Kids that won't eat

[hrh_disney_queen]

Just another little note (theory)..My 72 year old father came up with this one, and it makes a lot of sense.

We used to pile on the food on the boys' plates...A pile of this, that...lots of stuff...Thinking, the more variety, the better...They didn't eat...

My dad said that he thought the amount of food was so overwhelming, that they didn't want any of it?? I think he was right!!

So I try to just put a little bit on their plates...Of course we still have the "just 5 more bites....No! three more....Ok, 4 more..." discussion, but at least they eat the "4 more"!!

 

[skiwee1]

I feel in good company after reading these posts. My youngest child, now 5, has always been picky. Her only "meals" are PB&J, ham sandwiches, bagel and cream cheese, sometimes a hot dog, and a once a week cheeseburger happy meal and that is it. She eats no veggies AT ALL unless you cound the occasional french fry. None. No othjer meats either. She will eat an entire container of fresh strawberries as a lunch or a banana as a breakfast though. She loves yogurts too. Of course she loves junk foods like ice cream and cookies but even those are not eaten a lot. That is about the extent of her foods and it has been those same foods for 3 years. No other real foods have touched this child's lips in those 3 years. I've never had a kid that doesn't eat spaghetti, pizza, or chicken nuggets. She did used to eat any kind of chicken and steamed brocolli. She ate nothing but that for 1 1/2 years and nothing else that could be counted as a meal. She no longer touches either of those. She is 45 inches and 40 lbs. My ped says she is fine, growing great and healthy so I try not to worry. My ped is the same way about having thin kids then overweight kids. He can't stand to see an overweight child and finds no excuse for it. He always tells me that thin is better then fat and that DD is doing great.

 

[jrydberg]

I always go with the theory that children don't starve with good food in front of them

The other thing I'd note is that kids don't need nearly the amount of food that adults do and adults generally put too much on their plate to begin with. So by comparison, sometimes it looks like kids are barely eating.

 

[Trish Bessette]

I say not to worry. Especially if your doctor isn't. I have seen so many parents "make" their child eat and it makes me sick. If my girls aren't hungry, they don't have to eat. I oldest DD is 11 years old, 5'3" and 110 solid pounds (not fat, solid!) she wears a size 9 shoe! My youngest is 8 yrs old and only weighs 48 lbs. Everyone is different.

 

[mickeyboat]

DD3 is 40 inches and 34 lbs. DD4 (who was a premie) is 42 inches and 33lbs. DD3 has gained 1lb since her Dr. appt. in november. DD4's weight is the same but has grown several inches. I worry that they are not growing properly, but the doctor assures me that they are following their growth curves, and that is what counts.

DD4 eats a lot more than DD3, and they are willing to try a lot of different things. DD3 loves all kinds of meat and any kind of soup. She doesn't order kids meals at restaurants, she orders a cup of soup so I make a lot of soups at home. They both also like a lot of sweets so I try to pair them with something healthy, like a small donut and yogurt for breakfast and string cheese for a snack. We withhold dessert unless they eat a certain amount of their dinner. This usually works for DD4, but DD3 just says "I don't want a treat."

Speaking of string cheese, I have had a major coup with my kids. They always want a treat when we go to the store. "If I am good, can I have a treat?" Our Kmart has individual string cheese in the dairy case, so they get one as a treat.

Denae

 

[missypie]

Please don't force your child to eat. I was the kid who didn't eat. When I look at pictures of me as a child and teen, I can see why Mom worried...I was so bony it looks like you could have snapped me in half. But I just wasn't a big eater. I'm still really not.

It's funny to think about the "healthy" things they used to try to make me eat - eggs and meat. I still don't like eggs. I like meat now, and realize that a lot of my dislike for meat as a child was that my Mom cooked the heck (and flavor) out of all cuts of meat.

As long as your child is healthy, don't think another thing about it.