Anyone having food issues?

[brokenheart]

My DD (7) is so picky with food, and it is getting worse and I'm worrying. We have always done our best to be balanced (but with an emphasis on whole organic foods...lots of fruit/veg). But in trying to be balanced, we have definitely allowed treats, etc. Since she started solids, we have introduced her to a wide range of foods. We have generally avoided typical "kid's food" like mac&cheese, chicken fingers, fries. She always got a version of what we were eating, and there was never a problem.

For the past year, she has become incredibly picky. Compared to all the other kids I know, she is much more picky. But now she is continually narrowing down the list of foods that she'll eat. Right or wrong, this is causing me a lot of stress because I simply no longer know what to feed her. If it were up to her, she'd eat fast food for every meal. Start with a McDonald's egg mcmuffin, have Subway for lunch and Pizza Hut for dinner with Dairy Queen for dessert. Obviously not. I give her lots of options, but she won't even TRY half of what I make.

DH and I still focus on healthy foods, but she mainly lives on pasta for dinner because she will not even try anything we are eating. Salad? no. Anything with beans? no. Shrimp skewers? no. Chicken stir fry? no. Lasagna? no. All the go-to items I could count on have now been put on the "no" list. Eggs are "icky", raspberries are "mushy", celery has "strings", bananas are "mushy", etc etc. And she's incredibly particular. I made her english muffins with butter and jam and she wouldn't even take a bite because she "only eats butter on SQUARE toast, not round". This is my life.

I've tried having her help me in the kitchen. She still won't eat a thing we make. We've tried making homemade (albeit somewhat healthier) versions of the fastfood. She doesn't like it. It is upsetting because my friends all tell me "try this....my kids LOVE it" and she will say it is disgusting.

Could this be SPD? It is driving me bonkers. I don't even know how to handle it properly. I know I get too upset....I just hate that I can't make a single thing (literally -- not one.single.thing) that she likes.

[mattemma04]

I have a ds/8 that is similar.Lol, I tried the healthy versions of ready made food too,and it was a bomb.It is funny how he goes running if I come at him with some fruit.He used to eat so much better.

Probably not what you want to hear,but for now I feed him the things he likes and give him vitamins.I think the only good thing he eats right now is the eggs from our hens. I constantly offer new things.I buy healthy versions of chips and stuff for him to try.Atleast our kids are trying them.Well,he won't eat fruit or veggies at all-even the stuff we grow.

I think I read the more you focus on the food and if you force/punish it could lead to eating disorders.Check out the Dr.Sears books.I think there was healthiest kid on the block and the NDD child.

I am amazed my son is as healthy as he is considering his limited diet.My dd/11 eats a variety of healthy foods unlike the little one.Don't know why my ds is the way he is.So you are certainly not alone!

[loudmama]

I've got no advice for you either. My 9yo DD had been picky almost since she started eating solids.

The fruits & veggies she eats are: raw baby carrots, gala apples, corn on the cob (frozen corn sometimes) & bananas. The only meat she eats are brats & chicken nuggets. She loves all kinds of bread & noodles with butter. I recently switched to healthier nuggets & she's ok with eating them. I switched to real maple syrup vs imitation, & she sometimes eats it. (I told her I wasn't buying anything else.) She likes pizza, McDonald's chicken nuggets & fries, grilled cheese at some restaurants. She will try sweets of almost any kind & chips & crackers as well. I have no idea how to encourage her to at least try things while not making it a battle. So I usually don't push it.

Its a battle to get her to eat balanced with the foods she does eat. She would eat junk all the time if we let her. She seems bored with the foods she eats yet won't try anything. While we end up making multiple meals for a variety of reasons, it not for lack of being exposed to different foods. Now that she's older, I do explain to her that she needs to eat balanced & has to have enough fruits & veggies. If she is going to limit herself to what fruits & veggies she will eat, that's her choice, but she still needs to eat them every day. Sometimes she will get upset when we go to a gathering of some kind & their is "nothing" for her to eat. I remind her that it's her choice she won't try anything. However, I often end up packing food for her for gatherings & trips just so she will have something besides crackers & bread to eat.

I have no advice, but I understand.

L

[brokenheart]

Thanks for the replies. Nice to know I don't have the only picky child.

I find it ironic....I am very conscious of making healthy food choices, and my child seems actively AGAINST healthy food choices. I feel so disheartened when I try to make things for her and she either (a) won't even take one bite, or (b) insists it is gross (even though it isn't). For example, she loves strawberry ice cream. I made some homemade strawberry ice cream using fresh strawberries. She hated it. It was way better than store bought...everyone who tried it agreed. This goes on with everything. Nothing tastes good to her unless it comes from cheap fast food restaurant (which we rarely visit anyway). SO irritating. She does eat, but she has such a limited menu (and she keeps limiting it further) and she very rarely seems to really enjoy her food (who can blame her? how boring!). She almost never asks for seconds. Unless it is pizza of course.

