Kids Not Eating...

[momma_unlimited]

So we are really down to the bottom of the barrel for money this month, and I have plenty of food, just not *yummy* food. So, I serve what we have and my 2 yo and 4 yo are complaining and plain refusing to eat. Then, their blood sugar flops around and they are moody and irritable but still refuse to eat.

What do I do?

Last night they refused split pea soup, for breakfast I served cheese omelets, cut into pieces the way they like their food, and kasha (toasted buckwheat groats cooked in chicken stock and butter)-my oldest ate his on a bribe that he could have an orange when finished, 2 yo ate *nothing* again. For lunch, organic beef hot dogs with ketchup and steamed carrots and peas, with a side of homemade popcorn. They only ate the popcorn.

This week we have fresh organic raw milk, and they drink this all day, and I am wondering if I should allow them to fill up on it and then not eat their food? If they were really hungry would they eat what I served?

I am not trying to punish them, but I don't want them to turn up their noses at food when it's all we have.

(They would live off of fruit, rice pasta, yogurt, and toast if given the choice)

Opinions?

[One_Girl]

It may take a while longer for them to get used to eating this kind of food. I think you should keep offering it since you are at the end of your budget and let them eat what they eat. It would take me a long long time of being very hungry for me to consider eating something like split pee soup, kasha, or a hot dog and kids can be even more stubborn than adults so I think it is hard to know if they will eat if they are hungry enough. Sometimes my dd will eat something she doesn't like if she is hungry enough and sometimes she won't. Ketchup and salt can make really gross things edible. If you have enough money for some sauces then I think you should get some and see if that works.

[Surfacing]

[Vancouver Mommy]

It really is a challenge, isn't it? I also have a two and a four year old. I try and put at least one thing on the table that I know they'll eat, even if it's just carrot sticks and a glass of milk. I don't think what you're serving is unreasonable and I don't think they'll starve. Not sure what you're paying for raw milk, but if it's anything like the price around here, I wouldn't let them drink it all day. I really am in the same boat though. I feel like I've catered to picky toddler palates for too long and now it's a struggle to encourage a more open minded approach to food. I think it's worth the effort though. I intend to keep offering good food without a lot of pressure. I cook it and offer it, without acknowleding that they may not like it. Sometimes they eat, sometimes they don't. Presentation also goes a long way for this age group. I try to make funny faces out of vegetables, cut food in interesting ways, use special dishes, involve them in prep.

[bobandjess99]

Sounds like you have a lot of nice TF stuff there, but all that concenttrated nutrition means zilch if it;'s not going inside their bodies. As for the milk, i might limit it to a reasonable amount per day, but it does have a lot of nutrition in it. What sorts of "yummy" foods do you usually have that you don't right now? Do they ever eat the stuff you are trying to serve them now? I mean, if they have never before eaten stemed peas and carrots, they aren't likely to start just because you are out of money. 2 and 4 yo simply aren't rational like that.
I'd probably try to give them as much of what they like as you have, and not wast ethe other stuff. (organic hot dogs are like $7 a package, right?lol) So...you have milk, you have more popcorn...like you said, it's only a few days, they can survive on just a couple preferred foods until your next paycheck or FS allotment or whatever. Then, maybe you ned to start re-designing their diet such that they are used to eating a wider variety of foods, but hoenstly, thats just hard and takes time.

[Katrinaquerida]

i think those meals sound great! my son will always choose to fill up on drinks instead of meals, so i limit them until the food is gone, that helps!

[swisscanmom]

The foods you offer sound pretty kid friendly to me, but it does depend if they are used to those kind of foods. With my kids it takes many tries before they will eat anything new. I would not let them fill up on milk, I make my kids eat, before they are allowed to drink their milk, or they eat nothing.

[heartmama]

Yum, I wish I could eat at your house! I do think the other foods you mentioned are good--fruit, yogurt, pasta, and toast isn't bad for toddlers--but if you don't have those things this week, the stuff you offered sounds very kid friendly--however my own son had texture issues with oatmeal/kashi stuff at that age, and could not keep it down. He would eat crunchy granola with cold milk, but could not stomach hot granola--he did outgrow it eventually, but that was one of the few foods he absolutely could not eat (butter is the other one--he still doesn't like it).

