Picky Kids

[PlutoLuvr]

Man, kids have it made today. Every family we know, the kids get their own meal made for them, i.e., Mom and Dad have roasted chicken with veggies and rice; kids get chicken fingers or fish sticks with mac & cheese.

I'll tell you, when I was young, kids ate what parents put in front of them. If it was just my mom feeding me, if I didn't eat what she made, I'd get twice as much, especially on the brussel sprouts and any other veggies. If Dad was home and I pulled that picky eater crap, it was TROUBLE (spanking, grounding or -- the worst -- public humiliation if I pulled this stunt at a restaurant). And it was this way in every friend's home I visited as a child. Kids ate what moms and dads ate. We might not have always liked it, but it didn't ever seem that there was a choice.

Now I read about "sensitivity disorders" and "texture issues." Is this for real? And I'm talking about the average kid, not someone with a brain injury or autism or dental problems.

 

[poohluvrs]

I admit it. Im a 9 different meals a day caterer.

This is (one of) my New Years Resolutions, to make the kids eat what DH & I are eating...

I know its my own fault, & that they would eventually come around, but I cant get past the nightly chicken nugget/mac n cheese or nothing orders

 

[shirleyb]

I guess I just asked this question, because I'm amazed at the number of parents who say things like, "Well, I won't make chili because Johnny doesn't like it," or "We'd love to have pork and sauerkraut for New Years but the kids don't like it."

My kids didn't used to like Pork and sauerkraut either, but now I think they like it more than we do! I can't tell you the number of times my kids have turned their noses up at something I was fixing, and then after they tried it, ended up having seconds!

 

[ilovejack02]

Man, kids have it made today. Every family we know, the kids get their own meal made for them, i.e., Mom and Dad have roasted chicken with veggies and rice; kids get chicken fingers or fish sticks with mac & cheese.

I'll tell you, when I was young, kids ate what parents put in front of them. If it was just my mom feeding me, if I didn't eat what she made, I'd get twice as much, especially on the brussel sprouts and any other veggies. If Dad was home and I pulled that picky eater crap, it was TROUBLE (spanking, grounding or -- the worst -- public humiliation if I pulled this stunt at a restaurant). And it was this way in every friend's home I visited as a child. Kids ate what moms and dads ate. We might not have always liked it, but it didn't ever seem that there was a choice.

Now I read about "sensitivity disorders" and "texture issues." Is this for real? And I'm talking about the average kid, not someone with a brain injury or autism or dental problems.

LOL my parents were the same way as yours. I wasnt scared for life by it, but i remember lots of unhappy dinner times with them. The only thing i will fight with my kids about is drinking their milk. IT MUST BE DONE and if i have to hold them down it gets done LOL. The rest of it, eat or be hungry but im not making a seperate meal. No real picky kids in this house.

 

[meandtheguys2]

I don't always fix the boys the same meal as I do for my husband. He is a diabetic who functions best with a high protein/low carb diet. They eat meat but I only have one real carnivore. I do like to make sure they get as many whole grains, and natural foods as possible. Plenty of veggies, etc. But they sometimes get M & C (whole grain, raw cheese and milk with sunflower seeds and broccoli) instead of steak and broccoli. So, I guess I cater a bit.

 

[NMAmy]

If Dad was home and I pulled that picky eater crap, it was TROUBLE (spanking, grounding or -- the worst -- public humiliation if I pulled this stunt at a restaurant). And it was this way in every friend's home I visited as a child.

Well, I guess I'm glad times have changed. I'm 43 so I'm not a young 'un and, believe me, my parents never catered to us kids about anything. We were, however, allowed to try one bite of something and then eat whatever we liked from the rest of the meal. I've never been a big beef eater so I was allowed to skip the steak or pot roast and fill up on potatoes and veggies.

My parents were tough on a lot of issues but thank heavens I was never spanked, grounded, or publicly humiliated for not eating everything on my plate.

 

[ilovejack02]

I admit it. Im a 9 different meals a day caterer.

This is (one of) my New Years Resolutions, to make the kids eat what DH & I are eating...

I know its my own fault, & that they would eventually come around, but I cant get past the nightly chicken nugget/mac n cheese or nothing orders

Stand up for your right to only cook one meal for all mom!!!!
You can do it, get a backbone!!!
Go poohluvrs lol!!!

 

[ilovejack02]

I don't always fix the boys the same meal as I do for my husband. He is a diabetic who functions best with a high protein/low carb diet. They eat meat but I only have one real carnivore. I do like to make sure they get as many whole grains, and natural foods as possible. Plenty of veggies, etc. But they sometimes get M & C (whole grain, raw cheese and milk with sunflower seeds and broccoli) instead of steak and broccoli. So, I guess I cater a bit.

WEll ok I wont tar and feather you for that! It seems to be really healthy catering lol.

 

[Chicago526]

We we're raised to eat what my mother cooked, or we didn't eat. I do think they went too far with me on one issue, raw tomatos. I hate them, they taste disgusting and make me gag (any kind of cooked tomato or tomato product is just fine, though). But mom made me eat them anyway. I wasn't a pickey eater and inhaled everything else on my plate (including all other veggies) so I don't know why she made me. There is a differance between being picky and really not likeing something!

Anyway, I plan on doing the same thing with my own kids, only I won't make them eat things they genuinely don't like!

 

[Lachesis00]

My son was the pickiest child. Amazingly as he gets older he eats more stuff. Heck now he eats stuff I won't touch with a 10' pole (if it even remotely smells weird-- I won't go near it-- don't care how good it tastes or if it has something I know I might not like-just not happening!! LOL --yeah I have issues). ...wonder where he got his pickiness from?
The running joke with my MIL (was it a joke?!?) do not tell me what is in it and I will try it and probably like it. If you tell me and it's something funky I have never had, I am not touching it.

