Feed the kid

[Ocean Lover]

Been there...still there...with a 12 yr old that even grew 5 inches last year. Ever since I put his first real food in front of him at 8 months old he has pushed it away. When he was younger I tried to wait him out and not cater to him but he would not eat! He doesn't eat fruits or vegetables. I have always had to buy what he likes and basically make him something different for meals. BUT he is content with very simple things. And then one week he likes some things and the next week he doesn't. He will eat the same thing for weeks on end and then all the sudden he's done. He has a super amazing sense of smell so I'm guessing he is a super taster too. He does take a multi-vitamin every day. He's basically a big pain in the butt but he is by far the healthiest of my two kids and rarely gets sick.

 

[Mango]

I just had my nephews for 5 days, full time. One is almost Brody's age. He ate everything vigorously just until recently. Now he is starting to get a little picky and not eating as much. His older brother (7) eats quicker and there was only so long he would sit before begging to be excused from the table. Then the little one wants to leave too. Most of the time he sits and eats, but when he gets distracted and doesn't eat what I think he should have consumed, I let him do something else while he ate. Worked like a charm. He almost ate a whole pork loin and 10 green beans while watching his brother play Club Penguin. I'm all for family time at the table, but a little game to distract him while eating and encourage more bites seems to help.

At lunchtime, we played a little game at the table as well. I would beg him not to bite the head off the hot dog and of course he had to. "Noooo don't eat me", like the gingerbread man in Shrek. I also let him help, like press the buttons on the microwave and spread peanut butter.

If it's any consolation, his older brother was lean like Brody at that age, still lean and tall now, and ate almost 4 slices of pizza last week. Yes, in one sitting. and I made him a belly buster of pancakes, eggs, toast, and sausage --at his request- before school.

So, save your money, he'll be eating you out of house and home soon enough.

 

[SHELLY]

How much physical activity does he get during the day?

Does he have friends and access to playground equipment or run around the beach? Or does he like to sit quietly and play with toys and watch TV. Is he more apt to eat during days with lots of physical activity?...like going to the beach and jumping in the gulf for hours on end?

As long as you can get his required vitamins in him and have some healthy snacks (fruit, veg, cheese, etc) around when he does want to munch on something, he should be OK. "Forcing and badgering" him to eat at this very young age (even though you do it out of love and concern) could give the process of eating meals with the family a negative spin later on. To get him in the habit of proper dining habits, you may let him help prepare the family meals and sit down to eat with you at the proper times you establish. Of course "desserts and treats" are totally off limits unless he does "eat properly" quid pro quo-style.

Young children are more in tune with their bodies and what their body needs to sustain itself and grow--as long as you cleared him of physical and mental problems, I don't think nature will let him starve himself to death. He's just a skinny kid. He's probably saving up his appetite till he's 13...at which time he'll start eating you out of house and home.

 

[Teresa]

bobbyj - we know the type. same kid lives here. all the above is great advice. this is what we've learned:

provide a lot of opportunity in a variety of foods for him to try.
never force or threaten - it just does not work and can make eating time very unpleasant.
little bribes are okay. why not.
cook together in the kitchen.
take him out to eat all kinds of foods, not just kid stuff.
try consistently having sit down meals together with family - not just the kid sitting down to eat which can become a habit if he is not on your eating schedule.

our kid lives on Pad Thai noodles from a Thai restaurant, eggrolls, some fruit, honey nut cheerios and peanut butter waffles (nutri-grain w/blueberries), some seafood. he has gradually added cheesedip with tortillas, crab legs, shrimp, bbq ribs, an occasional carrot or celery stick with pnut butter. oh, and chocolate = but no dessert until the meal is done (and let him eat what he can even if its just a little). orange juice, milk, chocolate milk, water. and an occasional softdrink when eating out - as long as he's eating.

he has actually added a few foods, and subtracted even more along the way. :roll: pasta is off the list now, as well as oatmeal. I guess they go through food phases.

 

[30A Skunkape]

Bobby-has your pediatrician gone over your child's growth chart with you? I find this is one of the most reassuring tools for parents who are convinced their youngsters are going to shrivel up. If you want I have a book entitled 'Food Fights' I will be happy to lend you-it is a roadmap to making peace at the dinner table.

