What to feed my very thin, very picky 4yo

[Jane's4]

Looking for any advice/tips.

4yo ds is only 25 lbs. He has been a sensory nightmare since birth, but has made HUGE strides over the past 2 years--so we are finally moving from "feed child anything he will swallow" to what I would consider healthy eating.

Because he still eats so little, I need to make every calorie count. But it is a constant struggle due to what I think are residual sensory issues--specifically his desire for sweets. I am horrified by how much sugar he takes in. Recently I've had luck with "sweet" veggies (peppers, lettuce, peas, sweet potato). Anyone have any other ideas for how I can satisfy his sweet tooth in a healthy way? Ideally, foods that will also meet his other nutritional/weight needs?

I'm also struggling a little bit because we did feed him meat for awhile in desperation. He didn't eat a ton of it, but he will now occasionally ask for pepperoni, meatball, or chicken nugget--and it's so hard to look at this scrawny little boy and tell him no. So I feel a great urgency to find healthy foods he will crave instead.

Thanks in advance--

Jane

[Hesperia]

Originally Posted by Jane's4

Looking for any advice/tips.

4yo ds is only 25 lbs. He has been a sensory nightmare since birth, but has made HUGE strides over the past 2 years--so we are finally moving from "feed child anything he will swallow" to what I would consider healthy eating.

Because he still eats so little, I need to make every calorie count. But it is a constant struggle due to what I think are residual sensory issues--specifically his desire for sweets. I am horrified by how much sugar he takes in. Recently I've had luck with "sweet" veggies (peppers, lettuce, peas, sweet potato). Anyone have any other ideas for how I can satisfy his sweet tooth in a healthy way? Ideally, foods that will also meet his other nutritional/weight needs?

I'm also struggling a little bit because we did feed him meat for awhile in desperation. He didn't eat a ton of it, but he will now occasionally ask for pepperoni, meatball, or chicken nugget--and it's so hard to look at this scrawny little boy and tell him no. So I feel a great urgency to find healthy foods he will crave instead.

Thanks in advance--

Jane

I mind a little boy who is tiny tiny too, 4 yo in Feb and 27lbs abouts.
I made the kids a smoothie on Thursday filled with high fats, because while he does eat lots of veggies and grains, he doesn't take in much good fats (in my mind, I'm not the parent, but they aren't vegan and I have a thing for good fats!).

I used an overly ripe banana, hugely overripe for the sweetness. A super mushy pear would do the same. The nastier looking the sweeter in taste!
Frozen Blueberries or a flavour that he enjoys
Flax oil, olive oil, coconut oil, lots!
1/2 an avocado
His favorite juice
Acidophilus (spelling?)
And I added maple syrup for more sweetness, since I felt it was important they got this high fat smoothie after the seasonal illnesses they've had. They both LOVED it.

Anyways, if you can get good fats in a sweet smoothie that would be awesome! The both had two sippies full over the 9 hour day. It was thick and smooth, you could thin it out for his sensory needs, or keep it thick. The boy said it tasted like ice cream, and the girl cried when the sippie came out of her mouth.

I just blended on their so-so blender for about 5 minutes so extreme smoothness!

Hope he packs on a few pounds and gets in lots of good nutrients in the coming months.

Hugs.

[somegirl99]

This link might be useful:

http://www.vegfamily.com/babies-and-...g-toddlers.htm

It has suggested menus and also a recipe for "Dad's Sneaky Pudding", somewhat similar to Hesperia's smoothie.

[dovey]

My son has always been on the small side. He's six now and weighs about 40. I don't think he has sensory issues, but he's always been a small eater. I'm of the persuasion that sugars aren't the end of the world if they help a child to gain weight. Obviously highly processed sugars aren't the best, so I try to avoid too much of those like you are.

Here are some sweet and healthy ideas:

-popsicles made from coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla

-Chocolate shake. Blend about 1/2 cup cashews and 3/4 cups soy milk to make a cream. You can add more soymilk if it's too thick. Add two or three SOFT dates (my blender can't handle the hard ones). Add 1-2 tbsp. cocoa powder (if you shop around and look at the nutrition labels, some of them are quite nutritious). I also add a bit of stevia or sugar, but you can sweeten just with the dates. Add about 6 ice cubes and blend until they're ground up.

-Marzipan. Blanch almonds by dropping them into boiling water for a few minutes. Slip the skins off. Grind in a food processor until smooth. Add a little sugar syrup or maple syrup to sweeten. Add a tiny bit of OJ or vanilla extract to flavor. You can shape the candy into snow people or fruit shapes or whatever.

Hope that helps!

[mumkimum]

My mom used to make pumpkin or sweet potato custards for breakfasts and snacks - sometimes they'd have tofu, otherwise eggs and milk (if you're trying to increase calories you could use some cream or coconut milk). They'd be slightly less sweet than pumpkin pie and we loved them - almost like having a dessert.

Peanut sauces can be sweet and are tasty with steamed or raw veggies and rice.

Yogurt parfaits (with full fat and/or greek yogurts) are popular here too - with some fruits or jam and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey and some sesame seed 'sprinkles'.

[Jane's4]

Thanks, all!

These are great suggestions. I've been experimenting the last couple of days with some of the shake/smoothie recipes. My 4yo has smelled but not tasted them (new/different is hard for him so it usually takes awhile) but my other kids have been giving rave reviews.

Made a pumpkin custard for him this am and he devoured it. I just told him it was a small, soft pumpkin pie.

Somegirl99, that's a great link. Lots of ideas for me there.

Again, thank you!

[Jane's4]

Thanks, all!

These are great suggestions. I've been experimenting the last couple of days with some of the shake/smoothie recipes. My 4yo has smelled but not tasted them (new/different is hard for him so it usually takes awhile) but my other kids have been giving rave reviews.

Made a pumpkin custard for him this am and he devoured it. I just told him it was a small, soft pumpkin pie.

Somegirl99, that's a great link. Lots of ideas for me there.

Again, thank you!