another food post!

[kennedydp5]

I SWEAR I'M JUST GOING TO GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my 3 yr old won't eat ANYTHING new... i mean NOTHING!!!!!

when she hears the word "new" she will actually tell me she is not hungry.  she has an appt set w/ the ped for march 10 and this will be brought up to him then.  in the meantime i have NO CLUE what to do to get her to eat a bigger variety of foods.  i've tried the not giving in to her thing and it didn't work w/ her.  

fruits she will eat are:  apples, bananas, grapes, mandarin oranges (not regular oranges), straberries, and diced peaches.
vegetables she will eat are:  ummmmm NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (i tried making carrot fries last night and since they were "new" she wouldn't even try them!)
meat she will eat is:  hotdogs, corndogs, chicken nuggets and fish sticks  (i know...  not healthy!  but she won't try ANYTHING else)
a couple other things she eats are:  mac-n-cheese (only the kraft kind you add milk and butter to...  she won't touch even another shaped kind of that sme brand and homemade is completely out of the question), peanut butter and jelly (nay other kind of sandwich she won't eat), and of course snacks like cookies, chips, candy and other bad stuff!!!!!!!

i flat out don't know what to do!!!!!!!!  what do you do when your child flat out won't try anything new?????

[kennedydp5]

oh yea...  she will also eat a cheeseburger...  but of course ONLY if it is from mcdonalds!  not homemade or even from another fast food place!

[waitingwithhope]

It may sound odd, but I would cut back on some of the favorite stuff she likes that you would think might be unhealthy (such as the corn dogs). She is actually getting full on empty calories so it enables her to turn away other food. When she really starts getting hungry, it is easier for her to try something new. Her fruit sounds fine...if you want to maybe add some veggies in, there are great recipes out there for muffins with vegetables. And, if she really is stuck on breaded food, you can make breading with veggies too!  Homemade pizza can have a lot of veggies thrown on top of it as well. If you can, cut back on juices...I found my kids got to be juice hogs and liked the flavor and then would eat less...so this time around I am giving my DD water (without the juice) .The other thing is, she is at that age where food can be a control issue- she can control her environment and what goes into her mouth..so you may want to consider cooking with her, picking food out at the store with her and making sure she goes through the whole process from start to finish. Some kids are just fussier eaters than others so try and up whatever nutritious food you can get in her and eliminate the other stuff. Good luck!

[waitingwithhope]

I thought of a couple of other things too...my kids liked dipping their food in things, so they ended up loving raw veggies if there was dip around. And, they enjoyed having their food in different shapes, designs, etc. I would make faces and little artistic creations with them from time to time and they loved it. Again, all the best with your fussy eater:)

[kennedydp5]

thank you!  of course i forgot to add that she will eat pizza (but only cheese, lol) and 'sometimes'  plain noodles.  as far as dipping goes, my other 2 dds love ranch and raw veges and the only thing she will dip anything in is ketchup and its not a vegetable that she's dipping, lol!  i guess what frustrates me is that my other 2 dds are not that picky.  

breakfast is the only meal that we don't usually have any problems w/ b/c we always have a variety of stuff for that meal.

ok...  list of things to think about:  1) cut back on fruity drinks  2) find recipes to "hide" her veggies in her food  3) learn some creativity w/ cooking!

i actually bought a disney cookbook for the older 2 to help me in the kitchen w/ for christmas...  she helps w/ making the stuff and then she doesn't want to eat them.  :(

she's a redhead and very hardheaded...  just like her mommy (although, i like food...lol!!!)

[waitingwithhope]

I saw the pictures of your kids and they are beautiful :) Some kids just are more stubborn than others but at least they know what they want!!

[kennedydp5]

thank you so much!  :)

i just hope i can get her to try more things...  i don't want her to be like my sister, lol!!!

[tiredbuthappy]

i don't have a solution, but wanted to say that as i child i was forced to try new foods and eat foods i didn't like. To this day i have a severe aversion to trying new things.

i agree- be creative and try to hide things. DH does this for me too :) I think i have a fear/aversion to new tastes, not so much the concept of new foods. So he purees veggies and hides them in casseroles. A great one he tried with me was added pureed roasted squash to a homemade macs n cheese casserole. i honestly couldn't detect the flavor even though i knew it was there.

i have this theory that while it is a control issue, part of my problem is that I taste things differently than many other people. Growing up my brothers used to blindfold me and have me tell them whether it was a red, green, or white noodle they gave me (tricolor pasta). I could ALWAYS tell which color was in my mouth based on the very subtle difference in flavor. My siblings, who were not as picky, could not tell the difference. certain textures and flavors genuinely make me gag.

[have 2 kids]

I used to have to try new things too.   To this day I can't stand to try something new.  
My kids are "picky" too.   Drives my husband crazy because we seem to eat the same things every week.    