 

[bluemtnrunner]

I have lots of advice on this one. First, don't panic. Second, don't get sucked in to giving him the sweet, vitamin packed meal substitutes.

My kids were all in the 25% for height and weight and didn't eat much at all when they were little. My goal became to always have healthy food offered to them and then not sweat it too much. Just like dieters, offer 6 small meals a day. If he likes something that is healthy, have a lot of that on hand and build on it. Grapes, raisins, nuts, peanut butter, cheerios, mac and cheese (as healthy as you can afford).
One of my kids hated bread. She ate a flour tortilla with peanut butter and applesauce rolled up every day for a year. I would put ground up spinach and carrots and zucchini in their spaghetti. One of them liked turkey rolled up in a piece of cheese so we went with that. Veggies with salad dressing are good finger food.
Try not to change your diet to accomodate him completely, just incorporate a little of what you know he will eat with a little of the "big people food." So if dinner is meatloaf and green beans and he will only eat mac and cheese, give him a little of each. Even if he doesn't touch the meatloaf, it is there and you can encourage him to give it a try.

Another trick we used was to let them help shop and pick out fruits and veggies and help plan the menu, we also let them grow their own. Amazing how a kid will eat a green bean or pepper if he planted the seed himself. He isn't too young to do that! He is also old enough to make his own food. Give him a butter knife and his favorite ingredients and watch him go to town. He can cut and spread things. Give him a plate with some cheese slices, crackers and a butter knife and let him cut the cheese to go on the crackers. Spencer was making his own PBJ's when he was 2. Bagel or english muffin pizzas that he puts together and watches them cook. Let him pour the measured water into instant oatmeal and put it in the microwave. I found that the more involved they were in making the food, the more inclined they were to eat it.

If it helps....the kids are now 18, 16, and 14 and very healthy. The younger two are taller than me. My son (14) is wearing a size 12 shoe and going through a gallon of milk a day He loves to eat lamb and duck and limas and just about everything else. The 18 yo is a sous chef at the Ritz Carlton and the 16 yo's favorite food is sushi. They really do catch up and if you don't totally cave and have them try other things, eventually, they will like more and more variety.

 

[sunspotbaby]

My mom told me that kids only eat as much as they need. Sometimes Jackie won't eat her own sandwich but as soon as I make one for myself...she's all over it. I usually end up eating hers and she eats mine...

Just wait til he's 11 or 12...you'll wonder where he puts it all.:shock:

 

[tistheseason]

When my 5 yr old was younger he was very picky. No not just picky, disinterested in food. It started at birth and we fought to keep him in the same weight percentage. At about 3, he was veggie-free, which worried me. But my pediatrician told me that fruits and veggies are in the same category -- so as long as he is getting fruit, no worries. He ate lots of fruits so It made me feel much better!! The last year has made a huge amount of difference. I no longer consider him a picky eater although he still can be disinterested at times. (He didn't get that from me!)

Now my 2 yr old is going through the same thing, but with less fruits. . . . However, he's maintaining his own on the weight charts. So, I'm not going to worry about it and hope he eventually snaps out of it as well.

 

[Bobby J]

Wow! Thank you all sooooooo much for all the great advice! Momma has been worried sick. My older daughters were a lot like Brody. Kelsey ate nothing but cold hot dogs and apple juice for 6 months. They both are taller then me now!

I appreciate everyone and this thread reminds me what a great community SoWal is!

BTW, today for breakfast Brody had one piece of toast with lite butter and honey. He loves honey (small doses) and likes to act like he is Winnie the Pooh. He also ate a bunch of frozen grapes. The only way he will eat a grape is frozen.

Last night he gorged on edamine(sp). I told him it was what Popeye eats. Strong to finish because he eats his spinach! He then wanted to wrestle me and his punch to my nose tells me he is in good shape!

Thanks again to everyone that posted.

 

[Teresa]

BJ - I know you guys will notice phases when he eats almost nothing, and then phases when he eats way more than usual. we've always noticed this with spidey (btw, brody needs a sowal name - let's not use his real name - that's no funn).

guess they are having growing spells, or not feeling well, or using more energy, etc. when the kid is in a no eating stage, then I've found its best to let him stick with the foods he likes without trying to push other stuff. be sensitive to the phase... they are very distinct phases.