Luckily he loved all veggies (preferably raw)-- to this day he will eat corn and potatoes cooked. Oh and artichoke hearts. Just about everything else he likes raw. Including potatoes once in a blue moon which wigs my husband out. Heck I like a good raw potato now and then too!

 

[U2_rocks!]

I guess I just asked this question, because I'm amazed at the number of parents who say things like, "Well, I won't make chili because Johnny doesn't like it," or "We'd love to have pork and sauerkraut for New Years but the kids don't like it."

My kids didn't used to like Pork and sauerkraut either, but now I think they like it more than we do! I can't tell you the number of times my kids have turned their noses up at something I was fixing, and then after they tried it, ended up having seconds!

My 6 yo and 3 yo like almost everything they try (unless it's meat that's too seasoned, in the case of my 3 yo), so this would work great with them. The problem is the 5 yo. She gets so scared of trying new things, even though she watches her siblings do it and love it! And even when she does try something new, it can take a while for her to get used to it, so we still want to have all the different foods separate so we can give her a mouthful or two each time until she can bear to eat a normal portion. With a mixed up dish you can't really do that.

It's OK, though - DH and I often eat without the kids, and we get to eat whatever we want then! Some nights are family nights, and some nights the kids eat leftovers that they love from the night before and we eat some new concoction that we're trying out later after they're in bed. Nuggets and chips etc. are actually occasional lunch time things here, not dinner stuff. We don't do typical "kid stuff" like that for our kids while we eat grown up stuff. We just try to do grown up stuff that can be enjoyed by all of us when we are all eating together.

 

[Nancy]

Now I read about "sensitivity disorders" and "texture issues." Is this for real? And I'm talking about the average kid, not someone with a brain injury or autism or dental problems.

Well, I'm 48 and there are certain foods I just can't bite into. Like mushrooms! Anything that has a rubbery texture/look to it won't get past my lips.

Now my kids actually eat better than me. I've gotten better with what I will try but I'm probably pickier than them. My oldest daughter doesn't eat meat so I buy her fake meat products to eat along with our real food. So if we are having hamburgers she gets a Boca burger.

I never forced them to eat anything because I hated that as a child. And if they don't like what we are eating there's the bowl, box and milk.

 

[poohluvrs]

Stand up for your right to only cook one meal for all mom!!!!
You can do it, get a backbone!!!
Go poohluvrs lol!!!

Thanks for the encouragement, maybe tonight will be the start of something new

 

[meandtheguys2]

WEll ok I wont tar and feather you for that! It seems to be really healthy catering lol.

Why thank you! Healthy catering is like an even-stephen kind of thing! One bad...and one good!

 

[MareQ]

Now I read about "sensitivity disorders" and "texture issues." Is this for real? And I'm talking about the average kid, not someone with a brain injury or autism or dental problems.

Yes it's for real.

 

[janey99]

TOV -

Do we have the same DS? Mine will eat only fruits and vegetables if I let him (preferably raw). He kind of likes plain pasta and white rice, but he likes hardly anything with protein, hence the peanut butter, beans and sushi rolls whenever he wants them.

I'm hoping he'll grow out of it!

 

[MosMom]

Hard for me to answer. I cater 100% to what my oldest DS wants. Several reasons for that #1 He has oral sensitivity issues - some textures - peas, mashed potatoes, yogurt, pudding etc make him gag and vomit.

Same here. I don't mind making him something different that won't send him into a gagging fit. Corn is the worst. I tried to get him to try creamed corn the other night thinking it might be different. Nope, threw up right into his plate. It isn't the taste either, that corn kernel hits his tongue and it automatically pops out. He can't handle it and I don't force him.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Same here. I don't mind making him something different that won't send him into a gagging fit. Corn is the worst. I tried to get him to try creamed corn the other night thinking it might be different. Nope, threw up right into his plate. It isn't the taste either, that corn kernel hits his tongue and it automatically pops out. He can't handle it and I don't force him.

Wow! He isn't allergic/intolerant (I don't know if there is a difference like there is with milk) to corn is he? I had a friend who was, but I don't think she vomited. My husband is, but he just gets crabby when he eats it.

 

[maps]

I used to think that if the child was a picky eater it was the parents fault--until I had my second child.

My first child tries anything and eats a wide variety of foods.

Same parenting technique with #2--not the same!

He is 6 and will only eat chicken, bagels, bread, cereals, yogurt, snacky kinds of foods--pretzels, chips, goldfish and some fruits.

Won't eat any pastas, chesses, eggs, vegetables, any meats other than chicken, cold cuts, is allergic to peanuts

We tried the old "eat what's in front of you or starve" technique and he lost weight.

Tried to "force" him to eat something. He threw up.

Looked into my husband's side of the family and his nephews, uncle and grandmother had similar food issues. His grandmother never outgrew it and she lived into her 80s!

Here is the ultimate DIS challenge. Try to come up with breakfast, lunch and dinner suggestions from the above list of foods every single day.
I'm going stir crazy an have no other ideas.

 

[Bob Slydell]

We had a tendency to cater to our first son and we're working on getting him out of that mindset, but it's a slow process. We'll now typically give him two choices (assuming we have two things cooked, usually one is a leftover) and he has to pick one of those and at least eat some of what he picked in order to get anything else. We don't tend to make a lot of meals he doesn't like, mostly because our taste in food is similar to his. If it's something that we know he doesn't like, that's a day when we will allow him to have something different, like a hot dog and mac & cheese.

We've learned our lesson with our youngest (that, and he's just naturally a bigger eater). He pretty much eats whatever we cook.