I would limit milk intake to a reasonable amount--whatever nutrition guidelines recommend. This is just my opinion, but cow milk, even raw, when consumed by the glass full throughout the day--I think it can definitely repress the appetite for other foods. I think this is true of any super concentrated food source ie. power bars, soy milk etc. I read this once, and it made sense to me--that cow milk is a complete food for baby cows, and when humans consume it in large quantities, their appetite can be affected. It has to do with the level of fat and protein in cow milk--I wish I could remember where I read it.

And I gotta say, after 9 years of reading posts in here--I see a definite pattern between kids who drink lots of milk, and are super picky and extremely resistant to fruits, veggies, etc. I have known of kids that became so focused on milk, it was almost 70% of their diet (or more!). I know it is not easy to remedy a situation like this, and you need to make sure the kids ARE eating, but milk seems to become an obsession for some children.

So, yes, I would cut back on milk--and keep offering the healthy foods throughout the day.

[Pookietooth]

DS does not drink any milk at all and has very little dairy, yet he is also super picky. I have heard that it can be food intolerances in general that cause the pickies.

[heartmama]

Pookietooth--yes, absolutely, kids without dairy can be picky, and food allergies are a big issue.

[harrietsmama]

I agree about food sensitivities, but more than that, their food preferences point to gut issues like candida. Those cravings are common when the gut is out of balance and the cravings are coming form the bad guys wanting to be fed. The kids who have this really aren't to blame for the pickyness, it is coming straight from the gut.
I am dealing with this right now myself, and I was that kid too. I would suggest focusing more on meat broths, ghee, coconut oil, cooked veggies, meat fats, and limit fruits, grains, and other dairy aside from the ghee. Check out the gaps diet or the specific carbohydrate diet.

It's hard to do initially, but it can solve many many issues.

[momma_unlimited]

Thanks mamas. There are so many conflicting views on diets, and since they are pretty healthy (cross your fingers, but they haven't had any sort of illness/cold for over 5 months!) I can't understand that their guts would be too out of balance? Plus, the milk obsessed toddler was a home birthed, soley breastfed for a year, never been to a doctor or taken any kind of pharmaceutical, kid who plays in the dirt and loves kefir so I can't see how he could have too much bad flora... =)

I think its more their constitutions and habits that play into their avoiding foods. I think I will just keep serving food and limit milk (we might not have access to any more for next week anyway, since we are down to one car and the farm is open only during dh's workday).

I feel better after hearing your responses- cleared my anxiety so I could think clearly about it!

[Punchy Kaby]

I hear ya, momma unlimited! Sounds like you provide great food and a good atmosphere. I would suspect milk allergies as well. I have provided home cooked meals for my now 4 yo DS and he turns his nose up at stuff he used to LOVE, like lentils and asparagus. I limit his milk intake now because he used to fill up on it and not eat dinner. What really gets to me is when he specifically asks for something and then after I put it in front of him he says he's full. Is this a control issue?

[peaceful_mama]

I have *never* cooked special meals for my kids. I don't believe in it, and DH would've probably flipped his lid if I did--he comes from a culture where they don't do that, even infants eat something off the big people's plate/table. (when they get big enough of course)

That said, I *do* keep in mind preferences. So there would be no meal of just squash soup in this house because it is the only food I have seen DS1 gag on.

Sauces go a LONG LONG way to helping kids accept stuff. Because organic just isn't in the budget and I don't want MSG or HFCS, I make my own ketchup and ranch now. The ketchup is just tomato paste, water, vinegar, salt, a *little* sweetener and probably could have onion and/or garlic powder to your taste. (I read the back of a ketchup bottle and tasted till I got something that worked )

The ranch I have a post where I asked for recipes not too long ago.

I actually do *buy* my bbq sauce it's not organic but it's HFCS free and locally made. And it is a good-size bottle for the price, IMO.

