dinner ideas for picky children

YALT

Sun, Jan 10 2010, 12:40 am

MiracleMama wrote:

Oy, YALT, I think your child wins the award. That sounds so difficult. Will he drink a milkshake? Because if so, maybe some sort of protein powder in a shake would be good. They usually are fortified with so many vitamins and minerals too.

We actually tried that. He does like a milkshake, but when the protein stuff is added he doesn't like it.

I forgot the craziest thing!
He used to love tomatoes. Then my SIL bought a book for my kids about this kid who was so picky, but when he told her they weren't peas, rather green driblets from Mars, she ate it. And they're not fishsticks, but special.... from the mermaid's supermarket...... But the book is called "I will not ever never eat a tomato (aka moonsquirters) so even tho she learns to eat them, he will now NEVER EVER EAT THEM AGAIN! he didn't tell me that's why, but after awhile I noticed that he stopped around the time the book came in the house.

So don't ever, never buy this book for your kids! (although it is funny for an adult to read!)

MetroMom

Sun, Jan 10 2010, 8:04 am

If you guys are considering your children picky then you are really lucky for picky eater's mommies. My son was born at 23 weeks and he weighed under a pound. BA"H he is almost 9 now and weights 32 pounds. He's an extremely picky eater but whatever he likes he can eat a lot of.

He likes cornflakes or rice krispies with milk, bananas, cream sandwich on rye, cream cheese on matzah, frozen amnons pizza a drop underdone (boiling hot but not a bit darkened), cucumbers, chicken soup with lukshen (perfectly clear and spotless),sour pickles, corn, and recently we added plain macaroni to his list. We have a list of his foods on the fridge and the deal is that as long as I make a food from his list for dinner he has to eat it. Anytime we get to add a food to that list he gets a big prize like a new lego set! He's just as picky for snacks. He likes corn pops, honey wheat pretzels(utz), tortilla chips(black bag only), clementines, sliced apple. He only drinks orange juice, water, and chocolate milk.

Good luck with yours. And just remember that small, steady strides yields great lengths.

e1234

Sun, Jan 10 2010, 8:42 am

metro mom - your son sounds like mine
he is 9 though and so picky. He won't eat the meals in cheder so now the only thing I can send him with some nutrition is french toast (before that it was chocolate sandwiches)
he likes mac & cheese the most but usually wants cereal at night as well.
if I get him really in a good mood then sometimes I can get him to eat chicken or shnitzel but he's so picky and it's so hard to get him to eat anything nutritious. He's very skinny and I'm nervous about his eating habits. (though honestly I was also very picky and b'h ended up ok)

YALT

Sun, Jan 10 2010, 8:57 am

geemum wrote:

Yalt, I'm curious, how old is your child? How long has he been this picky?

He just turned 4.
As a baby he ate everything. those gross baby jars of stringbeans - even that! he loved it!
At about 2 he started being picky.
There's 1 thing that he never liked from the day he started solids - fish. in any form, shape or color. Until 1 day, I made fish latkes from gefilte fish. He really enjoyed it (about 2 years old) until we all started cheering that he finally tasted fish. His comprehension was obviously pretty good then, since he spat out what was in his mouth & wouldn't finish it. And never touched fish again.

YALT

Sun, Jan 10 2010, 9:01 am

BTW, I can't really blame him, cuz I was (& still am) a picky eater. My mother says there was a stage when I wouldn't even touch maccaroni. I don't know if I believe that, being that in 9th grade, I was so addicted to pasta that I had it every night for supper. She says I used to live on PB&J sandwiches.

QUEENY

Sun, Jan 10 2010, 9:08 am

My three are very picky. I'm so embarresed to go to people for Shabbos b.c I have to bring yogurt or Cream Cheese sandwiches with me. My kids will only eat:
DS#1 and 2 eat Macaroni.
DD eat cheese Sandwiches
They all eat Pizza
1 DS and 1 DD eat Yogurt
1 DS eats Cottage Cheese PAncakes
They all eat Cream CHeese Sandwiches. Some Like bagels some like Rye Bread.
DD and 1 DS eats slices of cheese
My older son who is the pickiest does not eat yogurt or cheese, won't touch vegetables- will only eat pears, cantaloupe and blueberries. My other two will eat peppers and apples and thats it.
When we go away I have to bring my own rye bread b.c they never like the ones we find on our travels.
They all eat various cereals.
Sometimes they will eat fish sticks.
This is all they eat. I alternate suppers. In school if they don't like the lunch they usually eat massive amounts of plain bread.
When it comes to nosh they are not picky at all.

Zus

Sun, Jan 10 2010, 9:51 am

Pasta with hidden vegetables sauce. I always mix pasta with sauce in the pan, so plain doesn't exist. My kids have no idea what's in the sauce (sauteed onions, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, peas, corn, whatever I happen to have) but they devour it. Yes, picky eaters.

I had nachos with all kinds of dips. My kids love it when they get to eat "chips" for dinner, and they love dipping. They particularly loved the bean chili and the sour cream. They wouldn't touch the guacamole.

ABC

Sun, Jan 10 2010, 1:16 pm

this is fascinating!

have you noticed how nearly all of the picky eaters will eat pasta and maybe also pizza? what is it about those foods that they are happy to eat them? there must be something psychological about this.

I find that being in different situations usually helps reveal another food my kids will eat. so being at a wedding where they see and can choose from different things helps, as does eating at a restaurant, especially if there are a lot of people at the table all eating different things.

also can help a bit when a friend comes to eat supper with them. dd1 would never have touched plums, but when she saw her friend devouring one after another, she was tempted and now also loves plums.

I also have found that if I have a good dinner in mind, I avoid giving my kids much of a lunch. by dinner time they are so hungry, they eat much better.

and has anyone else noticed this: if they have ices in the afternoon, they are extra hungry for 'real' food in the evening?

good luck!!

gold21

Sun, Jan 10 2010, 2:14 pm

sometimes when kids are extremely picky, they need therapy to strengthen the muscles of their mouth, something like that. my friends son is picky and she was told therapy could help him become less picky. I dunno which therapy: physical, occupational, or other.

the world's best mom

Sun, Jan 10 2010, 2:39 pm

It would be OT that would help with sensory issues, speech therapy would help for muscle problems. My kids get both.
I think ds is the pickiest. He won't touch bread. He is allergic to milk. He eats sugar cereal and occasionally plain ones. He gags on noodles. He loves chicken, vegetables from my chicken soup, croutons... Right now his favorite food is sour sticks that my fil so kindly gave us tons of.
Basically, he only eats foods that are crunchy or spicy or sour.

When dd was close to 2, we started making her have a balanced meal on her plate by every meal. She screamed whenever she had a vegetable there, so her speech therapist helped her learn to tolerate picking up the veggie and throwing it out. Then she was able to eat what she liked and leave over the rest. I am thrilled with the results. She now eats almost everything. She's still picky about fruits and veggies, but she's improving. She is sometimes willing to touch them, and even put them by her lips. She has learned to eat apples, grapes and watermelon. She licks cucumber before complaining that she doesn't like it. Progress is slow, but there.

And if a kid doesn't like my supper, they can't have dessert until they eat at least one thing. They do end up eating. My problem is, ds is too young to work on yet. He is 18 months old and has no speech or comprehension. I can't wait to start with him when he's ready.