Padawan Learner is 7 1/2 and still will not, never, ever eat a Vegetable. Or a fruit. Or the crispy bits on chops. Or the skin off a sausage (but that's an entire separate post).- I have tried hiding vegetables in food.
- I have put them on the plate in appealing arrangements.
- I have made vegetable skewers.
- I have covered them in sauce.
- I have given lots of choice.
- I have given restricted choice.
- I have read him books about other children eating vegetables.
- I have deep fried them, mashed them, diced them and provided dipping sauces.
- I have forced him to eat them.
- I have not forced him to eat them.
- He doesn't care about missing dinner, dessert, his favourite tv show or having computer time restricted.
- He doesn't care about stickers, star charts or pats on the back.
In short I have followed every reasonable and crack-pot idea in every book. I have followed sage advice, and not so sage advice. He just won't budge. The other mothers are starting to notice. And you know how that can be ("ooh, my son has always eaten his vegetables, but you know it's all about discipline").
And this is from a boy who until he was 2 years old ate EVERYTHING. I rejoiced that I had a child who would simply eat mushed or chopped versions of whatever Firegazer and I had for dinner while our daughter sat with her mouth clammed shut to all food. Daughter now eats everything. Mmmm yummy avocado mum. I love the way you do the broccoli mum.
Who or what is playing a trick on me?
And before you ask...no, he doesn't prefer junk food. This boy is not a fan of the pie or sausage roll. He hates chocolate. He only likes vanilla ice-cream. And when I gave him gorgeous bunny-shaped gingerbread for Easter he picked off all the glace icing before he ate it.
So my question is? Did you have a picky eater? And I mean a real picky eater not just a slightly stubborn one. My daughter was just slightly stubborn and all the usual enticements simply worked, after a while.
If you had a picky eater and then turned them around I want to know your secrets. Please. Now.
14 comments:
I have one who is slowly becoming a picky eater - used to eat EVERYTHING...now won't eat fish, or oranges or bananas or scones or meat or capers or fetta or goats cheese (okay, so some of those tastes are acquired). So don't look to me for any advice!
Have you seen the Jessica Seinfield recipe book? I think PL is too smart to be tricked by spinach brownies.
Both mine are picky, but because i've always been a bit of a sugar nazi they are quite susceptible to treats like icecream and easter egg rewards for finishing what's on their plate, thankfully. Somehting they actually recommend you DON'T do because it sets up good food/ bad food associations. *sigh*
I'm finding with Climber at 6 and 7 I can do well with the 'what the healthy body must have for you to grow' approach. But during the fruit refusal years it was the good ol' sticker chart and every tenth sticker was rewarded with a $10 present, usually Lego.
It is very depressing not to have a good eater and I share your pain. Cherub is in such a state of shut-down with new foods that he won't even try new sweet stuff like cake. I'm just waiting for him to grow out of it...
Good luck. He sounds like a very resolute young man.
My son is a picky eater (hardly eats any FRUIT, or things like spagetti bolognese/lasange) but he eats carrots, cucumber and red capsicum. I worry that my kids don't eat or like green leafy vegetables and have recently read about making green smoothies. Apparently, if you add 1/2 cup of spinach to a fruit smoothie, the spinach absorbs the flavour of the fruit and you can't taste it. Yet to try it (might make one for me first!)
Sometimes you just have to wait it out, my daughter only ate white or yellow foods when she was younger, but now eats most things. And if your son is healthy and happy, and eats fruit and a variety of other things, I wouldn't worry too much (easy for me to say, I know!)
Oh, sorry, I just went back and read that you said he didn't eat fruit as well? My son will eat apple crumble (at first it was only the crumble bit), and hates fresh berries (but wierdly, loves them frozen, or in muffins).
There is a certain adult member of the TeamSAK house that allegedly has a problem eating vegetables starting with the letter P ( primarily pumpkin but exends to others) . I get around that by serving sweet potatoe ( letter S!) or hiding other P letter vegies in pasties or soups. What he doesn't know won't hurt him!
My youngest son is like this. I console myself that hot chips are made from potato.....
Hmmm, spinach smoothies. Perhaps I could do a choco-spinach milkshake. One of PL's contradictions is that he likes chocolate milkshakes - but not chocolate.
If you were my neighbour this evening you would've heard screams that sounded like I was sawing of PL's leg as I (successfully) got him to eat a piece of carrot.
Frogdancer: PL has just lately started to eat chips. This is excellent because I now cut all potato in to chip shapes in the hope of fooling him to eat some...
Oh M, I'm sorry I can't use this space to help in any practical way but I couldn't help at least responding with a load of sympathy and also to remind you that at least he has parents who care enough to worry.
Our boy is 13. He doesn't like anything with fat, he likes his carrot only raw, he'll only eat potato and broccoli if it is cooked just so, he won't eat anything if it has a sauce or gravy. His preferred meal is canned tuna and canned corn on a wrap.
Last week we took him to a fancy restaurant. He curled up his nose and said that nothing looked good. Eventually we convinced him to TRY the saffron linguine with prawn and smoked salmon. He absolutely LOVED it.
It has taken ten years of patience, but I think that we have finally turned a corner.
Be patient, don't fight over it, one day they decide to be brave and taste something.
I have a new mantra for you. It goes like this:
"NO CHILD EVER DIED FROM AN OVERDOSE OF SPAGHETTI AND SOY SAUCE" (feel free to replace "spaghetti and soy sauce" with name of only meal that PL is willing to eat).
F is STILL the same. He basically eats three things. White rice with soy sauce. White pasta with soy sauce. White bread with nutella. Oh..... hang on. Why on earth am I complaining? He also eats white TOAST with nutella.
He occasionally eats red capsicum. But only raw. And only if I put it in a bowl in the middle of the table and tell him that he is only allowed a small amount of it. Same deal with raw carrot (but he's over that one).
When he was in infant, he would not eat anything that came out of a saucepan or a tupperware container. I literally had to make food and put it in a commercially-labelled jar in order to make him eat it. He was so sent to try me.
H, by the way, eats everything. And thanks me for making it.
I need the info too!
You have just described my J.T. right down to the doesn't like chocolate. He LOVES whole grain crackers, peanut butter, grape juice, water, popcorn and yogurt. HATES vegetables to the point of throwing up the few times we have insisted that he eat them. He has the patience to wait us out. No rewards/threats work and I have a bookshelf full of books and ideas that have failed.
Abby, on the other hand will eat virtually anything that stands still long enough. She even takes her medicine quite well. J.T. has to take his with large doses of water or tea to wash it down.
It think the message here is:
DON'T PANIC
Okay, I'll try not to. But I'd still like PL to eat his vegetables and even just one fruit.
Thanks for all your comments.
It seems you have tried just about everything and I totally agree that there's no need to panic.
I saw on tellie somewhere (so it must be true!) getting them to choose the fruit / vegie and help cook / prepare it can help. Sounds a bit simplistic to me, but worth a try?
Good luck. No doubt his determination will serve him well later in life!
I bought the J. Seinfeld book - haven't cooked a thing from it. Can't be bothered with cooking vegetables and freezing them in cubes. Reminds me too much of when the kids were babies.
Margot is the same. Lives on Weetbix and a bit of bacon. Sometimes baked beans. Will eat fruit thank goodness.
I am waiting it out too.
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