Poll Discussion: Picky Eaters

 

Today’s poll is on picky eaters. Questions:

  1. Would you consider your child a picky eater? Yes or no.
  2. If yes, do you think you did anything to contribute to that? Yes, no, or N/A
  3. If no, do you think you did anything to contribute to that? Yes, no, or N/A
  4. What did you do to contribute to the type of eater your child is? Elaborate as much as desired.
  5. If you have overcome picky eating, how did you do that? Elaborate as much as desired.
  6. Any words of advice?

 

8 thoughts on “Poll Discussion: Picky Eaters”

  1. 1.Would you consider your child a picky eater? NoIf no, do you think you did anything to contribute to that? YesWhat did you do to contribute to the type of eater your child is? I moved to table foods as early as I could. I remember she was eating our foods (other than spicy foods or unsafe ones) at 10 months. I chopped foods up, squished them up, etc so she could be introduced to our normal fare. It's also why I introduced some foods, simply so I knew it was safe in a favorite casserole we have for example.Any words of advice?Encourage your child to try foods, even if it gets spit back out. After months of trying cucumbers, they went from a hated food to a favorite!

    Reply
  2. (E, 2.5 yrs old) 1. Would you consider your child a picky eater? Yes or no.YesIf yes, do you think you did anything to contribute to that? Yes, no, or N/ANo What did you do to contribute to the type of eater your child is? We did BLW, where we went straight to table food at about 6.5 months. We always offered a version of what we were eating at the table. E was a very relatively good eater until about 12-13 months when he began to refuse food. He would always taste it, but refused probably 85% of what he was offered. He was never, never offered anything other than what I had made him. If he refused it, he didn't eat for that meal. I NEVER offered snacks during the day. This has been our rule since the beginning (and has been implemented for essentially the past 18 months since his refusals started). It has made no difference whatsoever. He is still good at trying things 95% of the time, but will quickly spit things out and say no thank you or that he is finished. I do not retire recipes based on the fact that he doesn't like them. I keep offering things even though I know he doesn't like them. If you have overcome picky eating, how did you do that? Elaborate as much as desired. N/AAny words of advice?At the end of the day, I have to look at the fact that my husband and I were both extremely picky eaters as children, but we got over it on our own and have very broad tastes as adults. I think you do what you can and you let the rest lie. We have done everything in our power short of holding him down and forcing food down his throat to get him to not be "picky" but he clearly has very limited tastes for the meantime. I focus instead on his attitude at the dinner table and praise his willingness to try new things. (C, 13.5 months)Would you consider your child a picky eater? Yes or no. NoIf no, do you think you did anything to contribute to that? Yes, no, or N/ANoWhat did you do to contribute to the type of eater your child is? Elaborate as much as desired.We also did BLW with C. He actually started out very picky and completely switched by about 11-12 months. He can now be counted on to eat just about anything.If you have overcome picky eating, how did you do that? Elaborate as much as desired. N/AAny words of advice?I started two children on solid foods in practically the exact same way. One started out great then turned picky, and one started out picky then turned into a very good eater. They each have favorite foods, but their preferences are vastly different. I think personality plays a much bigger role in eating habits than most people are wont to admit. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Would you consider your child a picky eater? No. They both pretty much eat what's in front of them. If they aren't hungry or are sick then that's a different story, but generally speaking they will eat pretty much anything. Vegetables (fried okra anyone), seafood, you name it. If no, do you think you did anything to contribute to that? Probably yes. If they don't want something I make them eat one bite and then let it be. I don't force it nor do I replace the food with anything. They "go hungry" if they won't eat it. If they do that at dinner I'll give them a bedtime snack I know they'll eat so they won't wake up starving, but I don't play any food games. What did you do to contribute to the type of eater your child is? I gave rice cereal at 4 months until 6ish months then pureed vegetables. I didn't rotate them all the time and if the had pureed sweet potato 3 meals in a row because that's all I had so be it. Then I would blend whatever food I cooked and I gave it to them, be it tacos or pasta. I tried never to force it and put veggies in with the rest of the food, but generally they are big eaters with healthy portions. Again, I allow them to have a preference but even if they "don't like it" I make them eat one bite. Apparently children's taste buds change every 6 weeks so I don't want them to think they don't like something they will in fact like next month. Any words of advice.Don't oversnack the kids. If they aren't hungry then they won't eat it unless it is something they love (like ice cream). Give small portion sizes at first so that YOU don't flip and stress out if they don't eat a lot. Let them determine their own portion sizes and don't assume everyday they need the same amount. Unless they are sick, don't run around trying to find something they will eat if they don't like dinner. You get what you get and you don't pitch a fit.