[kennedydp5]

wow tired...  i guess i don't take into consideration different sensitivites to foods b/c i don't have them.  

i definately never force her to eat anything!!!  i do however want her to at least try something and i admit that i do get upset when she won't but i never make her do it.  she has actually gagged before trying something and dh and i just looked at each other and laughed b/c we thought she was overdramatizing the situation....  i never thought the texture had anything to do w/ it.

i'm definately not a creative person when it comes to cooking so its going to be trial and error for me to get the hang of it.  

another thing that worries me, is that she is our only one that is not "chunky" (like baby fat).  i don't know if you can tell from their pics but she's just not as "chunky"!   she seems so fragile to me.  

[kennedydp5]

have 2 kids- that's one thing my dh can't stand is eating the same things, lol!  i love trying new things and i've recently been going out on a limb and trying things i wouldn't normally eat.  mushrooms are next in line although dh doesn't want to try them...  neither of us hav ever liked them before but i found a new recipe for them and they look really good!

[have 2 kids]

I like mushrooms!    I do think if you don't make her chicken nuggets, fish sticks, that within a few days she will try what you are making.   As long as she's not underweight or have health issues I wouldn't worry about her missing a meal or two.   When she is hungry enough she will eat.   I would stop giving her snacks especially cookies, candy.
Good luck!  

[mum2beagain]

I have a son who has had many problems with food; wouldn't try new things, severe problems with textures, wouldn't even eat fries (what kid won't eat fries!) I tried the "he will eat if he is hungry" route..he didn't...he fell into the failing to thrive category...for us we quite literally had to find a way to get him to eat...that or have him live of pediasure which was just making the problems worse.

First cut out all the junk (cookies etc) and just give her lots (albeit limited range) of the healthy foods she will eat. You can get fish fillet fish sticks, they are way better than the minced fish kind. Try to fing the low salt nuggets made without saturated fat. Find healthier choices of her favourite foods.
Then slowly start to introduce new foods.
This is what we did; (on the advice of a team of nutritionists and feeding and swallowing specialists).
We would have a new food, we didn't mention it just put it on his plate but if he tried to remove it we told him he had to have it on his plate, he didn't have to try it he just had to accept it was going to be on his plate, we did this for many days even weeks until he was accepting of the food being on his plate. Then we moved on to having one bite, he could spit it out if he wanted but he had to have one bite, again this would happen for several days, then we would insist he had to take one bite and swallow it, again doing this for several days. (Now I must say there were tears sometimes; his as well as mine but we persevered)
Now he didn't always like everything and if after a dozen or so tries he was sure he didn't like it we would let it go for a while and try it again a few months down the line. But somethings we found he did like and soon he was eating one or two new foods a week willingly. I also purree loads of veggies into sauces, sauces for pasta, sauces for pizza, squash and carrot purees are very easy to disguise in any tomato based sauce, even mac and cheese can take a carrot or squash purree and most kids won't know the difference. My son still has issues with texture and very often gags but I am happy we have come far enough for him to be eating a wide variety of healthy foods and being able to ditch the pediasure.

[mum2beagain]

Another thing I thought of;
A big turning point for us was growing veggies/fruit in the garden and going to the local "pick your own" farms and orchards. He was so interested in gathering all the food up; he tried apples, pears, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries. peas and from that point on all but the tomatoes (which he still doesn't like) became foods that he regularly ate. Now that it is winter and there is not so much growing locally when we go to the grocery store we let him pick a new food from the fruit and veggie section so we can all try it at home, he loves to do that.

[Whitneylauren]

kennedydp5,

I TOTALLY know what you are going through! It seems as though with every month my son refuses to eat more and more- even things that he once found yummy! It is so frustrating! In order to get him his vitamins I have started pureeing veggies and hiding them in his food. For example, I put pureed carrots in his applesauce, I add pureed broccoli to his macaroni, butternut squash soup, and I put sweet potatoes into his oatmeal etc. Hope that helps!

[kennedydp5]

thank you guys for your suggestions!  :)

i don't have a food processor so i need to get one...  i can try pureeing some vegies, but the problem is finding where to hide them, lol!  it seems that she only eats solid things at the moment (no pasta sauce, no oatmeal, no casseroles).

mum2beagain-  i'll start doing your suggestion of just putting them on her plate no matter what.  i usually do, but i admit sometimes i don't just so they don't get wasted.  

i take it this could potentially be a very long and tyring process, lol!!!!!!!

[mum2beagain]

You don't have to put a lot on her plate. Buy frozen veggies; broccoli, carrots peas etc. Just do one piece of broccoli, a couple of small carrots or a spoon full of peas. Freeze tiny portions (ice cube trays work well) of new things you want her to try. They take a just a minute in the microwave and if you throw them away you aren't wasting a load of money or time.

[lhughes]

I might get ugly comments for this, but I think you are trying too hard.  Is she healthy?  Is she an appropriate weight for her height and size?  Then you are doing a pretty good job.  Yes, she doesn't eat as healthy as you want her too...what kid does!  