There are times when I almost feel like throwing in the towel and buying fried chicken nuggets (she won't eat the baked homemade ones we made), white bread, frozen pizzas, french fries and Kool Aid. Life would certainly be less stressful and she'd probably gain some weight. Throw in some apple slices and Cheerios and call it a day. But I just CAN'T. It feels like child abuse. :|

[wagamama]

I think it's hard, because of the over-abundant society we live in. There is so much junk food available -- it's everywhere and it's tempting, especially to children. We lived in Nigeria for three years, and one thing that made a big impression on me was the way that kids eat. They are not picky at all. They eat everything they are given. And, they eat the exact same thing that their parents are eating -- like a plate of cassava or rice with beans or a spicy, meat stew. Why? Because that's all there is, and they know it. The families don't have fridges, there are no snacks in the house, there is literally nothing else to eat, except maybe a piece of fruit in season.
I have tried to mimic this in my own home by not keeping "snacky" foods at home, and serving the same food to the whole family at meals. If the kids don't like it, there is no other option. At the very least, they can just eat the rice.
Of course, my kids still pester me for junk food all the time. And I do give it sometimes, to be balanced, as you say. And DS is a much better eater that DD -- he will eat almost anything, while she is very picky and often just eats one thing at dinner (maybe the rice or the beans or the potatoes) -- but she is still bfing. I don't offer pasta often -- maybe once a week -- since it's not very nutritious and I don't want DD eating just that (no offense intended to the OP, I know it's hard!).

[momto4plus4]

I hope you don't think I'm cruel but when my dd has gotten picky, I simply offer her what we're eating or nothing. If it's something I know she Absolutely hates, I give her the next meal at normal meal time. If it's an attitude thing then she gets the same food for the next meal and if she again chooses not to eat it then she gets it for the next meal. The longest she's gone doing this was 4 meals: it's only happened twice. While she'll sometimes complain (which I also don't allow), she eats Very well-rounded, a lot, and has No eating issues whatsoever-she loves food, prefers to eat the healthiest foods first and is still skinny as a rail. We don't make a big deal of it either. Just very matter-of-fact. Just wondering if her issue is more a power struggle then a food issue. DD is 9 now and hasn't pulled refusal to eat food in over a year. Maybe worth a shot? Obviously if she chose not to eat for more than 4-6 meals then I'd be concerned but if she's drinking she'd be okay for that amount of time.

Just an idea of what worked for us; we all have our own tolerance for discipline and boundaries so I totally get if you think it's too harsh for your child!

[peaceful_mama]

I have a 5/yo who refuses to eat chicken that is not in nugget, strip, or fast-food sandwich form. No boneless, skinless chicken breast home-cooked in say, a stir fry or taco/fajita form even though he *loves* 'tacos' No chicken with the bone mostly. No matter how it is cooked.

He refuses anything that looks 'different' to him I think, he hasn't come outright and said that's why, but the other night he ate rice for dinner, just rice, because DH made a beef stir fry thing.

He too will eat *anything* that is pasta, but has a special love for ramen noodles.

and of course will eat junk but so far in any form...and fruit smoothies from the blender are still a treat.

Oh and the most freakin annoying to me is he will not eat the natural PB only the CRAP PB. Which *I* never would have exposed him to, to know the difference. (thanks Mom) (and I know it was not preschool, they are nut free)

So....I make lots of pasta dishes. I try to make dinners I know he will like. I try to have separate stuff like not mix the rice in with the dish. Or leave the chicken in a pick-out form. And I just do not buy the fake PB. He can eat a turkey and cheese sandwich for all I care.

maybe this doesn't seem all that picky to some of you, but when I recall him being little and *loving* Dad's okra stew, eating my PBJs without complaint, stuff like this....he's picky.

[meemee]

i think just like going through sleep patterns our kids go thru food patterns too.

my almost 8 year old - our poster child for good eater in our group - now wont touch anything green. nothing. she tried convincing me broccoli was poison for her these days.

so i dont force the issue. once in a while she will eat greens socially so its ok. she has eaten so well from 2 to almost 8 - she can have a few months of crappy eating. rather still good quality stuff - just not every food group.

oooh and this is the stage when none of her foods can touch each other. i brought out my giant dinner plates.

[4Marmalade]

My oldest is similar. He's 7 too. I do think he has some sensory issues but not sure how much that plays into it.

Things he used to eat have become no more. Every little thing turns him off. He won't eat grapes anymore because sometimes the tops are a bit torn and brownish once they are pulled off the stem. Dinners consist of him eating a very small item while the rest of us eat. I usually make dinners with one item he will eat. So, he'll eat plain brown rice while the rest of eat the stirfry. Or he'll eat a plain pita with cheese in it while we all have falafels. It's a bit maddening. During the day it's not too hard for me to keep my cool about it but every once in a while I overreact and freak out a bit . I get kind of anxious about him not getting what he needs and I worry which leads me to lost it. Once in a while he will eat things he prepares himself. Last week he picked stuffed potatoes and he made them following the recipe and he did eat most of it.

My oldest dd can be such a great eater when ds1 isn't around. It's frustrating to see her pick up on his cues and refuse food because ds1 does. Hopefully this is just a stage.

[tine1973]

crazy insane food issues! Every morning my almost 4 year old wakes up and asks for ice cream and is then PISSED OFF that we can't have ice cream for every single meal. and if not ice cream, then chocolate. He almost never eats the dinner that we make, and we make only one dinner but try to make the ingredients kid friendly and keep them separate for him. It is making me insane and I need to stop putting so much energy into it but he doesn't eat and then is super crankly and irritable! Sorry - no suggestions here!