    Reply
  4. kid#11. yes2. being my first kid, i had no idea about transiting her from bottle to solid food. fed her purees til she was 8-9 months and even though she refused, i simply insisted. it was frustrating. later, i just bought bottled food coz i was fed-up cooking for her. it was hit & miss til about 1 year when i started giving her rice and she ate. 3. n/a4. she is still a fussy eater with very specific preference. i try to respect that while insisting that she needs to try (at least 1 mouth) some foods before deciding.5. i didn't help to overcome that, but i think going to school & eating with her friends helped her to try foods which she normally woudn't. 6. she's almost 5 now, so it is easier to enforce try-at-least-1-mouth rule. :)kid#2.1. no2. n/a3. i did BLW with her. for me, i think this is a major contributing factor. i let her play with her food. which i didn't allow with kid#1 cause it was messy. i didn't know better.4. she doesn't eat much veg but i'm working on this but it was becoz i never quite fed her corn, peas which i hated. 5. now i try to eat a variety of food, a larger variety than i would normally eat without kids. simply becoz i want them to be exposed rather than be hampered by my food baggage.6. some kids (and even adults) are foodie, some are not. they do have preferences and my job is to ensure a healthy diet. sometimes she would eat so much that i have to tell her to stop!kid#31. yes & no.2. she was fed most of the time without much chance to make a mess.3. she likes her proteins, eg chicken, fish, meat etc. picky about eating her carbs eg, rice/noodles/pasta. she also loves her veg, eg corn, broccoli,peas. she was fed corn,peas, carrots almost everyday in her porridge/meals and now she loves it.4. now that she is > 1 year, she just eats whatever everyone is eating. no special food. there are good days, bad days.5. still working on it.6. have to start giving veg from the beginning.it is an acquired taste. if i ever have another 1, i would do BLW, let them make a mess and give them veg everyday. 🙂

    Reply
  5. 1. Would you consider your child a picky eater? Yes, I would say my 3 year old is picky, although he didn't start out that way.2. If yes, do you think you did anything to contribute to that? I honestly don't think we contributed to this. When he began on purees and finger foods he was exposed to a wide variety and ate readily. It's just been in the last year that he has started to express disinterest in many of the things we eat.3. What did you do to contribute to the type of eater your child is? I made his food as an infant and made sure that he was exposed to many different vegetables, meats, and fruits. Now, though, he would prefer to live on just fruits and carbs. By advice of our pediatrician, I keep offering healthy options and he has the same meals we do. We try not to make an issue of mealtime, but I am looking forward to the day when we can all enjoy dinner together.

    Reply
  6. E – 24 monthsWould you consider your child a picky eater? no.If no, do you think you did anything to contribute to that? YesWhat did you do to contribute to the type of eater your child is? What is on his plate is what is for supper. He will usually get around to trying everything without prompting. What is important to us is that he be willing to try foods, which he does most of the time. He definitely enjoys meat and dairy the most, but will eat other food groups as well. I do think personality probably does play a bit of a role. We will see what baby #2 is like!

    Reply
  7. 1. No2. N/a3. Made by own baby food, no processed food, all organic, gave him every veggie I could think of before starting fruit, and don't give him choices (if he doesnt eat what i make he doesnt eat) but always put something I know he will eat as one of the meal items.4. They don need help learning how to like cake, cookies, and fast food. Give them the healthiest stuff, all the time, whke you have control over things. Then you can branch out when they start asking for what other kids have or whatever.

    Reply
  8. 1. Kid #1: No, Kid #2: yes2 & 3. After having my oldest, I thought I had a lot to do with his great eating habits b/c I put a lot of effort into his diet. After seeing the same method fail in my very picky 2nd child, I see that it is more based on personal preferences.4. We have not overcome the picky eating at 2.5 years old. In fact, the number of foods he is willing to eat is dwindling!5. Have patience with the picky eaters. It is not worth frustrating you and him/her. Keep offering foods, don't cook specially for them except to make sure they get the necessary nutrients. I use foods he likes to hide things he'd never eat, like adding spinach to a homemade fruit smoothie. I also still puree his veggies that he has to eat prior to a meal. I look forward to the day I can stop this and "negotiate" with him to eat the whole version, rather than a puree, but for now I just want him healthy. He seems sensitive to textures and vomits easily, so I don't want to push it if he's willing to eat it in another form. Also, I am a picky eater (wish I wasn't, but I just am) and I remember being forced to eat foods I truly don't like, even to this day, so I can respect personal preferences. I also agree that snacks should be special and well thought out as to type and timing, not a regular occurrence that ruins meals. Consider using them only as a post meal treat that is earned by eating well.

    Reply

Leave a Comment