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5 yr. old won't eat
My son just turned 5 and his diet consists of chocolate milk, Roman Noodles, Nacho Cheese Doritos, Go Gurts, & Cinn. Toast Crunch Cereal. Oh, and he is a fan of McDonald's fries too, won't eat them from anywhere else! It has been this way since he was 3 years old. His Pediatrician assures us that it is a phase & that he is healthy & fine. This is the longest phase ever! He started kindergarten this week and I'm having to pack him a lunch every day with the things I know he will eat so at least I know he is eating something throughout the day. We do give him liquid Infamil vitamens that we mix in his chocolate milk, but it still breaks my heart to not see him eat good. It's seems like my husband & I have tried everything possible, but he just has no desire to try anything. Every time we offer him something he says "I don't like that kind of food", I like how do you know if you won't try it. I am just so heartbroken & frustrated & any advice is very much appreciated. Thanks.
Ranaesheart's post sounds like a great plan! I remember seeing on one of those Nanny shows that they always put the vegetables on the plate cuz you never know when they might actually give it a try. And taking away the unhealthy, sugar and sodium laden foods is a good first step. I read somewhere that even 3 year olds are being shown to have clogged heart arteries from all the fast food these days. So, for the long term health I would cut back on any fast food. I would also try to get fruit into his diet. Even yogurt. Some of those are quite yummy and a good source of calcium, but you have to be careful of the sugar. The Yoplait Whips are yummy, but really full of sugar. I'm not a Mom so I can't give any first hand advice. Hopefully some other parents can post their success stories for you to give you some more ideas. Good luck!
Thank you for the advice! I am willing to try just about anything at this point.
My daughter went through a phase like this when she was 7. We fixed healthy meals and she would not eat them; she then wanted to snack inbetween and eat the same types of foods your son likes.
There came a day I told her there would be no snacks and no other food choices except for the healthy meals that were served at meal times. She had the opportunity to eat them or not, however, if she chose not to, there would be no more eating or snacking until the next meal. If she chose to eat her meal and later wanted a moderate snack, that was allowed.
She literally said "no" to the meals put before her or only dabbled with them for two days. While I didn't like the fact she was not eating, I knew she would eat when she got hungry. At the evening meal, two days later, we had a fairly adult style meal with shrimp, broccoli and potatoes. My daughter ate all of it and then came back for more. My mother was eating dinner with us and was aware of what we'd been going through and she said to my daughter, "I didn't know you liked shrimp." My daughter said, "Well, if you starve me long enough, I'll eat anything."
We laughed inwardly and, from that point forward, we kept that rule and she ate better. I am glad to say that she continued to eat well and has maintained a healthy weight throughout her life ... she is now 32. There are times, to this day, that the memory of that day is recalled and all three of us (my mom, my daughter and me) are able to smile and it has turned into one of those fond family memories.
Best wishes to you ... and please let me know what you decide and how you and your son are coping.
Ranae
There came a day I told her there would be no snacks and no other food choices except for the healthy meals that were served at meal times. She had the opportunity to eat them or not, however, if she chose not to, there would be no more eating or snacking until the next meal. If she chose to eat her meal and later wanted a moderate snack, that was allowed.
She literally said "no" to the meals put before her or only dabbled with them for two days. While I didn't like the fact she was not eating, I knew she would eat when she got hungry. At the evening meal, two days later, we had a fairly adult style meal with shrimp, broccoli and potatoes. My daughter ate all of it and then came back for more. My mother was eating dinner with us and was aware of what we'd been going through and she said to my daughter, "I didn't know you liked shrimp." My daughter said, "Well, if you starve me long enough, I'll eat anything."
We laughed inwardly and, from that point forward, we kept that rule and she ate better. I am glad to say that she continued to eat well and has maintained a healthy weight throughout her life ... she is now 32. There are times, to this day, that the memory of that day is recalled and all three of us (my mom, my daughter and me) are able to smile and it has turned into one of those fond family memories.
Best wishes to you ... and please let me know what you decide and how you and your son are coping.
Ranae
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