I also get creative--one morning DD wanted hot dogs. I didn't have any, so I made sausage things that looked like hot dogs out of seasoned ground turkey and served a brunch--she LOVED it--ketchup and maple syrup for dipping, oh my!

my kids adore pancakes and they are cheap and easy. loads of recipes online, I got a box of really good whole grain mix on sale at the local HFS for 99 cents!

I would say cut back on the milk. DD used to be one who would drink rather than eat meals too and I just quit allowing drinks until she'd eaten some food. I really don't know if this is fact for *raw* milk but I know kids can actually become anemic from drinking too much milk---it makes them feel full and keeps them from eating other foods that contain more iron.

Oh and SMOOTHIES do WONDERS here, I can put just about ANYTHING in a SMOOTHIE and they will drink it. Cause it's FUN. (we've done frozen berries--any really, with either mango or pear and/or banana. Plus yogurt and milk for consistency, and flax seeds just because. Lots of people put a little spinach too, I haven't had any around to try that out.) That might get them drinking some other 'stuff' with their milk anyway. If they like drinking so much milk they might like that because it's a drink......

[harrietsmama]

keep in mind mamas that exploring food texture is important, so don't hide too much. It is also a wonderful idea to have food separate from drinks, it helps you digest better. I hope avoiding milk does the trick!

[sgmom]

I wouldn't worry too much about it unless they're losing weight (healthy kids wont starve themselves). If they're filling up on milk, it's also likely that they're don't feel hungry enough to eat the stuff they don't want (regardless of the low blood sugar).

That said, I also would never give a child something they disliked without offering other choices.

I don't know what you consider "yummy" food, but you can actually buy more and eat healthier, spending less than you can on the unhealthier stuff (ie. mac and cheese). But speaking of mac and cheese, you can always "healthy it up" by adding things like chicken or ground beef (if you have it on hand), frozen peas or corn, beans, grated cheese, etc. Veggie burgers (like vegetarian hamburger patties) are also REALLY yummy. You can buy them pre-made in the frozen section, or make your own and freeze them. Fry them for 5 minutes each side and you've got an affordable tasty and healthy side dish.

Spaghetti is cheap and healthy, and you can easily hide veggies in the sauce (make sure you include fresh cooked veggies on the side to encourage healthy eating). The book Deceptively Delicious has GREAT ideas on how to puree/freeze and hide your veggies. Although I do want to stress that although your kids are getting the vitamins, hiding them isn't the way this should happen.

I would offer a wide variety of potatoes and veggies (cooked or seasoned different ways), and dipping sauces also really help. Healthy snacks also help encourage good eating habits (leave them out, or eat them in sight of your kids. Sooner or later they're going to get curious or want what you have, and they'll try it.)

My daughter LOVES my husbands potatoes... cubed, and put in tin foil with onions, a bit of garlic, and spices. Very easily adaptable to your family.

You can also try including them in the preparation of dinner as well. Give them choices, and as how they would like to help. In my experience, this is almost always a no fail way to get them to eat SOME of the good stuff.

I haven't read this entire thread, but I'm sure there is some great advice above. This is just what's worked for me in the past.

And I'm sure you already know this, but your younger child is probably feeding off your older one. Getting him to eat might be the trick to get her to follow.

[Plummeting]

Originally Posted by Vancouver Mommy

I feel like I've catered to picky toddler palates for too long and now it's a struggle to encourage a more open minded approach to food.

I just wanted to say not to be too quick to blame yourself if your kids are picky. I guess it could be because you catered to their pickiness (I don't really know about how kids get picky, lol) but I think most kids just go through a stage like that. We never made DD eat anything in particular or denied her any particular foods, but she always ate extremely well. We exposed her to everything we ate once she was old enough, so she regularly ate everything from specially ordered (milder for her) Indian, Thai and Afghan food to Ethiopian food to sushi to home cooked veggie stews and stir fries. She was NEVER picky and she NEVER wanted to overindulge in junk food....until about a year ago. lol Then all the sudden one day it was like she woke up and hated everything but peanut butter sandwiches and french toast. We never catered to a picky toddler palate because she had never had one. She just decided one day at age 4 that she suddenly did have one. Kids are weird sometimes.