Re: having trouble getting 3 yr old to eat right

[Tsu Dho Nimh]

"James and Karen Stewart" > wrote:

>I am having trouble with my 3 year old. He likes to eat mostly bread,
>pasta and potatoes. He doesn't eat any vegies, or fruits.

Who buys and prepares the food? He does? Or you do?

>A typical day for him would be cereal, toast or pancakes for breakfast,
>For lunch Kraft dinner, grilled cheese sandwich, hot dogs, or toast.
>FOr supper, maybe some potatoes, noodles, rice, and some meat... not often
>but maybe a bit of chicken or pork chop ( less lately). He will drink fruit

Who is doing all that cooking for him?

>My son will
>eat only the rice, potatoes or noodles and then he gets up and walks away.

So don't offer them. Have a few vegetable-only weeks. Make
broiled eggplant "pizzas".

>I know some of you will say just give him the vegies. I've tried that ..he
>just walks away and then I feel bad because he had no supper.

Sometimes the parents have to do things that make them feel bad.
It's part of the job. Give him time and he'll get hungry enough
to eat. Right now he's running the house, and you should be.

>I really don't know what to do...ny husband suggested brocoli and spinach
>milkshakes...anyone have a recipe ??? ( LOL)

>any suggestions about fussy eaters and what to do would be great.

Serve what he SHOULD eat ... he'll eventually eat it, altough it
can take a few days.

Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré

[Bill Fischer]

My! You'd be shocked at the number of parents -- particularly mothers --
who simply can't do this.

Sometimes I simply ask: "Who is the boss at your house? You or your child?"

Several times, I've heard lecturers recommending that "the parent
decides what is eaten and the child decides how much."

One lecturer recommended not to recommend, push, chastise or coerce.
Simply place at the table a well-balanced diet and let the child have at
it.

Unfortunately, that's an impossible assignment for many parents.

> Sometimes the parents have to do things that make them feel bad.
> It's part of the job. Give him time and he'll get hungry enough
> to eat. Right now he's running the house, and you should be.

[Mark]

"James and Karen Stewart" > wrote in message >...
> I am having trouble with my 3 year old. He likes to eat mostly bread,
> pasta and potatoes. He doesn't eat any vegies, or fruits.



Sometimes it's tough to "make" a toddler eat anything besides his/her
favorites, but it's your obligation to turn things around.

Right now, your son is dictating what you feed him. It might not look
exactly that way to you, but it is the truth.

Cook healthy meals. Throw the junk food out of the house. Place in
front of him a tasty but healthy meal and when he complains that he
wants the junk food, point out to him that there simply isn't any in
the house.

He'll balk. He won't eat the good stuff at first. He'll walk away
from the table without eating anything, and then in a few hours, he'll
be complaining that he's hungry. At that point, offer him a healthy
snack: carrots, fruit, etc.

He'll bitch and scream and be generally unpleasant and he'll go to bed
hungry, but you will be setting a precedent: "You eat what is served,
and we're no longer serving crap."

It's tough, but in the long run this is showing him more love than
caving in and letting him survive on a bad diet. Not to mention that
the longer you keep giving in to his dietary whims, the further you'll
be reinforcing in him the idea that you can be pushed around (by a 3
year old, no less.)

Take care and stick with it.

Mark, MD

[Bill Fischer]

>I supervise what he is asking for and sometimes he
> gets a no..... lately he wants desssert.....I told him he has to eat some
> supper or there is no dessert. He gets very upset....but sometimes he will
> go back and eat something.
>
> I have mixed some califlower in with potatoes once and he ate that because
> he didn't know it was mixed with califlower...but I need something he will
> eat that is the same colour as what he doesn't like so I can trick him into
> eating those things


Offer a well-balanced diet. You decide what he eats; he decides how
much. Don't cajole, don't fuss, don't demand, don't deride. Make meal
times calm and pleasant. Discuss the joys of the day.

Don't even tell your child such things as "Cauliflower is good for you."
Such suggestions might be met with firmer decision to avoid it.

By the way, one lecturer I heard said that vegetables and fruit are from
the same food group. If your child eats fruit, you're on the path to
success.

Another said that, for the inveterate veggie refuser, offer a chewable
multivitamin and avoid the stress and conflict.

I agree with Mark. Don't even buy the unhealthy foods, snacks and
desserts until you've seen improvements in his diet. Cut juice to no
more than four ounces a day. Offer all the plain water he desires.

Mixing foods that he dislikes with those he eats is a reasonable method
of approaching his dietary indiscretions.

(My assumption here is that your child's pediatrician tells you that he
is healthy.)

[Cincinnati Children's Webmaster]

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Stewart:

You might find this article about toddler nutrition
(http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/yh/archives/2002/spring/nutrition.htm)
helpful.

Amy Engler
Webmaster
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
3333 Burnet Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
htp://www.cincinnatichildrens.org

"James and Karen Stewart" > wrote in message >...
> I am having trouble with my 3 year old. He likes to eat mostly bread,
> pasta and potatoes. He doesn't eat any vegies, or fruits.
>
> A typical day for him would be cereal, toast or pancakes for breakfast,
> For lunch Kraft dinner, grilled cheese sandwich, hot dogs, or toast.
> FOr supper, maybe some potatoes, noodles, rice, and some meat... not often
> but maybe a bit of chicken or pork chop ( less lately). He will drink fruit
>
> I try to offer heathy meals, I make homemade veg. soup once in a while,
> and for supper I try to make at least 3 out of 5 nights heathy. In the
> summer I serve salad, or ceasar salad as often as possible, we have
> carrots, peas, beans, for vegtables, and a rice or potatoe or noodle side
> dish, and a serving of pork chops, chicken, or other meat. My son will
> eat only the rice, potatoes or noodles and then he gets up and walks away.
> In the summer my kids always want to eat outside at their little picnic
> table.
>
> I know some of you will say just give him the vegies. I've tried that ..he
> just walks away and then I feel bad because he had no supper.
> I really don't know what to do...ny husband suggested brocoli and spinach
> milkshakes...anyone have a recipe ??? ( LOL)
>
> any suggestions about fussy eaters and what to do would be great. I want to
> get some more vegies and fruits into him. He will be going to school in the
> fall and they stress healthy snacks..... so I need to be able to send
> healthy stuff for snack time.
>
> please reply to
>
> Thanks

[Bill Fischer]

<[Y]ou can't leave supper on the table for more then an hour
<and you can't leave pieces of apple out or banana because it turns
<black/brown and is garbage ...

After a reasonable amount of time when your child makes it plain that
he's done eating, clear the table. No more food until next meal. No
snacks. No treats. And go on about your business.

[Tsu Dho Nimh]

Bill Fischer > wrote:

><[Y]ou can't leave supper on the table for more then an hour
><and you can't leave pieces of apple out or banana because it turns
><black/brown and is garbage ...
>
>After a reasonable amount of time when your child makes it plain that
>he's done eating, clear the table. No more food until next meal. No
>snacks. No treats. And go on about your business.

Were you MY mom?


Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré

[Bill Fischer]

Sweetie! It's YOU!

> Were you MY mom?
>
>
> Tsu