2 1/2 twin son picky eater to no eater

Our 2 1/2 year old son has never been a good eater. At 6 months old he tasted eggs and spit it out. He never even ate meat in jars. He would spit it out. He used to only eat fruits and veggies. Our daughter ( his twin) eats everything-and I mean everything, so the food is always there in front of him. He only eats crackers, chips, French fries (not sweet potato), Special K vanilla almond cereal, milk and fruit (no more veggies). His sister even asks him to eat by sharing her food with him. So it clearly is not a texture thing since he is eating both fruit and crunchy foods, but that list is all he eats. Suggestions?

 

I could have written something similar for my ODD when she was between 18 and 24 months. She still is really picky and texture issues do play a role for her (she won't eat anything that feels like bread and goopy stuff only gets eaten if she can use a spoon). Would he do dips? It never worked for ODD because of the previously mentioned texture issues but it was recommended that we try using dips to make eating more fun but mostly to boost the calories. If he's eating fruit, you can try cream cheese or a fruit dip. If you want to try to get him to eat some veggies, you can try a ranch, french onion, or other veggie dip. You can even mix some powdered dressing mix into some sour cream to boost the calories.

We honestly haven't had a lot of success with getting ODD to try new things but we have a TON of info from the pediatric GI that shows how to boost calories and get the most out of the foods that they will eat. If you'd like me to send you the info that I have, PM me. While she is still very picky and doesn't eat a ton, she's gaining weight properly again. And since the foods she WILL eat are almost all fruits and veggies, I don't worry too much about the nutritional aspect of it. Oh, yes and yogurt has been a lifesaver for us if you can get him to eat that.

 

I make protein drinks for him about 3 times a week so I can hide good stuff in there: yogurt, flax seed, etc. he won't dip for his life and he even wants his food separated. If it's not he'll do it--with certain food. Fun food?!?! He walks away from. Doctor is not too concerned yet because he said that at least he is eating. I can't even get him to eat a gummy vitamin (against my better judgement). We have always put fish oil in his milk so he still gets that but the moment I sneak in a vitamin in his milk or water he puts it down.

 

My girls aren't quite that particular, but pretty close. I've been working with the ideas from this blog & seeing progress: http://itsnotaboutnutrition.squarespace.com/

 

Is food always available to him? Some kids like snacking only. My kids used to be that way. I was worried sick. But then I was so over it. I offer food and give them 30 mins. If they don't eat, i take it away. They have to wait for the next meal or snack. Before i used ti prepare their meal and some back up food. So if they disnt eat their food, id give them their fav food. But i stopped that also. If you dont eat, then be hungry. They improve after that.

Also, my kids are only a little picky at home. Certain food they never eat at home. But they eat everything at school. I didn't believe it when their teachers told me. But I stopped by and saw they ate.

I do try to give them new food or veggies every 2 week/ a month. But I always do that right after they get off from school. They are always hungry when thy get home even though they finish all snacks/lunch at school. I think we are over the picky issue 6 months ago. However, my kids have different fav food. My girl loves carb and red meat. she must have carb and meat (beef or deer meat) in her diet. She hates sweet stuffs. My son is not a big fan of carb. He loves fruits and greasy food (like chicken skin) and sweet food, seafood. So I do have to mix some from her fav, some from his. They do eat certain kinds of veggies and plenty of fruits. They don't eat chicken, only eat chicken wings and skin. Sounds picky right? Well, to me its not. As long as they eat, I don't mind.

It's very fustrating.... Gl!

 

Thank you for the web site miss-bossy18. It mentioned sweet juice,etc. but we don't "allow" our kids sugary foods. In fact, it was offered at school one day and they both turned it down. We always have food available to them because our daughter eats constantly. We have also only served what we were eating and then he ended up snacking more because he wasn't eating all mealtime. We can't give her snacks and they say no to food for him. The last thing we want is for him to have a negative food association. Ugh....it is frustrating because he has always been this picky.

 

Jess has always been picky! At this age shed only eat things orange or white.
Chicken grilled only
Mac and cheese
Other pasta not a lot of sauce nothing red
Apples occasionally
Carrots
Mashed potatoes
Peanut butter
Nuts

She eats better but not as we'll as jazz. We supplemented with pedicure since she was border line failure to thrive

 

I guess the good news is that Dylan is not losing weight, but he is also not gaining weight. I do hope that as he gets older and goes through the growth spurts that he too will want to eat more and try new things...time will tell.

 

Henry eats: all breakfast foods (eggs, cereal, fruit, yogurt) except for breads. For lunch/dinner he will eat bacon, veggies and any pasta. He will not eat any meat, cheese or bread items. He actually started losing weight because we were trying to get him to eat a more varied diet. Our pedi told us to stop, that some kids are truly that picky and nothing will change their mind. He said eventually he will outgrow it but not to fight it right now. So we feed Henry lots of eggs, bacon, yogurt, pasta and all the fruits and veggies he will eat. SInce doing this, he has gained 3-4 pounds (since August) and is a much happier kid (less tantrums from being hungry). I will eventually start food chaining (oh you eat bacon, try it mixed with egg) to broaden his diet but for right now, he is doing well on his limited diet so I am not worrying about it.

 

Once jessy got to school age I feed her breakfast and dinner and don't send her lunch. She has to eat whatever they serve at school. This has helped her branch out some.