prudent advice and you are ignoring it. The evidence is that she is developing well, and this is almost always the case when children are such picky eaters. I'm sure you have other issues in your life that really deserve attention - this is not one of them.