Quote:
Originally Posted by
4evermom 
When ds was younger, it was more important for him to eat for mood/behavioral reasons. Sleep needs were a factor, as well. He couldn't be flexible about food if he was tired. He couldn't eat anything except the first thing that popped into his head if he was too hungry. He had a problem realizing that he was getting hungry and he wouldn't notice until he was hungry beyond reason. So I did have to be proactive about feeding him. One technique that worked well for him was to set food in front of him that he generally found palatable and then to leave the room quickly. If I stuck around, he was more likely to express an opinion about the food, tell me that wasn't what he wanted, etc. But if I left, he was more likely to just eat it.
Now that he is older, he can go for long periods without eating and doesn't usually get pickier when he is hungry or tired. But he eats when he is bored which is problematic for his weight. And he still doesn't seem great at differentiating between true "stomach" hunger and having cravings or being bored ("mouth" hunger). He definitely forgets to eat when he is engaged with something. Too bad I can't make his life more interesting...
My ds sounds like yours, 4evermom. There's a list of 7-8 foods that he will eat out of. They are not necessarily unhealthy, and as I said in another thread he's never eaten a bite of candy, soda or popsicle in his life. He's 7. Like yours, he can taste the difference between different batches of biscuits or crackers, brands of milk etc. Mine will not eat for days (literally, I've experienced it) if he can't find something out of those 7-8 foods. Do you have some kind of eating diagnosis for your son for this? Is this just pickiness or am I looking at a sensitivity or allergy? We've never had him tested...
Follow Mothering