My kids have gone from eating a well-balanced diet, to barely ANYTHING! They pick around any meat, they'll eat hot dogs, and sometimes chicken nuggets, but they won't eat any "real" meat, no matter what I try. They love cheese, so I've tried covering the chicken in shredded cheese, no go. I've tried giving them dipping sauces, still nothing. Mixing it in pasta (one of the few things they LOVE), they just pick around it. Same for veggies. Shane will eat some veggies, but not much, and Maddie picks around them. They used to eat fresh veggies and dip, but now they just lick the dressing off the veggies. Basically the only things they really eat are pasta, cheese, bread, scrambled eggs, cereal, pancakes/waffles, PB&J, fruit, and milk. Oh, and of course... PIZZA! I even tried making different kinds of pizza with veggies and meats, still nothing. Please tell me they will survive and be healthy without meat and veggies, at least for the time being. I've been at my wit's end trying to get them to eat better, it's been totally stressing me out. Does anyone have any tricks they use to get their kids to eat? Madison is painfully thin, much smaller than Shane now, so she's the one I worry about most, and of course, she's the stubborn one. All of the advice I've gotten on picky eaters has been "keep offering good foods, they'll eat them eventually" but I don't want them to get sick in the meantime. Thanks!!

By Emily7 on Sunday, April 24, 2005 - 07:28 pm:

Just give them multi vitamins & offer them food. That is what I have to do with my skinny little guy. He is 3 & sometimes 24 month clothes are to big in the waist.
You could try the pediasure to help supplement as well.

By Clarabel on Monday, April 25, 2005 - 04:54 am:

I'ts frustrating really.All you can do is offer and then sit back and let them pick or touch or lick. I've heard that it is part of trying a new food and they may do it forty times before they actually eat a bite. At least yours are eating fruit.The only fruit DS likes is raisins.Now he likes his "kid's greens" vitamins and begs me for a "vitamin candy." He likes milk and soy milk, rice, bread, crackers and cereal and of course waffles,all the carbs.He likes cheese, but only the shredded kind which he calls "cheesy noodles".He doesn't eat anything too wet or colorful so dipping isn't really catching on.
It's hard not to worry.
We're going to get his iron levels checked this week.
What I've been getting for advice is not to make a big deal out of it. They just don't eat much, but it does change and the more offen they are exposed to whatever the rest of the family is eating the better. I just put it on his plate and try not to say anything. He will get offended and put it on my plate sometimes, that's ok.
It sounds like your kids actually have a well rounded diet.
Keep offering the vitamins if you're concerned. Mine didn't like those right away but now he loves them. Good luck.
I have a girlfriend whose three year old lived on ketchup.Really! He didn't even eat the hotdog.
You're doing ok.

By Clarabel on Monday, April 25, 2005 - 04:57 am:

I just wanted to add that this seems to part of them gaining their own sense of independence and individuality, to pick and chose what THEY would like to eat. So the more you battle the slower the process will probably be.

By Palmbchprincess on Monday, April 25, 2005 - 09:52 pm:

Clarabel, that's a good point. They do get a multi-vitamin, and they were drinking pedia-sure for a while, but honestly it's just becoming a battle of wills. *sigh* I'm sure it won't be the last one.

By Conni on Monday, April 25, 2005 - 10:59 pm:

Crystal, all of my kids went thru this same stage as toddlers. My G-ma always said (when I was worrying about them) 'They WONT starve'... She was right. Now its all we can do to keep enough food in the cupboards, they are like bottomless pits.

By Kittycat_26 on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 07:52 am:

Crystal, I'm right there with you only we're stuck on chicken nuggets. At this point, as many of these things as he's eaten, his arteries are going to be clogged for life.

By Rayelle on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 01:57 pm:

My dd didn't used to have much variety in her diet. Now at age 4, suddenly she loves green beans and salads and other new things. She goes to half day pre-school and gets a tray lunch and started eating what she saw other little friends eating. The doctor always told me she was growing fine, keep offering etc. and now she's more willing to try new foods.One day yours will probably be inspired by something as well! Hang in there!

By Palmbchprincess on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 09:16 pm:

Thanks everyone. It's good to know kids survive this stage! In the meantime I'm going to get grey hair from the stress!

By Clarabel on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 10:08 pm:

Kitty, have you tried the soy nuggets, like Morningstar? They are delicious and may be a little lower in trans fats.

By Kittycat_26 on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 08:04 am:

I'll look for those nuggets at the store next time. Not to sound funny, but do they taste like chicken?

By Clarabel on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 11:50 pm:

I guess they taste like your breaded chicken patty style vegetable protein. .The ones that taste more meaty would be the Quorn brand.Those are wheat,I believe, not soy.