Anyone else having this problem?

My daughter has become so damn picky, and of course her little bro just copies her.

It's getting ridiculous.

I find that kids prefer to eat real food over a knuckle sandwich.
I suggest that tactic.

We try all sensible approaches.

cut her taxes

it solves all of life's problems

Hey Powerboss. Have gone through this with my son. I am a strict parent, and just refuse to give in with him. I try to stay consitent, even if that consitent is consitently mean. My son would sit at the table, and finish his plate, even if it took him5 hours to eat a meal. I learned the hard way that giving in just once was excuse enough for him to push the rules every time, so I have tried to be the same every time meal time rolls around. :)

Shelter, which did you answer in the "nurturing parent/strict father" in the other thread?

didnt answer, never saw the thread. I am definatly strict though. Its how my parents raised me, and seems to have turned out well, so I am stickin with it. :)

Yep. Never give in, ever. Told mine if they were picky they would starve. They're 18 and 21 now so it never killed 'em.

Yep. Never give in, ever. Told mine if they were picky they would starve. They're 18 and 21 now so it never killed 'em.

my sons 3, i am starting early..LOL

my sons 3, i am starting early..LOLGood for you. It'll pay off in the long run :nice:

I've got a few that inform me nightly that "I don't like that". I inform them, nightly, that they'll eat it anyway. The problem eaters are usually restricted in what, if any, snacks they're allowed in the afternoon, and refusal to eat results in early bed times. This usually does the trick.

The most important thing IMO is to be consistent.

Grab a big bottle of chewable vitamins AND DON'T START BEING A SHORT ORDER COOK.

The good news is that most seem to grow out of it around ages 10-12. WW IV techniques are not advisable.

Put reasonable food/meals on table- set time limit - ( reasonable) - remove if not finished - no extras after if plate not 'clean' ( be reasonable ). REWARD if tries something new and finishes it

One mom I know allowed each of her children to NOT eat one thing on their
plate. ( hey even kids have taste buds)

Another mom lets her daughter pick the meal ( and help prepare it) for one meal a week.

Its tough that you have a younger one - they do so like to copy but start the consistent pattern early - it may or may not help later . And when big sister is not around try to follow same rules.

Good luck.

Hehe - You too will be a grandparent some day and can sit back and laugh and laugh. :)

We don't force them to eat. We just don't allow them to snack between meals. Once I waited through 2 days straight of just picking before my son finally realized he had to eat. I say let them figure it out for themselves. Kids are smart.

I don't have this issue with my kids. I don't know why.

With something they haven't had before though, I insist they try one bite. If they don't like it, I don't force the issue. They do HAVE to try it though.

They like just about everything though. Mom's the picky one in the family :p

just dont give her anything else.

My husband, in the later years of our marriage, would never be eating as he would be to high or drinking, so I usually planned meals around the kids. Presentation is a big thing when they are small, giving everyday food "cool" new names, arranging it in an interesting way.
Easy way to get kids to eat veggies,
use cucumber slices as wheels, carrot sticks as axels & a handle, a slice of cheese as the body, and arrange as a wagon. Kids love this sorta stuff.
Maybe I had too much time on my hands...

i think the creative display is key. plus, you should try to make the older child feel like she is setting an example. my parents always convinced me that i had to be the "big girl" for my little sister. i don't remember, but they say it worked like a charm.

plus, i would say, pick your battles. if your kid hates certain veggies, but loves others, just encourage them to eat the ones they like. its not worth it in the long run to fight over every meal.

what I do is try to beat them with food, all the while shouting "The only way to stop the beating is to make the food dissapear!!!"

they ususaly get the hint and devour the food in no time.

I hated eating when i was a kid too. i lived on noodles with butter...kinda gross combo i know but i loved it. dont worry it's a phase and will eventually pass....i eat everything now!!

Show them this website:

http://www.bluedragonfly.org/

haha excellent post

I wouldn't make a big deal of it. I don't know how old your child is, but kids will NOT starve themselves. I was raised in a house where you had to eat everything on your plate. It sucked. I couldn't leave the table until everything was gone. I had to eat liver (which I hated then; still do), beets(ditto), and many other really nasty foods that I don't eat to this day. I hated the way it made me feel when I was a kid, and swore I would never do that to my kids. If a child tells you that they don't like something, in all likelihood they're telling you the truth. Kids have an incredible sense of taste. It's much stronger than an adult's. Just think about the food you hated the most when you were a kid and try and remember how horrible it was to eat it, and how intense the taste was.

I say let her pick some of her own foods. Take her shopping and let her buy a few treats, and let her pick her own "healthy" foods. Just tell her that she doesn't get the treats until she eats the good stuff first. This works. You may be surprised at what she picks. Almost every kid goes through it, and then they start eating you out of house and home later on.

I think another rimportant thing is not to try and make her eat what YOU like, but help her figure out what she likes, and don't let it become a battle. It's not worth it.You can just as easily make it fun. She's not gonna' die if she doesn't eat her brocolli. Give her some chewable vitamins every day if you think she's not getting enough nutrition.

I've got two boys and I'm never see them really eat but I spend $200 every 5 days at the grocery store.....Eating disorders suck so don't put to much time into watching because she will focus on it too... maybe shes in love, thats the one thing I've noticed love makes you lose wieght....take care

I wouldn't make a big deal of it. I don't know how old your child is, but kids will NOT starve themselves. I was raised in a house where you had to eat everything on your plate. It sucked. I couldn't leave the table until everything was gone. I had to eat liver (which I hated then; still do), beets(ditto), and many other really nasty foods that I don't eat to this day. I hated the way it made me feel when I was a kid, and swore I would never do that to my kids. If a child tells you that they don't like something, in all likelihood they're telling you the truth. Kids have an incredible sense of taste. It's much stronger than an adult's. Just think about the food you hated the most when you were a kid and try and remember how horrible it was to eat it, and how intense the taste was.

I say let her pick some of her own foods. Take her shopping and let her buy a few treats, and let her pick her own "healthy" foods. Just tell her that she doesn't get the treats until she eats the good stuff first. This works. You may be surprised at what she picks. Almost every kid goes through it, and then they start eating you out of house and home later on.

I think another rimportant thing is not to try and make her eat what YOU like, but help her figure out what she likes, and don't let it become a battle. It's not worth it.You can just as easily make it fun. She's not gonna' die if she doesn't eat her brocolli. Give her some chewable vitamins every day if you think she's not getting enough nutrition.


If I ever have kids I want you to baby sit them. :nice:

In my house (although we don't usually sit down to have a healthy meal) We get to choose one thing that we do not want to eat. We can change it once a month.