Our first dd is the same way (except she only eats apples for fruit on rare occassions and corn or green beans for a veggie), meat is pretty much open to most things unless it looks "weird" in her estimation.  She's also a "not gonna try it" eater.  So, when I fix dinner I make something she'll eat and something new for the rest of the family.  On strange occassions (like when she gets bored with her current food selection...and it does happen on BLUE moons...1 new food in over a year)... she'll try something.  It doesn't happen often, but sometimes it does.  I recently got her to eat 3 bites of yogurt.  Only 3, and now she declares she'll eat it no more.  I always ask her to try a bite but I also tell her if she doesn't want to try, then that's ok too.

She's recently decided against all forms of milk (for vomitous reasons) and has decided to like mimi tea (not MY tea, my mother's tea....yes it's the SAME recipe).  She does not drink juice either.  And she's healthy albeit a tad on the slender side, but strong.

Our second dd is the human garbage disposal...if you are eating it, she's eating it too.  My culinary skills are not lost on her.  :)

My suggestion (don't kick me for this) ... back off some and let her get her own curious up.  It does happen (it may take a decade or more).  Eat what you want to eat, always make sure there's something that she WILL eat and gently encourage but don't force the "new" issue.  She may or may not take to new foods anytime soon, but she will SEE you and others eating foods that are different from hers and that may be the point that gets her trying....eventually.

Relax, your family looks lovely and well cared for.

[kennedydp5]

ihughes-  she hasn't had a well checkup in quite a while and she has an appt set for the 10th of march.  i don't believe she is underweight, but she is definately on the small/petite side (compared to her other 2 dds).  i will however be asking for her iron to be checked.  that's funny that you said it could take a decade more to get her to eat new things!  :)  i believe it, too!  my sister is the same way.  i'm not trying to completely take away things she loves to eat...  or force loads of vegies on her...  i would just love it if she would "a" pea or "a" greenbean here and there, or just try some things that dh and i eat like a casserole or fish or... anything, lol!!!  most kids love at least plain baked chicken...  except her...  she'll only eat chicken in the form of a nugget!

don't worry, i won't kick you, lol!!!  any and all coments on this are welcome!  and thank you for saying my family is lovely!!!  :)  a mom can't hear that enough!

[lhughes]

I just ran our eldest to the doc about her weight last week....we had a LOVELY stomach virus that lasted well onto a full week and she lost 4 pounds.  Can I lose more than 10% of my weight at one time?  NO!  But SHE can!  So, I ran her to the doc because she now weighs 1 pound more than little one.  Yes, 1 pound more and she's 7 inches taller!  She's 4 yr and 2 months and is roughly 44 inches tall and weighs 32 pounds.  Lauren is almost 3 and is almost 37 inches and weighs 31 pounds.  Go figure.

Doc wasn't at ALL concerned about the weight...she'll put it back on, if not, THEN she'll worry.  HOWEVER she had 2 ear infections.  Doc hated to give her an antibiotic after tummy issues, so now we're halfway through 10 days of amoxicillan and still having tummy issues.  At least she's eating again.

Kids, gotta love 'em.....
Thanks for not kicking me!  
Chicken Nuggets....they are the 5th food group, right?

[kennedydp5]

my youngest dd just went through an awful tummy virus.  she pooped almost every diaper change for over 2 weeks and she also had a double ear infection.  i told them i wouldn't let her have augmentin and he said amox might nt be enough so he gave her omnicef.  she was also put on a lactose free diet for 10 days b/c of her tummy troubles.  she fine now, but that was a really rough couple weeks for her.  she didn't eat much through all of it and lost a little, too.  

i would think my kids would say not only are they a food group, but the most important one to them, lol!!!  

[tatorbug40]

what are carrot fried-  how do you make them?

My DD, 4, eats lots of healthy stuff,  fruits, veggies, she doesn't care for pizza, but eats just about anything else-  she LOVE juice-  I wish I had never given it to her when she was a baby-

My DS, 13 months, eats only meat, cheese, water and milk (I don't give him juice, don't want him to drink it as much as DD)- he loves pizza, pasta, mac n cheese, etc-  but I can't get him to eat veggies, or most fruits-  last night he had ravioli, while DD had 2 chicken nuggets, and a whole plate full of fruit-  I gave DS a few blue berries, and he just made a face and smooched them on his tray!!  I am at a loss for veggies for him too...  which is why I asked about Carrot Fries...  :)

[Whitneylauren]

After reading lhughes post I thought I would add that I myself REFUSED to eat any veggie (except corn and potatoes) until I was 20, yes, 20 years old. If I saw my mother even cooking any sort of veggie I would start bawling, and if it was put on my plate I would vomit. I don't know why I had such an aversion. My husband is always reminding me that little children's taste buds are extremely sensitive to bitter, which is why they don't like veggies, but the taste for them will develop over time.

[kennedydp5]

tatorbug-  i posted the recipe for the carrot fries in the healthy cooking forum.  i ate pretty much all of them...  i LOVE carrots and these were really good!!!

whitney- i seriously never thought of things like having such a sensitivity to a food.  i need to take that into consideration and hope that she's really not just overdramatizing not wanting to eat, lol!