picky eater

[MomofMattandWill]

My son is 21 months old.  He has always been a picky eater, but now it is getting extreme.  The variety foods he is willing to eat is rapidly diminishing and now he won't even taste things before saying "all done".  If I push the issue, the food ends up on the floor (good for the dogs, bad for me).  He eats enough of what he likes to be healthy.  His MD does not feel that he is dangerously underweight, but he is under the 25th percentile for weight and in the 75th for height.  I feel like a terrible mother letting him live on chicken nuggets and grilled cheese sandwiches.
My questions are: Are most kids like this and what can I do to get him to eat different foods?
Thanks,
Momofmattandwill

[Renee Radenberg]

Children around 2 years old may become picky eaters. Mealtimes can be a battlefield when children do not have an interest to eating or eat very little. It becomes the battle of the wits between the child and the parents. Remember meals need to be joyous for you and your child. If he will not eat a certain food, do not make a fuss over it. Give him some other food alternatives. Then let it go and enjoy your meal. Eventually he will eat. I suggest you give him nutrient dense drinks, such as, Pedisure or milkshakes instead of milk. Milkshakes are a very good snack and children love to be a part of making them. All it takes is milk or soymilk, ice cream and some banana (any fruit). Whip it up in a blender and you have a drink packed with protein and calories (if used regular dairy products). Give him milkshake or Pedisure at the end of his meals so hopefully he may eat the food first.

[brettsmommy]

my son to was a very picky eater if it wasnt chicken nuggets with french fries or tater tots he didnt want any thing to do with it for brekfast it was pop tarts or nothing we spoke to his dr and he said if he wont eat whats put infront of him he will eventually get hungry enught to eat it well that wasnt what i wanted to hear i would just make him his chic, ff so he would eat what i started to do is when we would eat porkchops, steak, thoes jennyoham turkey loafs we would tell him it was chicken n thank god it worked he now eats pizza steak porkchops grilled cheeese even got him to eat some lazzana he eats cearel or toast or  pancakes  in the morning with milk  or juice mabey that will help if you try that still cant get him to eat hb meat tho he loved it when he was real young but wont touch it now

[mitsubishi101]

My stepson has just turned 8 years old. His diet consists of lays potato chips, french fries, crackers, marshmallows, & popcorn (sometimes). This child has never tastted birthday cake, hotdogs, hamburgers, pizza, chocolate, etc...His mother takes him through Burger King before school for fries, and after school for fries. He looks so poor, and gets sick so easily.
On the weekends when his dad and I have him, we MAKE him try new foods (not physically), by that I mean he's given alternatives such as no Spongebob until you try this or that. We now have him eating applesauce & peaches from the little cups, but it takes him an hour to eat 1/2 a cup!
If we try to get him to eat a "meat" it's like pulling teeth. A week before he turned 7 years old he was hiding his back pack from us, and when my husband opened it he found a baby bottle with juice in it!! 7 years old and still taking a bottle!!! When he asked him about it his son ran off to hide. He admitted to us that he was still eating baby food too, "That's my vegetables" he said.  Now, considering the items that he DOES eat, tell me if that would be considered a "texture" problem. Because he won't eat the "puddings" that come in little cups, "Jello" pudding, or even jello! We have had Child Protective Services involved, but his mother told them they were not needed and not to come back to her house. Signed him up with a nutritionist, his mother took him for 1 appointment and upon leaving she  said "He's not going to do without!" after she was told to take away the baby food and bottle and to start introducing new foods.  We are just at witts end. I have kept a food diary for 2 years now...at school he gets a salad every day, eats the crackers and throws away the salad. His mother pays extra for him to buy a "fruit roll up" (which is just sugar). He's in 2nd grade now! Please advise me on any legal matters pertaining to this? I call it neglect!  We even had a copy of his medical records in which his mother made the comment to a nurse that it "is just easier when she's tired to give him a bottle." He was either 5 or 6 when she spoke those words! What shall we DO?! I read online @ Vanderbilt University about an evaluation for innapropriate age diet, would you recommend that? Thank youl